0:00:03 > 0:00:06DANCING MUSIC
0:00:15 > 0:00:17This year marks the 20th anniversary
0:00:17 > 0:00:20of Riverdance's seminal Eurovision performance,
0:00:20 > 0:00:23which thrilled and inspired a worldwide audience.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:00:27 > 0:00:30The dance form has since enjoyed global success,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33admired and practised by people of all ages,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36backgrounds and ethnicities.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38But in one small corner of Ulster,
0:00:38 > 0:00:41there is a traditional form of Irish dance
0:00:41 > 0:00:42that has been somewhat overlooked.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45VIOLIN MUSIC
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Having resisted wide-scale changes for 70 years,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00festival dancing is now finding it harder than ever
0:01:00 > 0:01:02to hold the attention of young dancers,
0:01:02 > 0:01:05attracted by the lure of the feis.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11The festival community stands at a crossroads.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15To survive, must they adopt the wigs, fake tan and glitter
0:01:15 > 0:01:17of their more popular cousin?
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Or can this Ulster tradition continue to say no?
0:01:23 > 0:01:25APPLAUSE
0:01:35 > 0:01:39Festival dancing is a tradition, or a genre, of Irish dance
0:01:39 > 0:01:42that really only exists in Northern Ireland.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45And in particular counties of Northern Ireland,
0:01:45 > 0:01:47those east of the Bann.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52Irish dance, whether we agree with it or not,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55is looked upon as a Catholic pastime.
0:01:55 > 0:02:02And festival dance has always been the form of Irish dancing
0:02:02 > 0:02:07that Protestants felt happy and comfortable with,
0:02:07 > 0:02:09in taking part in.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15I myself, like many, many other people,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18were taught in Protestant halls throughout Northern Ireland.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21In fact, up to about 20 years ago, the British national anthem
0:02:21 > 0:02:25used to be played at the end of quite a lot of our festivals.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30And it goes back in many regards to how festival dancing came about.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Irish dancing was once governed by a single body,
0:02:36 > 0:02:41set up by the Gaelic League in 1927 to promote the dance form.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44An Coimisiun, and later its myriad offshoots,
0:02:44 > 0:02:46became the holders of the feis tradition,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49which today enjoys worldwide renown
0:02:49 > 0:02:52for its high levels of technical ability and athleticism.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57The festival tradition, however, has historically stood apart.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Somewhere around the late '40s, early '50s,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05several teachers broke away from the main body that governed
0:03:05 > 0:03:07Irish dance at that time,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10one of whom was my teacher, Patricia Mulholland.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14She was classically trained as a violinist,
0:03:14 > 0:03:18but decided early on in her life to teach dancing,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20and oh, what a teacher she was.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23She taught me that it was important
0:03:23 > 0:03:27to perform above and beyond simply dancing steps.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31So, to move your audience, to connect with them.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41The concept that Patricia Mulholland taught,
0:03:41 > 0:03:45who was one of the mothers of festival dance, if you like,
0:03:45 > 0:03:49was all around the set dance,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52the drama that there was within the set dance.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54There's got to be the little moments where you pause for breath,
0:03:54 > 0:03:58the little moments where you can make people's hair stand on end.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Therein, I suppose, lies the art, touching people.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05It's spectacular and it tugs at the heart strings,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08and it should be seen by more people.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10It needs to be seen by more people.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16While fervour among its supporters is strong,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20festival dancing is often perceived as living under the shadow
0:04:20 > 0:04:22of the more well-known styles of feis dancing.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26Despite this, the community have so far refused
0:04:26 > 0:04:29to conform to modern dancing stereotypes,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33favouring a more pared-back style in both dance and appearance.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37I wouldn't want to see anyone wearing a wig at a festival,
0:04:37 > 0:04:41because that's not acceptable within the festival tradition right now.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Younger dancers do not wear tan or make-up.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46I don't think that if that were to come in,
0:04:46 > 0:04:48that that would be progress.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51I strongly believe that that would be a backward step for something
0:04:51 > 0:04:54that has a very clear identity in its own right.
