Episode 4 Jigs and Wigs: The Extreme World of Irish Dancing

This programme contains some strong language.

MUSIC: "Riverdance"

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Riverdance's seminal Eurovision

performance which thrilled and inspired a worldwide audience.

APPLAUSE

The dance form has since proved immensely popular

and is now practised by people of all ages, ethnicities

and backgrounds.

Ronan McCormack is one of the world's leading choreographers

and dress designers within the field of Irish dancing

and kick-started his illustrious career as part of the original

Riverdance line-up.

Since then, his dance career has brought him all over the world,

teaching masterclasses and adjudicating at feises.

And he now lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Two decades on, the Riverdance experience remains

close to his heart.

When the show was developed into a full-scale show, we actually

did a routine that had six guys dancing with Michael Flatley.

It was an a cappella routine

and we actually did it for the first time

on The Late Late Show to promote the ticket sales for Riverdance

and it really captured the public's imagination.

It was powerful, it was strong.

Six men dancing together to harsh, percussive beats.

So that was always something that's always sort of stuck with me,

you know, that that routine was a strong routine

and people warmed to it and really got on board with it.

So for the past 20 years, Ronan has contemplated putting together

a group of Irish dancers to create an all-male production.

Last year he was approached by the organisers of Las Vegas Pride

to do just that -

assemble an all-male troupe of dancers to perform

a three-minute piece in the entertainment capital of the world.

The great thing about what we do is it can be quite random

and spontaneous.

I woke up one morning with a text from Ronan asking

was I free for a week in September.

And that was all the details I got. I was like "OK, yes, I'm free.

"Give me a shout when you've any more details."

An hour later, I got an e-mail with the title going, "Las Vegas gig."

And I was like, "OK, brilliant! I'll jump on that!"

The group of dancers Ronan has assembled come from both

sides of the Atlantic.

But only three of the guys, those hailing from Ireland,

have actually met before.

-God, the heat would knock you out, wouldn't it?

-I'm telling you.

I arrived at the airport and what was kind of wacky, I got off the

plane and realised, I really didn't know what anybody looked like.

Literally Ronan was the only person I knew when I got here.

So it was a little bit daunting, because I think some

of the other guys have actually worked together before.

Right, thank you.

You know, when we arrived here,

some of the lads had never been to Vegas before.

So it was kind of a great buzz to finally get to meet each other

and then we took a drive down the Las Vegas strip.

And it's a magical spot.

Las Vegas!

It was great to see the guys, you know, really take that in, you know.

Because it really is like part freak show/Wonder of the World, you know.

It's like, it's both.

-We're definitely in the capital of the world...

-Hi.

-How are you?

-Good!

-Did you just get married?

-Yes.

-This is my new wife, yes.

-Did you actually just get married?

-Yes.

-Where did you get married?

-Well, at the Excalibur.

-Yeah, at the castle.

-Very good!

-Is it going to last?

-Two years, maybe.

-No.

-Yeah?

-You'll get two years out of it?!

-It depends how many Bud Light I drink.

Classy, I love it!

Next thing you know, Cal is accosted by a newlywed, a bride.

Now, I don't know that it was the most appropriate thing

that she had her first dance with one of our troupe,

but she seemed to enjoy the good ceilidh swing!

CHEERING

-Oh, my God, thank you!

-You're welcome!

It's a strange town!

You don't really get that kind of thing in Ireland!

After taking in the sights on the strip, the group make

their way to the villa they will call home for the next few days.

"Remove your shoe!" What about the other one?!

I think Ireland before Riverdance was a very insular place.

There was a lot of people left the country.

There weren't always so many influences coming in.

And dance was something that was perceived as effeminate.

And therefore if it was effeminate, the stereotype was,

well, then anybody who does that must be gay.

You know, it was only in 1993, a year before Riverdance,

that homosexuality was decriminalised in Ireland.

So it was tough for guys, as Irish dancers, growing up pre-Riverdance.

As the lads settle in, Ronan also takes the opportunity

to divulge the troupe's name, Men In Kilts -

giving them a fair idea of what their costume will entail!

And no wardrobe malfunctions.

No men out of kilts.

HE GASPS

With an all-male cast,

it is giving off an impression of strength,

of power, of athleticism.

