Irish Dance -Community -Connection
The Jig is Up
One of Nicole Lee’s favourite routines is her weekly LGBTQ+ Irish dance class. Every Tuesday evening, the room fills with people wearing trainers and comfortable gender-affirming dance attire. They greet each other, chat about their weeks, the music starts, and they begin their warm-up routine. Read on to hear more about a refreshing and fun addition to queer social life.
I grew up taking ballet classes. As much as I love ballet, the atmosphere in class was competitive, nerve-wracking, incredibly gendered, and body conscious. I associate those classes with anxiety, tears, and body image struggles. I wonder how many LGBTQ+ dancers left their dance communities over exhaustion from feeling misunderstood? I wonder how my dancing would have evolved if the focus had been about the embodiment of the dance and less about our actual bodies?
By contrast, in this queer Irish dance class, I feel seen, respected, and free.
The class is taught in a fun, low pressure environment. Everyone is kind and welcoming and mindful of our respective queer identities. When we do partner dances there are no ‘men’ or ‘women’ roles. Instead, you can choose to be an X or an O and learn either or both parts.
Wayne Webster of Webster Irish Dance Academy, the instructor who started the dance program in Dublin, told me all about his own dance background, what made him decide to offer Irish dancing classes for queer adults, and how he manages to create such a fun and affirming environment in class.