0:04:54 > 0:05:00Compromise is not something that we here like to do very often,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02and it's probably a national trait.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08But there are times in life, I think,
0:05:08 > 0:05:12when compromise is the wrong thing to do.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16While a strong element within the festival tradition
0:05:16 > 0:05:19refused to compromise, there is a growing trend
0:05:19 > 0:05:23in some festival schools to compete in feis competitions.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27These open platforms invite Irish dancers from all organisations
0:05:27 > 0:05:30to compete against each other in events like
0:05:30 > 0:05:32the CRDM Leinster Championships.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Well, we started our organisation 11 years ago.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44We wanted to promote and preserve Irish dancing,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47so that's why we kept it and wanted it open platform,
0:05:47 > 0:05:50so that you had all aspects of Irish dancing,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53all styles of Irish dancing, coming in.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55When we got the festival dancers in,
0:05:55 > 0:06:00we welcomed the traditional aspect that they were bringing.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03They have something to offer. They had beautiful dancers.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Just, they weren't doing what we were doing. But they still won.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21They started with much more basic and slower style as dancers,
0:06:21 > 0:06:23with very little make-up, and no wigs on them,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27and maybe some had the pumps that they wear in the festival dancing.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31As time came on, within about a year or two, they all changed.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35They all came wearing the wigs, they have the fancy costumes,
0:06:35 > 0:06:37and they have everything that the Irish dancers,
0:06:37 > 0:06:38competitive dancers, would have.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41You don't have to wear wigs in our organisation.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42It's your own choice.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45However, children are looking for these costumes
0:06:45 > 0:06:47because it's been shown on TV.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49It's been shown everywhere round where they live,
0:06:49 > 0:06:51and when people start wearing the solo dresses,
0:06:51 > 0:06:53everybody wants to be that person.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05For dancers from the Seven Towers School of Irish Dancing
0:07:05 > 0:07:08in Ballymena, who have been producing
0:07:08 > 0:07:10festival champions for 70 years,
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Feis competition is now a reality.
0:07:14 > 0:07:15And it seems to be a hit.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18I like feis better,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20because you get to meet new friends,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23and do different dances,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26and you can change what style you want to be.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28There is, like, the big earrings.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32If you wear a bun wig, and the make-up, and the eyelashes,
0:07:32 > 0:07:34but the festival, that's just like...
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Bland, and stuff. No eyelashes.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43I love the sparkly eye shadow,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46the glitter spray, the diamonds.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Diamond socks. It's really fun.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52Everybody just likes to have a bit of sparkle, to stand out.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54It's just the way it is down here.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Whenever I have fake tan, make-up on, it just makes me feel,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01like, pretty and special and stuff.
0:08:01 > 0:08:02It's just really fun.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05- It's just like being an actress, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08- Would you like to wear this all the time?- Yes.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11- And who doesn't allow you?- You.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13What's that? Pot, kettle, black?
0:08:14 > 0:08:16It's completely different from festival,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19because all you really have to do is straighten your hair
0:08:19 > 0:08:21and put a bit of natural make-up on, and that's it.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Festivals, I could have Ellie's hair
0:08:23 > 0:08:26washed and straightened the night before.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28You get up, you have something to eat,
0:08:28 > 0:08:33you go to the festival, you put your dress on, you put your socks on, and that it.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38This can run into an hour, an hour and a half prep.
0:08:39 > 0:08:44- Even more, sometimes. It all depends. - I don't like this bit.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49- Ow!- Just as long as it stays in, it doesn't fall out.- Yeah.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51That's the worst thing that could happen.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56You do not want your wig to fall off. It has happened to people.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59I'm not a trained hairdresser, just was coming over the years,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01doing the girls' wigs, you just get used,
0:09:01 > 0:09:05and you just learn how to put the wigs in yourself.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Because their mammies don't do it, sure they don't, Edwina?
0:09:08 > 0:09:11I just stay away from wigs. I don't feel confident,
0:09:11 > 0:09:18and sometimes Ellie and I have a few disagreements over what way it should be.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Do I need it tighter or is it bobbing about?
0:09:21 > 0:09:23My feis dress is white and pink
0:09:23 > 0:09:27and it has lots and lots of diamonds on it.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31The dress and the wigs and the fake tan, it makes it more fun
0:09:31 > 0:09:35because the festival dresses are nice,
0:09:35 > 0:09:40but I sort of prefer the feis dresses because it's original.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Ellie has just took on a character.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48When she steps into her feis dress with her tan, her make-up,
0:09:48 > 0:09:54she is a completely different child. She smiles the whole time.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57In festivals she has this wee glum face.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02So, personally, I feel it has actually been really good for Ellie
0:10:02 > 0:10:06to portray a character that she wanted to be
0:10:06 > 0:10:08that she can't be in festival.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13While cross-platform competition
0:10:13 > 0:10:16is clearly popular among young festival dancers,
0:10:16 > 0:10:18it also leads inevitably to them
0:10:18 > 0:10:20being influenced by styles
0:10:20 > 0:10:22outside their own tradition.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26When you go to different feis, you would see new tricks,
0:10:26 > 0:10:28and then we would go back to practice
0:10:28 > 0:10:31and try and incorporate them into our own steps.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36It's fair enough to say I think that we have seen a bleed in to festival
0:10:36 > 0:10:41from other styles. I don't view that as progress.