So, with all those elements together,

it's a perfect recipe for a good show.

It's quite a lot of work to do to get a routine put together

and get it polished so that it's performed to perfection.

So, I want you to enjoy the week,

but I also want you to look after yourselves.

And Las Vegas is famous for hospitality.

We will have plenty of time after the gig on Saturday

to enjoy the hospitality of Las Vegas.

But just maybe don't go too sinful in Sin City between now and then.

Just so, you know, the legs can still move.

Well, here we are - your home for the next couple of days.

We're all ready to dance.

Welcome in.

Well, jeez, this is a grand wee spot.

So, right, shoes on, ready to go.

The first they get into the studio, you know,

some of the lads have been travelling for 16 hours the day before.

So they were a little bit sort of groggy arriving at the studio.

I thought, "Well, no time like the present.

"Play the piece of music."

Come over.

Have a listen.

MUSIC: "Only Love Survives" by Ryan Dolan

# All our lives

# We've been afraid... #

I love that song. I was so excited when he showed it to us!

I knew that it was perfect for the event

that we were performing at straightaway,

because it's one of those really good pop songs

that just gets everybody going

regardless if you've heard it before or not.

So, guys, that's it.

That's what you're going to be dancing to on Saturday.

I wanted to pick something that had some relevance to what we were doing.

-You do know what it is.

-Yeah.

-Do you guys know what it is?

-No, never heard it.

OK, I didn't figure you would -

it's an Irish guy from the North of Ireland, his name is Ryan Dolan,

but it's the song that represented Ireland

in the Eurovision Song Contest.

-How'd it do?

-Um...OK. LAUGHTER

It got last.

Um, but that was a travesty.

So hopefully, you know, it'll get them going and us going.

So, ready to dance?

-Yeah.

-Let's do it!

-Let's go.

-Let's do it.

OK, right, guys...

I'm actually going to start in the middle of the routine.

So I just want to sort of arrange height-wise.

So I think I'm going to match Peter and Danny up,

so, Peter, if you just want to come to the end.

Um...

'So, within the group of lads that I chose, we have someone like Russel.

'He is a performance artist in his own right - he is an acrobat

'and an Irish step dancer, so I was really excited to work with him,'

because I felt he had multi-skills that might benefit the performance.

Somebody like Peter, who has show experience, is still competing,

so that's kind of the other end of the scale,

so each of the lads, I felt, would bring something together.

That's a bonus when it all gels.

That's the worry, though -

that because they have different experiences,

that they may not gel together.

Hop, two, three...

Step, turn, and one, two.

Ronan's choreography...

It does tend to be a little bit crazy.

Like, it can be difficult to pick up sometimes.

Hop, two, three, push.

Turn, one, two, one, two, three and double hop.

One, two, one, two, three in front,

one, two, turn and click. Click, down.

Lift! Hop, back, two, three, change step, skip.

Hop, two, three, push.

Turn, one, two, one, two, three.

Hold and one, two, floor, back.

OK?

Phew, I'm knackered already. Jeez.

We've been dancing for a couple of hours, now.

I hope you can tell from the sweat.

We have about 20 seconds done,

which is, like, a ninth of what we need to do.

So we're nowhere near out of the woods yet.

But it's going well,

so I'm quite confident that over the rest of the day,

and then obviously with tomorrow to finish and polish it off,

it should be good for Saturday... hopefully.

So, here we are in lovely, sunny... Well, not sunny today.

It's actually the first day of rain in 300 days.

And we were planning to have a barbecue!

So, that will be a bit damp.

So, hopefully the rain will pass,

and we will actually be able to eat the food.

And here we are - home sweet home.

-It's not, is it?

-This isn't our place.

4838. Oh, no...

-No, it's 28.

-OK, I'd better put it in reverse...

LAUGHTER

OK, lads, any twisted firestarters out here? Can you get that organised?

Smells good already.

Peter and Danny take charge of the barbecue,

during which time they discuss common ground.

So how did you get into dance?

-You're originally from London, yeah?

-Mm-hm.

It was actually Riverdance.

I thought it was pretty cool, so then I started teaching myself.

Really? Cool. How did you do that?

Just watching the video over and over again.

That's great. There's not many people that get straight onto a show

after being self-taught so late in life.

