0:00:15 > 0:00:19This year marks the 20th anniversary of Riverdance's seminal
0:00:19 > 0:00:20Eurovision performance
0:00:20 > 0:00:24which thrilled and inspired a worldwide audience.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30The show and its offshoots have since proved immensely popular
0:00:30 > 0:00:34and Irish dance is now practised by people of all ages,
0:00:34 > 0:00:36ethnicities and backgrounds.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Ronan Morgan, from Dublin,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44toured the world as part of Lord Of The Dance.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48Now a dance teacher, he continues to spread the traditional
0:00:48 > 0:00:51Irish art form a little further afield.
0:01:04 > 0:01:10So, this is the Taipei Irish Dance Academy. We began the school in 2006.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13It was actually the first Irish dance school in Asia.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15And this weekend is a very big weekend for us,
0:01:15 > 0:01:19because we are going to hold our second annual Taipei Feis.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32We have 70 students in our classes.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38Yi-Han runs the classes here from Monday to Saturday every week.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40SHE SPEAKS TAIWANESE
0:01:40 > 0:01:44I try to come out as often as I can, so it might be every
0:01:44 > 0:01:47second month or every third month, up to two weeks at a time.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49OK, let's try it again, everybody.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53I'm quite strict because it's expected, it's in their culture.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56They are very respectful towards teachers.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00They know that I'm here to try and improve their level
0:02:00 > 0:02:04and give them a different voice to Yi-Han.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Sometimes they might listen to me more
0:02:06 > 0:02:10because I'm the visiting teacher, more so than the regular teacher.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Up! Up!
0:02:14 > 0:02:18Daniel, you've got one minute minus 50 seconds to get ready. Go, go, go!
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Daniel is a big fan of Lord Of The Dance.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25Being a male dancer and an ex-member of Lord Of The Dance,
0:02:25 > 0:02:29I think that was a big factor in him coming to join the school.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33I remember him having a programme that he wanted me
0:02:33 > 0:02:34to sign on the first day.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37I want to hear this click! CLICK That's it.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39'I wouldn't be surprised
0:02:39 > 0:02:43'if his dream is to someday perform on stage with Lord Of The Dance.'
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Hank and Sabrina started with us when they were very young.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51We had that period with them where we
0:02:51 > 0:02:56were kind of fighting to get their eyes up and their chins up.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59And that's tough for them, because they might be heads-down children
0:02:59 > 0:03:01since the time they were born.
0:03:02 > 0:03:08Sabrina is a very sweet child who in the last year has started to smile.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10It's really wonderful to see
0:03:10 > 0:03:13that she's starting to come out of her shell.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16I don't know if it's thanks to Irish dancing, but I would imagine
0:03:16 > 0:03:21it has something to do with the change in her confidence.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24This is our second Taipei Feis.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26You've got more competition this year.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29This time you're going to have lots of new faces and strange faces,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31and they've come to compete against you,
0:03:31 > 0:03:35so you're going to have to bring up your level, OK?
0:03:35 > 0:03:36SHE SPEAKS TAIWANESE
0:03:51 > 0:03:54I've gotten very used to life here in Taiwan.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Over the last seven years I've spent quite a lot of time here.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02It's a really busy place, but it's also a very safe place to be.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06I don't think there's any way to compare life in Ireland
0:04:06 > 0:04:08to life in Taiwan, but at the same time
0:04:08 > 0:04:10there's something about the place
0:04:10 > 0:04:14that allows you to slip into the way of life very easily as an Irishman.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17I don't know whether it's the fact that we are islanders
0:04:17 > 0:04:18or anything like that.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21I don't seem to be able to put my finger on it.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26You can't compare anywhere else with Taipei,
0:04:26 > 0:04:28because of the smells, I think.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32You can smell absolutely everything cooking all in one street.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37The Taiwanese are fanatical about food. Food is their thing.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40They don't have time to cook when they go home -
0:04:40 > 0:04:42most people would spend 12 hours a day at work.