0:10:41 > 0:10:46I view that as festival dancers morphing into something completely different,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49rather than bringing the purity of our art form
0:10:49 > 0:10:52to other audiences in its existing form.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57Absolutely go down there and dance our tradition.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01But don't try and...
0:11:02 > 0:11:05..you know, fit in with everyone else.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Yeah, they should go in there and dance as festival dancers,
0:11:07 > 0:11:09but first of all, the tempos are different.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12If they want to do a slip jig, they have to do fast slip jigs
0:11:12 > 0:11:15even though in the festival tradition it's slow slip jigs.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17so that's a change that they're required to make,
0:11:17 > 0:11:21and then they'll just sit back and they'll watch who's winning,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24and the vast majority of the adjudicators are going to
0:11:24 > 0:11:30relate a lot more to the Commission tradition
0:11:30 > 0:11:32and therefore that might be the stuff that wins.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35And then if you are a festival dancer you're going to think,
0:11:35 > 0:11:39"I'm not going to waste my time doing this competition unless I'm in with a chance."
0:11:39 > 0:11:41So they start to evolve and they say,
0:11:41 > 0:11:45"This is what works, this is what wins, I'm going to start doing that."
0:11:45 > 0:11:50And they're going to eventually adjust their style.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55So, yeah, it could happen that it won't have a unique identity any more,
0:11:55 > 0:11:57it'll be very much the same.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59They're quite clear on our identity.
0:11:59 > 0:12:04And we are very respectful of others' identity within that,
0:12:04 > 0:12:11but we just won't morph or change in terms of, perhaps, competing in other platforms.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16Festival, they are trying to hold on to their heritage,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19the tradition of the Irish dancer.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25But they have to move forward when they come into feiseanna.
0:12:25 > 0:12:31So that's where I think it's not that the feiseanna
0:12:31 > 0:12:35want to take away their heritage and the way they dance,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38it's just that's what happens.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Migration from festival towards feis dancing
0:12:55 > 0:12:57has had one undeniable result.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01There is now a distinct lack of male festival dancers.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06Ruth Long comes from a family with 47 years' experience
0:13:06 > 0:13:08in teaching festival dance.
0:13:08 > 0:13:13But when it came to her own son, she saw no place for him within her tradition.
0:13:13 > 0:13:18At that time, the festival style, I felt, was changing.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22I did at that young age look at the way things were going
0:13:22 > 0:13:26and how many boys were there, and wonder in a few years' time
0:13:26 > 0:13:29what Curtis would be dancing,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32and that was not the style I wanted for my son to be dancing,
0:13:32 > 0:13:34so I then decided I would send him
0:13:34 > 0:13:37to a Commission dancing school.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46That's better! Put it right out.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52Ruth sent Curtis to the Doherty School in West Belfast
0:13:52 > 0:13:55where dance teacher Gavin Doherty, also the top name in dress design,
0:13:55 > 0:14:00has experience in training festival dancers in An Coimisiun style.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04One of them even has high hopes of winning the top spot in this year's World Championships.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Daithi just won the All Ireland, so it's looking good for him
0:14:09 > 0:14:13if he can just keep his head and not do anything silly on the day.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15He had went as far as he was going to go in Festival, and when he
0:14:15 > 0:14:19come across he had the ballet pumps and it was pretty effeminate.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23You know, he danced more like a girl than a boy,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25but that was, you know,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28that was just the way he was taught, that was the style of dancing.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31So, even still, I would be working bits with Daithi
0:14:31 > 0:14:33and he would be doing everything up on his toes
0:14:33 > 0:14:35when we're trying to get a bit more strength into him
0:14:35 > 0:14:39and make it look sharper and stronger and a bit more manly.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41He still would be a manly dancer, but it's just...