Like, cos I started dancing when I was just turned four.

And how old were you when you, like, came out?

It was never a specific time.

You know, I was just like, "This is it."

I think it was just sort of...

-Just happened.

-Yeah, it just happened.

It was pretty gradual.

And what about when you came out?

Like, were you out at school, or was it when you went on tour, or...?

I didn't come out to family until I was like...

20.

-Oh.

-Like, just before I left home.

-Right.

-So...

-And were they, like, shocked and appalled or...?

I think any parent would be.

But, yeah, they're grand.

Ah, that's pretty good! Well done.

All those balmy summer days in Donegal.

LAUGHTER

When the sun's splitting the stones.

Would you like us to have our solo pieces ready for tomorrow,

or do you think we need...?

I'd like you to listen to the music

and have some idea of what it is you're going to do,

but I think everybody kind of has their little trick

-that they do when they have to...

-Party piece.

Their little party piece.

So, at least if you've thought about it, that'll help.

OK, lads.

One day down.

Here's to a successful performance on Saturday.

-Great.

-Cheers!

Next morning, and it's straight back into the studio

for another gruelling dance session.

OK, lads, second day. You did really well yesterday.

We're actually going to continue from where we left off yesterday,

go to the end and go back to the beginning,

set an opening position

and structure who's going to do what solo next.

-OK, ready to go?

-Yes.

-OK.

# And even if the sun... #

Danny goes.

And Russel goes.

Ready?

I really love Ronan's idea for the show,

and I think his choreography's amazing.

So, my dance background - I've done ballet, modern, jazz, tap, voguing.

So, I've kind of experimented with a little bit of everything,

but Irish is definitely my strongest dance form.

But compared to these guys - I mean, this is all they've done,

so they can kind of kick my butt.

Five, six, seven, eight.

HE HUMS THE TUNE

Two, three and up, click, back.

Out, in, Christmas, two, three, four, five, six.

Spreading out, two, three, jump.

And triple hop.

Back, two, three, step, click down.

OK.

So, the routine is slightly different to standard Irish dancing.

It's not as static or as rigid

as competitive Irish dancing. So, between now and Saturday

we're going to have to put an awful lot of work in

and rehearse an awful lot to make sure the routine is really tight.

We've only got two or three days

to get a routine together

and get it nailed,

get it nailed and put the work in,

and hopefully it'll pay off.

# All our lives

# We've been afraid

# Watching the world decline

# Till nothing remains

# But in our darkest hour... #

From an audience perspective,

what's probably the most exciting thing about Irish dancing

is probably what is the most nightmarish thing for the dancers.

Irish dancing is fast, it's furious.

We're making the fast rhythms, we're moving the feet,

moving the bodies, trying to get around the floor -

there's so much going on and it's so intense.

It's not like other dance forms where we can sustain this

for 15 minutes without a break. It's just not physically possible.

But it's three minutes - we can survive.

One, two, three, four, five, six. Hold, in.

Back, kick, toe, boom.

Well done, lads.

Men In Kilts.

Men In Kilts!

ALL CHEER

That was SO butch.

# The brightest lights

# Cast the darkest shadows

# And that's where I'll be found

# For what's hiding by the morning

# Will be chased by daylight hounds. #

After two tough days of rehearsals,

the lads get a chance to unwind at the local Irish bar.

But dancing remains the hot topic of conversation.

You know, like, Riverdance came out and I was like,

"Oh, that's nice," but I didn't really... I wasn't into it.

That's the first time I've ever heard anybody say

they didn't like Riverdance.

Oh! Oh, really?

Riverdance is like the motivating factor

for people to actually go into Irish dancing.

It was like the main thing.

For me, what I loved about Irish dance was my family went to

these ceilis and did all this every weekend in Cleveland, Ohio,

but then my family split.

So it was kind of like, for me, it was like a healing,

and my dad died when I was young.

And he was the one - he would play the tin whistle for us

every morning and wake us up.

I mean, it was like - I mean, you guys will think I'm cheesy,

but, I mean, it was really nice.

It's what everybody does.

Meanwhile, word has spread that there are Irish dancers in town,

and it's not long before they're asked to show some moves.

I want to see it!

Hey, we're going to get Irish dancing!

