Despite the retirement of the master of Irish dance, the fast and fancy footwork of step dance continues to thrive and gain the interest of new generations of individuals, from children to football players.
Stealing the Show
On the show “Little Big Shots starring Steve Harvey”, Harvey brings out some fascinating children with often unique and surprising talents. Recently a group of four children from Cleary Irish Dance in Pasadena, CA took the stage and made it clear just how impressive Irish dance can be.
In the clip, Steve Harvey, per the norm for his show, interviewed the group to learn more about their talent. The young boy channeled his inner teacher as he taught- or at least attempted to teach- Harvey how to do a few basic steps.
As the lesson progressed, the two traded comments, including Harvey preferring to pretend to hold hundreds instead of the quarters the boy suggested, and the Kilkenny Races dance, which sounded a bit to similar to the word “racist” to Harvey. The foursome then demonstrated some incredible footwork in perfect harmony, showing the world why they are national champs.
Dancing Draftee
It is great to both celebrate Irish dance and to see today’s youngest generation master the art as well. Younger students however aren’t the only ones trying their hand at Irish dance. It seems football players are as well- at least one who has realized how beneficial it can be to a career in the NFL.
Alex Collins, a running back selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the 5th round of the 2016 NFL draft, is one such dancer. He has been taking Irish dance lessons ever since he was encouraged to do so by the daughter of his high school football coach. As seen in the video below, Collins seems to enjoy the style of dance and is fairly good at it despite his towering football player stature.
He may not be winning any national championships like the kids above with his moves, but the fast footwork is sure to help him as he takes the field with the Seahawks. Collins stated that dance has helped make him more explosive as well as giving him a good workout for his lower leg muscles. He even has given himself a dancing alter ego- Mitchell Findley, a play on the Lord of the Dance Michael Flatley.
If more players follow suit, we may not need to look to far for some quality halftime entertainment.