0:14:41 > 0:14:44Still sometimes that festival thing comes out
0:14:44 > 0:14:47and we're still trying to just get him, you know, just fired up.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Daithi! Strong!
0:14:49 > 0:14:52You know, the reason why Ruth got Curtis to move at such a young age
0:14:52 > 0:14:57was because she thought there was no future for her son in festival.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59It's an amazing form of Irish dancing, it's brilliant,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02it's so elegant, it's so graceful.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04But for boys it's really...
0:15:04 > 0:15:06It's difficult for a boy who has grown-up
0:15:06 > 0:15:09and wants to dance like a boy but can't be taught like a boy.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Curtis, is that as far as you're supposed to go?
0:15:16 > 0:15:19If I had continued to dance festival,
0:15:19 > 0:15:23there would probably be about three or four boys
0:15:23 > 0:15:26compared to what I dance against now.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30Now I'm under 16 and there's at least 50 to 60 boys,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33and I find it a lot more challenging now
0:15:33 > 0:15:35because the boys would have more
0:15:35 > 0:15:37technical stuff than girls sometimes.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54Boys in Commission are very, very strong from an early age.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Curtis went into the Championship level
0:15:57 > 0:16:00when he moved over at seven to eight,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03and the level at that stage when I moved him over,
0:16:03 > 0:16:09I sort of thought, "Oh, my goodness, he's never going to change over here," you know?
0:16:09 > 0:16:12But he was quite successful early on.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16But he had to keep working. Like, you're talking four, four, five,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20sometimes six classes a week, you know, to keep up at that level.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23That will be one of the big things if we ever have kids
0:16:23 > 0:16:27coming from festival is the level of fitness wouldn't be quite the same.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32Commission dancers probably would be a lot fitter, a lot more athletic.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34They're dancing three or four times a week.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37You know, when they don't have class they're out running with me.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39We're putting them through their paces.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42They're training as hard if not harder than any Olympic athlete.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Ten seconds left.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48I would love to go to the shows and tour while I'm young,
0:16:48 > 0:16:53you know, cos there's a lot more in it, if you know what I mean.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55The boys in festival,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58there wouldn't be just as much
0:16:58 > 0:17:00opportunity for them.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02You do what you think is the best
0:17:02 > 0:17:04for your child and what you think
0:17:04 > 0:17:06your child would be happy at.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08And as I say, at this stage, yes,
0:17:08 > 0:17:12I have made the right decision to move my son.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Despite some movement away from festival,
0:17:22 > 0:17:26the tradition is beginning to make a mark on the wider world stage.
0:17:26 > 0:17:31The opening ceremony for the 2013 World Police and Fire Games in Belfast
0:17:31 > 0:17:37successfully showcased a troupe of 75 dancers, some boys among them,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40led by current Riverdance lead, Lauren Smyth.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43A lot of people might be surprised, me being a festival dancer
0:17:43 > 0:17:46and being the lead in Riverdance, but I think I was eight years old
0:17:46 > 0:17:50when I first seen Riverdance on the Eurovision,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53and, you know, from then, that was me hooked.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56I always wanted to be in an Irish dance show.
0:17:56 > 0:17:57Even when I was in school,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00if teachers asked me what I wanted to do, I would say,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02"I want to be in an Irish dance show, I want to be in Riverdance.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06"I want to be up there in the big shows." They'd say, "Now, you need a
0:18:06 > 0:18:08"real job, you need to be realistic."
0:18:08 > 0:18:12I always thought to myself, "No, that's what I'm going to do."
0:18:15 > 0:18:18I think that I think that Lauren Smyth is a complete trailblazer.