Even after a few drinks we're still all able to stumble up to the bar

and do a bit of a step.

Whoo!

We got up on the bar, which I don't think was very well made

for a company of seven dancers, you know.

I could feel the whole thing, you know, go...

Whoo!

I got you, I got you.

-EOIN:

-So, it was an interesting experience.

It's something I wouldn't have done at home myself before,

but it's great to try it out in a new city, anyway.

New city, new things.

Day three, and it's back to business at the studio.

-RUSSEL:

-The day after we went to the bar was our last day of rehearsals.

You know, it was very much, like, very serious, back to work.

Because this was going to be our last chance

to really, actually get this down.

I mean, there was no more, "Oh, we'll work on that tomorrow."

The group have also agreed to do a few steps at tonight's pride parade,

adding to their already intense workload.

I think everybody was definitely tired,

and the pressure was really starting to build up.

Hopefully it's not a case that the Irish have brought everything

with them to Vegas, because, you know, it never rains here.

It's already rained for the first time in 300 days, this week,

and now it's clouding over,

the thunder is pealing, the lightning is flashing.

If there's a downpour for the parade, that could be a bit of a washout.

You know? Riverdance take two.

Yeah, that's manic, the end of that.

I mean, it looks exciting when we get it, but if we don't get it,

sweet heart of God, there could be injuries.

THUNDER ROLLS

And as the thunder rolls across the Nevada Desert,

Eoin is feeling the burn.

It's been really tough, now.

My legs are in a heap at this stage.

Just with the concrete floor to practise on,

it's just quite tough on the legs.

Like, dancers are in constant pain as it is, but this is just...

It's intense, so...

It's tough, but, like, going to have to get through it.

Back at the house and the lads are trying to catch their breath

before tonight's parade.

But Ronan is worried about tomorrow's outdoor venue,

and feels they should record a tap track.

Having to dance on concrete in that big, open air arena

with the music pumping out -

it was going to totally overshadow any sound

we could possibly make with our feet, so that's why we felt, you know,

other shows have done this before, let's put a little track down,

doesn't have to be too loud in the mix,

but at least it'll carry some of the sound of what we're doing

out to the crowd, and hopefully let them connect better

with what it is we're doing.

OK, guys, can you get the hard shoes organised?

-Um... RUSSEL:

-I'm not dancing, right? So...

Well, let's see how many we can fit on the boards downstairs.

We need at least four, cos we need to have a group sound.

So just bring the hard shoes and we'll see what we can do.

As Danny and Cal go through their steps,

the stress begins to take its toll on Ronan.

SHOUTS: Lads, whoever's doing the fucking solo, get down here now!

I don't care if your hair is done!

Thank you.

There's no point doing it if we're not doing it right.

-Right.

-You know.

A mixture of jet lag and exhaustion

means the group are struggling to perfect their footwork,

and stresses are running high.

-OK, we could do this 50 times, is it worth it?

-What?

-Is it worth it?

We could do this 50 times.

My head's frazzled, I know I'm not going to get it right.

I just know I'm not.

I am SO stressed right now.

I'm not going to be able to do this. My head is a complete blank.

So here's the thing - we decide one of two things.

We skip the parade, we take a little break, everybody gets to relax

and we do this and we do it right, and that way

we will do a performance that's going to make an effect tomorrow.

Or we go out there and look like a pack of eejits.

I think the performance would lose the effect

-if you can't hear anything.

-Absolutely.

Right, I... OK. Let's cut the parade.

That's it. OK, decision made.

Upon reflection, however, Men In Kilts decide the show must go on,

and they make the decision to hit Las Vegas Pride Parade after all.

And it makes for a colourful scene.

Yes, honey! Hello, everybody!

-Happy gay pride!

-Yes, happy pride from Q Central.

Yes, from Q Central.

Q Central. This is where white people and Mexicans get along.

-Well, I'm not Mexican, girl.

-What are you?

-I'm South American.

-South American.

-I'm from Chile!

-It's the same thing.

-It's the same thing!

-It's not the same, my dear!

-DANNY:

-Honestly I was a little bit uncomfortable

with the idea of the parade at first, cos...

Like, it wouldn't really be my scene.

But once we got started, it actually wasn't too bad.

Like, the crowd loved it.

