Last night Earl and I attended the Trinity Irish Dance Company’s performance at our local auditorium. We’d seen this troupe before and had enjoyed it immensely. Last night was no exception.
To me, Irish step dancing is an unusual art form. I am used to ballet, where the dancer uses all limbs to express a feeling or create an impression. But in Irish step dancing, for the most part the dancers are rigid from the waist up, with their arms and hands hanging stiff from their shoulders. From the waist down, however, their movements are amazing. The hip joints of the dancers, as well as the knees and feet, are as nimble and flexible as can be. They kick and tap and double-time with uncanny speed.
I’m half Irish myself; and, when I see these dancers, I nostalgically wish I’d been exposed to this art form at an earlier age. I remember taking ballet and tap dancing both as a child and an adult; and I wonder if I might have been good at step dancing, given the opportunity. I certainly felt the rhythm, certainly had the genes. Just didn’t have the chance.
Instead, my role is one of audience appreciator, clapping as loudly as I can when the final number ends and the dancers bow. I rise to my feet with the rest of the audience and clap wildly, hoping for an encore. There is none, except that Earl and I will probably search to find when the Trinity Irish Dance Company performs close to home again.
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