0:04:42 > 0:04:48So they cater for this by providing all foods for all tastes,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51which are available on nearly all streets.
0:06:37 > 0:06:43These are our medals we win in Taipei or Hong Kong or Shanghai.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46On Sunday, we might get more.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52The steps I dance, the sound is strong and make me...
0:06:52 > 0:06:54make me feel strong, too.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Make me stand tall and gives me more confidence.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17What about the late entries? Did we get them all fixed?
0:07:17 > 0:07:19- YI-HAN:- Yeah, we received some late entries
0:07:19 > 0:07:23- and they will all be included in the programme.- OK.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26- Has that programme gone to print already?- Yes, yesterday.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29- Grand, all right. - So it should be ready by Friday.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34'Yi-Han is a typical Taiwanese person in the sense that she
0:07:34 > 0:07:36'puts in a long day.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41'She works very hard and she's a perfectionist.'
0:07:41 > 0:07:45Born in Taipei, Yi-Han started to dance at the age of five,
0:07:45 > 0:07:49learning traditional Chinese dance and ballet.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Following her dream of a professional ballet career,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55she and her family eventually moved to Budapest
0:07:55 > 0:07:58and it was there that she discovered Irish dance.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Seven, toe.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03In 2000, Lord Of The Dance, Feet Of Flames, Riverdance,
0:08:03 > 0:08:07were huge and we heard there was this school opening up in Budapest
0:08:07 > 0:08:10and that's where we met Ronan.
0:08:10 > 0:08:16I auditioned for Gaelforce and I was informed that I'd got in.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20We toured in Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23After that we travelled to Taiwan
0:08:23 > 0:08:26and toured with Gaelforce here in Taiwan in different towns
0:08:26 > 0:08:31and I got the opportunity to perform for my parents, my family
0:08:31 > 0:08:33and for my people here in Taipei.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36And you know what they're like with the slow into fast -
0:08:36 > 0:08:38they get them mixed up.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42And so, after returning back to Europe,
0:08:42 > 0:08:47we were talking about it with Ronan that maybe it would be
0:08:47 > 0:08:51a good opportunity to start teaching Irish dancing in Taiwan.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56It may seem bizarre to somebody who is coming from Ireland
0:08:56 > 0:09:01and wondering why would you even dream of opening an Irish dance school in Taiwan?
0:09:01 > 0:09:06But we sometimes forget that thanks to the shows, we've covered
0:09:06 > 0:09:10every corner of the world with Irish dance and with our culture.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14I was really impressed with what they did the other day.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16They've really come on in the last couple of months.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Yeah, it'll be great if they can do the same...
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Yeah, if they can dance on that large stage with the confidence
0:09:21 > 0:09:24they danced in front of me the other day in that open reel,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26I'll be really, really happy.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Irish dancing is something that I would have hidden from everyone
0:09:36 > 0:09:41at school, whereas here in Taiwan the children find it cool.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44They maybe know the shows and are amused by the fact that
0:09:44 > 0:09:47someone in their class can do this form of dance.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51So there is no element of girlishness or cissiness
0:09:51 > 0:09:54attached to Irish dancing, certainly for the boys.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- WOMAN:- Ever since he learned Irish dancing
0:10:01 > 0:10:04he made a big improvement
0:10:04 > 0:10:08on relationship with friends and teachers...
0:10:08 > 0:10:11Especially, he became more confident.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13He has more confidence.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19In class, he used to have a little problem with focusing.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22OK, number two - Snoopy, be a good dog.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25ALL: Snoopy, be a good dog.
0:10:29 > 0:10:34We are lucky we found something he really loves and...
0:10:34 > 0:10:38I think it's kind of his love of his life.
0:10:51 > 0:10:57When Danny was three years old I got Feet on DVD and I watched it
0:10:57 > 0:11:01and I thought it was amazing.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06Daniel watched with me all the time almost every day.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09Oh!