0:18:18 > 0:18:19There's no doubt about that.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22When she performed, you would have been hit,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26really, in a very high impact way as an audience member or
0:18:26 > 0:18:30an adjudicator by her sheer stage presence.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34She radiated out to the audience everything about the dance -
0:18:34 > 0:18:37the music, the performance.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40I won the Northern Ireland Championships nine times
0:18:40 > 0:18:43and the Ulster Championships five times.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48For me, because festival dance is my passion, it's what I love, what
0:18:48 > 0:18:54I have loved since I started Irish dancing, I was satisfied with that.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57I didn't strive to go to any other competitions, because, for me,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00the Ulsters and Northern Irelands were the highest I could get,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03but I felt I wanted something more than competition.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06I did want to make it my career.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09But at that time, a career in the shows was not considered
0:19:09 > 0:19:12a serious option for young festival dancers.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15For me, personally, when I was a senior dancer
0:19:15 > 0:19:18and had achieved what I had wanted to achieve,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21I didn't do it because, simply put,
0:19:21 > 0:19:25no festival dancer had ever knocked on the door and been accepted.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29I thought, "Well, I don't want to be known as the girl who got
0:19:29 > 0:19:32"rejected from Riverdance," because she was a festival dancer,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35or possibly because she wasn't good enough,
0:19:35 > 0:19:37but maybe because she was a festival dancer.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Lauren was not to be put off, however, and she is now
0:19:42 > 0:19:45the first festival dancer to have a principal role in Riverdance.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51Tonight, the troupe will perform for her home
0:19:51 > 0:19:53crowd in Belfast's Odyssey Arena.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00A lot has changed, but I think that Lauren has been
0:20:00 > 0:20:02instrumental in pushing herself forward.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06I think she had to knock the door a couple of times to convince.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09I auditioned for Riverdance in 2006.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12I think, really, I didn't understand the level
0:20:12 > 0:20:14that was needed to be in Riverdance.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16I really had to turn my feet out more.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19I had to really work hard at my heavy dancing.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22So I unfortunately didn't get in.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Then, a few years later, I sent off another audition tape
0:20:25 > 0:20:28and just said, you know, I understand now what the level
0:20:28 > 0:20:31is that's required and I'd really appreciate it if you watched it.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33So they watched it and then, luckily enough,
0:20:33 > 0:20:35I was invited for an audition.
0:20:35 > 0:20:36Here I am.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45I was in the original line-up of Riverdance at the Eurovision.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47It was a one-off, you know, five-minute interval piece,
0:20:47 > 0:20:51but by '95 they had created the entire show.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55About a year after that, I was made principal dancer.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57I did that job for about seven years.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Just about a year before I finished up,
0:20:59 > 0:21:02it was 2002, here in the Odyssey.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06Here we are, myself. Well, I could be anybody.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08That's Joanne and the rest of the company.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11But in 2007, they asked me back as dance director.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16One of the jobs you do is audition the cast. I auditioned Lauren Smyth.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19It was pointed out to me that this person wanted to be seen
0:21:19 > 0:21:23a second time, and that doesn't happen very often in Riverdance.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28But what I saw was great posture, a great sense of command,
0:21:28 > 0:21:30that sense of self on the stage.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32She ticked a lot of the boxes.
0:21:32 > 0:21:37Then, very soon afterwards, it was across the hierarchy that they
0:21:37 > 0:21:39thought that this girl was right for lead.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44In true festival style,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47Lauren refused to adapt simply to fit in with the crowd.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51Even in the principle role, she continued to celebrate her
0:21:51 > 0:21:54identity as a Northern Irish festival dancer.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Belfast!
0:21:56 > 0:21:58My family, you know, we come from a festival background.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01I would not change it for the world, you know.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06It's really added to me as a performer and taught me
0:22:06 > 0:22:09how to interpret the music, how to tell a story when I dance,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12how to feel the music when I dance and express it.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15I think that does come across when I'm performing here with Riverdance.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18'Lauren has stayed with festival.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20'She has the support of the organisation
0:22:20 > 0:22:22'and that's going to be obvious tonight, cos I hear a lot of them
0:22:22 > 0:22:24'are going to be here to support her.'
0:22:24 > 0:22:27- How does it feel, how are you feeling?- Eh, I'm feeling good.
0:22:27 > 0:22:28I'm excited, like. A wee bit nervous.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Loads of people in tonight, that'll get me through it.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33A lot of pressure when there's so many people...
0:22:33 > 0:22:35I know, but you know when you know they're all here to support you?
0:22:35 > 0:22:37- Absolutely. - It'll be a special night.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Who is in? Is it like dancing class?
0:22:39 > 0:22:42I have a bunch of festival dancers from all over the place.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46My dancing teacher, parents, granny and grandda, brothers and sisters.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48Anyone and everyone. School teachers from school.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52- The support has just been... cannot wait.- Just, you know what? Enjoy.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54I know, I want to make the most of it.
0:22:54 > 0:22:55- It's going to go so fast.- I know.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59- God knows when we'll be back here again.- Mindfulness.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02- Stay in the moment, because it'll be over before you know it.- I know.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Listen, I'll let you get ready.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07- I'm sure you'll want some headspace as well.- Do a good warm-up.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Lauren now leads a 40-strong troupe,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20who represent a variety of dancing backgrounds.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25I'm Brendan Dorris and I'm the male principal tonight
0:23:25 > 0:23:27here in Belfast for Riverdance.
