abby

It seems to me that Irish dancing has become more about changing to fit some mold than it is about being who you are as a dancer. I mean, look at all those fan page Instagram accounts for “famous” dancers. People are all over the place determined to be EXACTLY like that dancer. People who become role models feel like they have to change to fit that idealized version of them self because if they don’t they’ll be letting someone down. And people who look up to these role models feel like they have to change to be exactly like whoever it is they look up to. Nobody is allowed to just be them self anymore, and it makes me sad.

After trying to write a response to this article, I realized that it would be quite lengthy for a blog post. As a journalism and communications graduate, I have a few issue with this article on a more professional level, as well as a personal level. That being said, I will be looking at the piece itself rather than the subject matter discussed (dancer’s appearance and attire).

I’m considering a video response to this article where I’d discuss issues with its construction, level of research, use of diction, and bias through use of multimedia and quotes. As this will take some time and editing, I would like to hear the thoughts of my fellow dancers and those in the Tumblr Irish dance community before pursuing this.

You may all remember that hilarious video that I posted of Meghan Connolly doing an absolutely fantastic Vanishing Lake. What I forgot to mention is that Meghan has suffered from scoliosis for years and when I posted that video it hadn’t even been a year since her surgery for it. Well today she’s celebrating her one year anniversary since the surgery, or in her words, one year of being “Straight”. Meghan has always been the most dedicated dancer I know. For a few years now, she’s been doing two-a-days at the gym, and going to dance class, and helping out at our dance school. I don’t know a lot of 14-16 year olds who do that.

Dancing with scoliosis is a big challenge, and then on top of that going through painful surgery, taking months off because of it, and then coming back and recovering from it, is so, so painful. It’s always so sad to see someone have to go through an injury or surgery, but to see one of the most dedicated dancers you know have to go through it is heartbreaking.

The surgery went well, and her spine went from a 56 degree curve to a 12 degree curve. She had a pretty good recovery too, but that was due in part to her being such a fighter. She pushed the nurses to help her start doing things sooner than most. When she was able to dance again and came back to class, we all tried to tell her to take it easy, and she did for a little bit, somewhat. There were definitely a lot of days when she was in pain, but she hid her pain well and would hide in the bathroom if she had to cry (sorry Meg for telling). She told me she never wanted to take it easy because she didn’t want to seem like she was making excuses.

To this day, she is still the hardest worker I know. She’s back into her full gym and dance routine, she still helps out all the time, and still has some of the highest clicks and lifts in our dance school. There are one or two little things she’s still working on regaining, but she’ll get them back soon. She gets better and better every week and I know she’s only going to keep getting better and is going to reach all of her goals. I can’t wait to see her on the Worlds stage, where she belongs.

She may be 5 years younger than I am, but Meghan is absolutely my biggest inspiration. She is the definition of hard work. She is without a doubt THE funniest person I know, and can be absolutely ridiculously crazy sometimes, but you can also have the most mature conversations with her. When I transferred schools, she was the most welcoming person to me. She will very clearly joke about being cocky, but she is such a humble dancer.

Abby Coyman’s new dress. The intricacy of neck going into the sleeves is unbelievable. I love how Abby’s dress are so unique, especially this one.