0:11:09 > 0:11:12That's my teacher Yi-Han.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16She's very cool because she can dance Feet Of Flames.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19She's dancing with Michael Flatley.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22And I want to dance with Michael Flatley, too.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26I think he is very cool and tough and strong.
0:11:28 > 0:11:34Daniel has two lessons per week, which is Tuesday and Wednesday.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39He takes bus to the Academy and the bus ride takes about an hour.
0:11:41 > 0:11:47It's hard because he has a lot of school homework,
0:11:47 > 0:11:52so sometimes he has to bring homework and do it on the bus.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54ALL: Goodbye!
0:12:17 > 0:12:21With less than a week to go before the second annual Taipei Feis,
0:12:21 > 0:12:25the dancers attends their last class.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29Emily was the first child from that family who joined the school
0:12:29 > 0:12:32and she was soon followed by Albert because he got tired of being dragged
0:12:32 > 0:12:37around to Feises without actually winning a medal, like his big sister.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41There may be more pressure on Emily and Albert to succeed.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44It's just the nature of the way things are, possibly,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47in their family that they are expected to achieve
0:12:47 > 0:12:51high levels of success in everything they do, including Irish dancing.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Emily and Albert's parents are very committed to their Irish dancing.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19Their dad even built a studio for them in their own house.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22- ALBERT:- I really like Irish dancing.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26At first it was only for fun and when I show it to my friends
0:13:26 > 0:13:30they say that I'm very cool and I really like it.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33And then I started competing
0:13:33 > 0:13:35and I found out that
0:13:35 > 0:13:39going to competitions can actually make a lot of friends.
0:13:46 > 0:13:53I said it's not realistic to ask them to work so hard all the time.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11So we still need something to watch them
0:14:11 > 0:14:16and to give them some gentle reminder sometimes.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18So that's how it comes.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20As gentle as possible.
0:14:30 > 0:14:36Sometimes, like, during light dances I feel like I'm flying like a bird.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40And during heavy dances I feel like my feet are moving
0:14:40 > 0:14:44so fast that sometimes I don't even know what I'm doing!
0:14:46 > 0:14:48I started Irish dancing
0:14:48 > 0:14:52because my dad was interested in Scottish culture.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56And I'm really interested in Irish culture, too,
0:14:56 > 0:15:00but not as interested as Albert is!
0:15:01 > 0:15:04I also like the Irish music too
0:15:04 > 0:15:08because it's very different from other kind of music.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12I've been learning the accordion for four months
0:15:12 > 0:15:14and I really like it.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17I told my teacher about me doing Irish dancing,
0:15:17 > 0:15:23so he found many Irish music and, well, we played it a lot.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25HE PLAYS TUNE
0:15:30 > 0:15:35So before the Feis, we have to prepare our dresses, our wigs
0:15:35 > 0:15:38and, like, make-up things, and of course the fake tans.
0:15:43 > 0:15:44OK, OK.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47For the fake tan it's a really big challenge for us
0:15:47 > 0:15:51because we can't buy it in Taiwan.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54I can't put it on myself and my mum has to help me,
0:15:54 > 0:15:56but my mum is a perfectionist
0:15:56 > 0:15:59so she spends a lot of time doing it,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02and sometimes when there's like mistakes or it doesn't look good,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05we have to wash it off and do it all again.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17I'm really, really nervous, a lot more nervous than Albert is,
0:16:17 > 0:16:19because for the past few years,
0:16:19 > 0:16:26Albert has won most of the dances, and a lot of people, it would
0:16:26 > 0:16:28be really hard for them to believe that Albert,
0:16:28 > 0:16:33who is younger than me and who started later than I did,
0:16:33 > 0:16:37could dance better than I am, but it's true sometimes.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39This one's my biggest trophy.
0:16:39 > 0:16:44I got it last year in the Taipei Feis, and, erm, that's
0:16:44 > 0:16:50the intermediate trophy, I wanted the open one but he won it, so...
0:16:50 > 0:16:54- Yeah, it's mine, not yours. - No, it's mine.- No, no, it's mine.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57It should be mine, but someone gave it to Albert, so...
