World Irish Dance Championships 2024 take place in Glasgow
The World Irish Dance Championships are taking place in Glasgow this week.
There are more than 2,500 dancers set to compete across the week-long event.
Competitors have travelled from around the world to take part, from places as far away as Australia, Japan and Argentina.
Dancers will compete in solo, team and ceili competitions in categories ranging from the Under 10s to senior level. There is also a Michael Flatley award for freestyle.
An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha estimates that the event will attract around 10,000 spectators.
The World Irish Dance Championships are taking place in Glasgow this week.
There are more than 2,500 dancers set to compete across the week-long event.
Competitors have travelled from around the world to take part, from places as far away as Australia, Japan and Argentina.
Dancers will compete in solo, team and ceili competitions in categories ranging from the Under 10s to senior level. There is also a Michael Flatley award for freestyle.
An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha estimates that the event will attract around 10,000 spectators.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:25 Hi, I'm Sandra Connick and I'm the Chairperson of Uncommissioned Lirinka Gwelygol.
00:30 We are the oldest Irish dancing organisation in the world
00:33 and we are hosting our 52nd World Championship here in Glasgow.
00:37 We're thrilled to be here and we have a great relationship with Glasgow City.
00:41 We have over 4,000 competitors and we're averaging, based on the response,
00:47 we've sold between 20,000 and 25,000 visitors this week.
00:51 The event runs from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday
00:55 and we have over 34 countries worldwide represented here.
00:59 Can you tell me some of the dedication that's involved with these dancers?
01:02 Yes, what you're looking at is the top 2 to 5% of the dancers in the world.
01:07 We have both solo and team dancing here.
01:10 To be here you have to have first qualified at your regional and in several cases at your national.
01:16 It's the combination of a lot of hard work and many, many years of practice
01:22 and of course your teachers as well have to be dedicated.
01:25 It's just the pinnacle of most dancers' career to appear at the World Championships.
01:30 To appear at a World Championship, it's like the Olympics
01:32 or the World Championship of any athletic sport or any other art form.
01:37 So it's just to be able to say you've travelled to the World Championship, number one, is exciting.
01:43 The talent in the solo competitions is incredible.
01:47 The teams are the best teams in the world and to be part of that,
01:51 you may never come here as a soloist, but to be part of a team is just a wonderful achievement
01:56 and a very exciting time in the dancers' lives.
01:59 What's the atmosphere like?
02:01 The atmosphere is fantastic this week.
02:03 Of course we love coming to Glasgow.
02:05 Glasgow is very welcoming and it's no accident.
02:08 This is our sixth time back to Glasgow.
02:10 Our first time was in 2002 and various locations since then.
02:15 It's just lovely and the people are Glasgow as the saying goes.
02:19 You've been around here, the atmosphere is fabulous.
02:23 Everybody's very friendly and everybody's having a great old time.
02:26 There's a lot of natural ability involved too, but it takes an awful lot of talent
02:30 and it's hard work really that brings you to this level.
02:33 It's still an art form and we love it and we hold on to as many of the traditions as we can.
02:38 But over the years it has become more and more athletic and faster and you have to cross-train.
02:44 So along with your dancing class, you're always doing some other type of training and fitness as well.
02:49 Hi, we are the Hurley Hebert Gwain School of Irish Dancing
02:52 and I am Kristie, one of their teachers, and Julie is our other teacher.
02:56 We're very excited to be here at the World.
02:58 It's taken a lot of hard work and dedication and hours of practice, day in, day out, to be here
03:04 and we can't wait.
03:06 How often are you practicing?
03:07 These girls are practicing every single day.
03:10 It's day in, day out. It's hours of class. It's hours of practice at home to be here.
03:14 It's everything, head to toes, the wigs, the makeup, the tan, the shoes,
03:19 getting the dresses right, getting the look right. It's everything.
03:23 Yes, this is the biggest competition, so this is what we've been aiming for for a long time.
03:27 Hi, I'm Jodie Clark and I'm from the Hurley Hebert Gwain School of Irish Dancing.
03:31 We're in class every day, multiple hours a day,
03:34 and then we have to work hard at home to stretch, cross train, strength train, all the things like that.
03:41 What does it mean to you to be at the World?
03:44 This is what we train for, so to be here is incredible.
03:48 And to be here with all my dance school too, it just feels so special.
03:52 This will be my sixth World, but just hoping to dance my best, honestly.
03:58 That's all you can ask for, really.
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