Photojournalist Nick Bradshaw captures the mood of excitement as thousands of Irish dancers gather in the Convention Centre Dublin for the opening day of Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne, the Irish Dancing World Championships.
Better known as “the Worlds”, this is where the next generation of dancers take to the stage in pursuit of international recognition.
The weeklong event attracts about 5,000 competitors and as many as 25,000 spectators from more than 30 countries. These are big days in the life of any young dancer, with costumes and hair all part of the glamour.
When it comes to the magic steps, hard-shoe rounds are danced three at a time and soft-shoe rounds two at a time. Four-hands and eight-hand dances are danced one at a time. Rotating panels of five adjudicators officiate in each round of the competition.
An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha governs competitive Irish dancing, the aim being to foster and promote Irish culture worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1930, long before Riverdance made a global sensation of reels, slip jigs, double jigs and hornpipes.
The awards include the Michael Flatley Freestyle Championship for solo dancers, introduced in 2023 and sponsored by the dancer himself. The objective is to stimulate creativity and expression in Irish dance, without restrictions to arm or head movements.
“Participants are challenged to explore the blending of traditional Irish dancing with progressive upper body and head movements, to create a unique interpretation of Irish dancing in a manner which broadens our art form,” says the rule book.