# Don't stop, make it pop

# DJ, blow my speakers up

# Tonight I'ma fight

# Till we see the sunlight

# Tick-tock on the clock... #

Once we got moving we just kept doing dance after dance,

and there was no pessimism about it, like, "Ugh, I'm tired."

Everyone just wanted to give it all we got.

# Tonight I'ma fight

# Till we see the sunlight

# Tick-tock on the clock... #

Like, seriously, we are doing the most basic steps

and this crowd is going crazy for us.

It is amazing, it's such craic.

-ONLOOKER:

-There's nothing like a hot boy in a skirt!

Oh, God, there's nothing like a hot Irish guy in a skirt.

# Ain't got no money in my pocket but I'm already here... #

It was surprising how into it the crowd were.

I mean, obviously wearing a kilt,

you had a lot of people wanting you to show your goods.

# Bring the action... #

We've calmed down, everybody's beginning to enjoy themselves,

we're getting into the atmosphere of the festival,

and we're having a lot of fun. I think it's what we needed -

everybody needed to just cool down after this afternoon.

In spite of the pain from dancing for two miles on concrete,

the boys are the toast of the town.

But while most of Las Vegas is beginning an evening of hedonism,

Ronan and his troupe are forced to return home

to finish work on the troublesome tap track.

I was actually a little bit worried

that I wouldn't be able to do it, because my feet were throbbing.

We definitely picked it all up,

and we were doing a recorded track within 15 minutes,

whereas before we went to the parade,

we hadn't gotten through the first ten seconds of the track.

That's a wrap! Thank you.

Oh, thank God!

While most of the group were still post-parade elation,

21-year-old Eoin is in extreme pain,

and concerned about his ability to perform the next day.

Just from dancing on concrete -

Irish dance is such high impact, like, dancing on the street is...

is tough.

It's just taking its toll.

The big day arrives,

and Eoin is still in a worrying amount of pain.

The next day I woke up and I just felt like I'd been hit by a truck.

And I was kind of concerned that I wouldn't actually be able to

go up and perform the routine at all.

Backstage, Eoin is braving the pain,

while the others make last-minute preparations

before the big performance.

You know, the lads seem really buzzed about today's performance.

They're giving me energy, which is a good thing.

Hopefully, together, we're going to go out there and blow them all away.

Did I just say that about a gay fucking pride festival?!

So, we have seven minutes to show time.

-Ooh!

-Seven minutes to show time.

Thank you. OK, guys, let's get organised.

-Yep.

-Is everybody ready?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-OK, good one. Let's go.

-You guys were awesome in the parade last night.

ALL: Thank you!

Any time you go on stage, there's that anticipation.

You want to do a good job,

but you don't really know how it's going to go.

When you're under the pressure we were under

with three days to rehearse, you know, it's in the lap of the gods.

And you go out there, you take a deep breath,

the track starts...

and off you go.

APPLAUSE

# All our lives

# We've been afraid

# Watching the world decline

# Till nothing remains

# We're gonna live like it's our last night alive

# And we're dancing till the morning light

# And even if the sun don't rise

# In the end only love survives

# So be love

# Be love

-# Just be love

-Just be love

-# Only love

-Only love

-# We are love

-We are love

-# Only love

-Only love

# And when the stars are aligned

# You got to make love your state of mind

# Cos in the end only love survives

-# So be love

-Be love

# Only love, love, love

-# Be love

-Be love

# Only love, love, love

# Cos in the end only love survives. #

Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the Men In Kilts!

I don't know about you,

but I really like it when guys are in small little skirts.

Where are you going?

Opportunities like this, where you can come together

and really just create on the fly,

I mean, this is usually where magic happens,

you know, or CAN happen.

It doesn't always, but it's nice when it does.

It was just a great experience overall, I really enjoyed it.

When I get a reaction like that, it reassures me

that this is indeed what I love doing.

It's given me an opportunity to travel the world,

to see places I would never get to see otherwise.

So, it's been an amazing experience. Yeah.

Like, those three days of rehearsals,

even though they were really tough,

it paid off, and the crowd loved it.

There were times during the last few days where I thought,

"Let this be over." The pressure was so, so intense.

But doing that performance on Saturday, it was worthwhile.

I'd do it again in an instant.