0:16:57 > 0:17:02- It originally was mine. - No, you're lying.- I'm not.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07We just qualified for the World Championship two weeks ago,
0:17:07 > 0:17:09that is our qualifying medal.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11- Yeah, but... - I got fifth place and...
0:17:11 > 0:17:15- I got second place. - Yeah. So it's, erm,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18so next year we're going to London for the World Championships.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23Mostly we travel to Europe for competitions.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28We've been to Ireland, UK, erm, Germany, Austria
0:17:28 > 0:17:31and Poland for competitions.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Since Emily became serious about the competition,
0:17:36 > 0:17:41we have no more family holidays. We went overseas only for Feis.
0:17:41 > 0:17:47As a mum, sometimes I do think, er,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50"Can you do it as a hobby?
0:17:50 > 0:17:54"Just, it's very competitive, and you already have very,
0:17:54 > 0:17:56"very competitive school life."
0:17:57 > 0:18:00But they never want to give up.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Next Sunday we're having our Feis.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14This is what we've been building up to, really, all year.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18The students are all very excited, the phone is hopping with
0:18:18 > 0:18:21a million questions from parents and, er, organisers.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26We have, er, these are the leftovers from last year...
0:18:26 > 0:18:28- OK.- So we have to replace the new stickers.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30OK, so you reckon if we heat them with the hair dryer then
0:18:30 > 0:18:33- we can peel it off? - Oh, yeah, apparently.- All right.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36If that's what the man says, we'll give it a go.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38- And then the new stickers are arriving when? Tomorrow?- Today.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41- Today?- Today, yeah. - So we can get this sorted out.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46I'm actually quite nervous about the Feis.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50This year we're expecting dancers from Hong Kong, Japan and, erm,
0:18:50 > 0:18:56with our dancers together we'll have about 68, 70 competitors in total.
0:18:58 > 0:18:59Xie xie. Bye-bye.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04- Obviously the stickers. - Awesome.- Grand, OK.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07It is our biggest event, the Taipei Feis,
0:19:07 > 0:19:13and everybody is really excited because, er, for students, dancers
0:19:13 > 0:19:18who didn't have the opportunity to travel abroad for competitions,
0:19:18 > 0:19:22it's the only chance for them to compete against other dancers.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25- Is it working?- Yeah, it's fine.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32- Ah, yeah, that's it.- Great. - Let me just try and see if, er...
0:19:34 > 0:19:36..if they work OK. Yeah, it's pretty good.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41It's important I think to make sure that we motivate people,
0:19:41 > 0:19:45so we decided at the start that we would give everybody a prize.
0:19:45 > 0:19:46At the end of the Feis every year,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49the children just have six or seven medals around their necks,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52and they're lucky maybe if they have a cup also,
0:19:52 > 0:19:54and you can see the excitement in them.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58And it's a small price to pay to create that much joy
0:19:58 > 0:20:00and make an occasion from it, I think.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Having finished the preparation for the Feis,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Ronan finally takes a breather.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11The day-to-day living here is very easy to manage,
0:20:11 > 0:20:12it's very comfortable.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16I keep in touch with my family every day.
0:20:16 > 0:20:22We talk on Skype, I chat with my son every day as well on Skype,
0:20:22 > 0:20:26we read at night-time, even though it's quite late for me here,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29it's about three or four in the morning, but I need to stay up late
0:20:29 > 0:20:33in order to make that contact and keep that contact strong.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04So I can't believe we're actually here at the day of the Feis.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07I think everybody is a little bit apprehensive.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10I can just imagine what it's been like in the homes this morning,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12in the houses, with everybody getting ready.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16I hope that they're going to give their all today, that the
0:21:16 > 0:21:20nerves won't get the better of them, and that they can show their parents
0:21:20 > 0:21:23and their families what it is that they do so well
0:21:23 > 0:21:24and what they work so hard for.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41Wait, wait, wait, let me see.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43OK.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48As I can recall, Michael Flatley's motto is "Follow your dream."
