addicted to white tape

I found this on Youtube a few nights ago. Every Irish dancer needs to watch this.

 Feispix photography

leg muscle and turnout envy level 12783219

yep, i dance for WIDA and thanks for sending me this :)

i can’t really say that i’m offended since i can kind of understand her standpoint, i mean, given that CLRG’s the biggest and oldest organization around, it would make sense that it becomes the basis of comparison for a lot of people and it sets the standard for both dance style and competition calibre

what bothers me most is the way she seemed to be implying that the organization you dance for defines your “legitimacy” as an irish dancer, regardless of how much passion and love you may have for dance, even though there are many factors that could lead to a dancer’s decision to enroll in a non-CLRG school (limitations due to location/region, personal preference, costs, etc.)

we may have different standards and styles, but in the end, shouldn’t we be happy that all these organizations are allowing irish dance to spread all across the globe, even to countries where people don’t expect to find such an amazing art form (which also doubles as a sport)? it’s giving so many people the opportunity to experience something this unique and, personally, i feel really blessed

TL;DR: your organization doesn’t define your validity or worth as a dancer. as long as you enjoy it and are genuinely willing to do your part in working hard to reach whatever goals you have, that’s all that matters