0:23:27 > 0:23:28I came from a Commission background.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31An Comhdhail background, originally, and then Commission.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34I was always aware of festival, but Lauren's actually...
0:23:34 > 0:23:36Herself and another guy have only actually come across them
0:23:36 > 0:23:38two in my professional career.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Everybody brings different things from their backgrounds to the
0:23:41 > 0:23:43show and the performance.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45I think that's one of Lauren's greatest strengths -
0:23:45 > 0:23:48her experience in festival and being the star that she is.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50Coming here was just a natural progression for her.
0:23:54 > 0:23:55Programmes, CDs, DVDs.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59As the crowds begin to stream into the Odyssey, Lauren's friends
0:23:59 > 0:24:00and family are among them.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04Well aware of what Lauren has achieved for both herself
0:24:04 > 0:24:05and festival dancing.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Tonight is obviously a massive night for us,
0:24:07 > 0:24:09because our big sister's doing lead in the Odyssey.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12A lot of people put her down, but she's achieved it.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15It's a very emotional night for us all to see her on such a big stage.
0:24:15 > 0:24:16The support is massive.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19We've got so many family and friends here, it's unbelievable.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Just even bumping into them here and now.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26I think now the nerves have almost passed a wee bit.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28I'm just a wee bit... can't wait to get out there.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31I'm really looking forward to it. It should be a brilliant show.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33The atmosphere seems to be great already.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35The troupe here are so supportive.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Everyone's delighted to be here, so there should be a good
0:24:37 > 0:24:40buzz on stage as well, so fingers crossed it goes great.
0:24:50 > 0:24:51IRISH MUSIC PLAYS
0:24:51 > 0:24:53CHEERING
0:25:23 > 0:25:27Festival dance - it encourages you to make a story out of your performance.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29You can kind of get into character,
0:25:29 > 0:25:33so I think it reflects really well in Riverdance,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35because when you're in that lead role,
0:25:35 > 0:25:37you have to get across the story of the show to the audience.
0:25:39 > 0:25:40You have to be graceful.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42You have to be a powerful woman at the same time as well,
0:25:42 > 0:25:46so I think my festival background has really stuck well with me.
0:25:56 > 0:25:57It's just so special.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00It means so much for me to come here to Belfast tonight
0:26:00 > 0:26:01and perform to a home crowd.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04Especially, there's a bunch of festival dancers in,
0:26:04 > 0:26:08seated all around the audience. The atmosphere's amazing.
0:26:08 > 0:26:13I hope younger dancers can look up to this and believe in themselves
0:26:13 > 0:26:15and follow their dreams and believe that it can happen.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Yes, you might get a knock here or there, but you can't give up.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:26:43 > 0:26:4620 years of Riverdance and 20 years it's taken to get a festival
0:26:46 > 0:26:49dancer as a lead dancer in Riverdance.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51We're all very emotional tonight.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54We're celebrating the fact that this fabulous
0:26:54 > 0:26:58dancer from within our ranks has broken through, finally,
0:26:58 > 0:27:02and is not only dancing a lead but is really shining up there
0:27:02 > 0:27:04and expressing herself in the way she was taught.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11I haven't stopped crying hysterically for half an hour.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14I'm so proud of who she is, what she stands for.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17I think, above all, she most certainly is the poster girl,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20if you want to use that term, for festival dancing
0:27:20 > 0:27:22because her training in elegance, sophistication
0:27:22 > 0:27:25and style shone through tonight more than anything
0:27:25 > 0:27:27I could have ever hoped or dreamed for.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30She was fabulous with a capital F.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32CHEERING
0:27:32 > 0:27:34THEY CHANT: Lauren! Lauren! Lauren!
0:27:38 > 0:27:40CHEERING
0:27:43 > 0:27:47The reason why I don't think that it's anywhere too late for
0:27:47 > 0:27:52festival dancing is because everyone that I have encountered loves it.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56Even Feis people who have not encountered festival
0:27:56 > 0:27:57dancing before love it.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59They love the naturalness of it.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Whether or not festival dancing can resist
0:28:06 > 0:28:08the pull of the Feis remains to be seen.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Ultimately, the fate of the tradition now lies with a new
0:28:13 > 0:28:15generation of dancers.