0:21:48 > 0:21:51I think my son's following his dream.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55I just give him as much as possible support
0:21:55 > 0:21:59and maybe he will soon make the dream come true.
0:22:01 > 0:22:06There are so many people there on stage,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08so I'm a little bit nervous.
0:22:20 > 0:22:25Me and my wife didn't know what happened. We thought he was perfect.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30But when Daniel came down, he was crying.
0:22:32 > 0:22:39I, I'm not sure if he's OK now, but I need him to focus on next dance.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Having a Feis in Taipei is very important
0:22:47 > 0:22:50because there are relatives like my mother, my sister,
0:22:50 > 0:22:52our friends, they will all come to support,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55and they were not able
0:22:55 > 0:22:59to see them dance overseas, so it's very important.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01Yes, the grandmas are all here!
0:23:11 > 0:23:17I think maybe Emily is a little bit more nervous than Feis overseas
0:23:17 > 0:23:20because her friends are here, her relatives are here,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23so she really wants a good result.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27I do put a lot of pressure on myself.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30I think that's necessary because without the pressure
0:23:30 > 0:23:34I wouldn't dance to this level right now.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48He's always very hard on himself, but as parents,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51we don't really care about the results.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54We only care about how much effort he puts in.
0:23:54 > 0:23:59But himself, he really cares about what prize he will get.
0:23:59 > 0:24:00In second place we have
0:24:00 > 0:24:05competitor 159, Cheng-yang Lee, from the Taipei Irish Dance Academy.
0:24:08 > 0:24:13I'm a little bit sad because I can't win gold medals.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18Michael Flatley had good days and bad days.
0:24:18 > 0:24:24If he didn't get any medals, he would try harder, work harder,
0:24:24 > 0:24:30and the next Feis, he would get a lot of gold medals. And me too.
0:24:30 > 0:24:35I have to, like, do it like Michael Flatley.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42And in first place we have Albert Yao from the Taipei Irish Dance Academy.
0:24:42 > 0:24:48I think winning the trophy is really important, because it's a shame
0:24:48 > 0:24:52not to win it when our parents sacrifice so much for us.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57You won again but next year it's going to be my turn.
0:24:57 > 0:25:04- I won for the trophy and, yeah, I beat my sister.- My trophy's bigger.
0:25:04 > 0:25:09- No.- It is. See, it's smaller, so, yeah.- No, the...
0:25:09 > 0:25:12- No, no! - There must be something wrong.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16At the last minute,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Hank and Sabrina's father has managed to get two hours
0:25:19 > 0:25:23off work to see his children perform for the first time in nine years.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26It's hard to know how Hank
0:25:26 > 0:25:29and Sabrina will react to their dad turning up because they don't
0:25:29 > 0:25:32show their emotions here, like we would back home.
0:25:32 > 0:25:33They're not as expressive.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30HE SOBS JOYFULLY
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Well, it's been hectic.
0:27:44 > 0:27:49It was a really, really busy day but it went really, really well.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52We are hoping to host many more Feises here in Asia,
0:27:52 > 0:27:58and we'll host Taipei Feis every year regardless of the numbers
0:27:58 > 0:28:00participating at our Feis from overseas.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05The success of the students was just breathtaking, I think,
0:28:05 > 0:28:09because you never presume that they're going to do so well.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13They had tough competition from the Japanese dancers this year.
0:28:13 > 0:28:18I never imagined that I'd be standing on a stage having completed a Feis.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21When I started the school with Yi-Han seven years ago
0:28:21 > 0:28:25we didn't see this far, we didn't imagine it would come this far.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28And now people are talking about next year and
0:28:28 > 0:28:33when we're going to fix the date for next year, and it's just snowballing.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Yeah, we've a lot to think about and a lot to be grateful for,
0:28:36 > 0:28:38and it just is going to take me
0:28:38 > 0:28:41a bit of time to let it all sink in cos it's just finished,
0:28:41 > 0:28:44and, erm, I'm feeling a bit emotional about everything.