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[rapid tapping]

[dramatic string music]

♪

[vigorous rhythmic tapping]

- My name is Brogan McKay.

I'm ten years old.

I dance for the McConomy at Derry.

And I'm going to the worlds for the very first time.

- My name is Julia O'Rourke.

I'm ten years old.

I live in New York,

and I dance for the Petri School.

This year is my first time at the worlds,

and Brogan is my main competition there.

- I'm Irish, and I really didn't know this whole world existed.

I--you know, nobody in my family

has ever done Irish step dancing and--

at least as far as I know.

Maybe over in Ireland they did.

- Lisa's two nieces danced.

- Yeah, they did, uh-huh.

- And I used to think, "Oh, these people are insane.

They pay for flights to go to feises."

- [laughing]

- And then the wigs and all this,

and I'd say, "Oh, no, crazy.

"If Brogan ever has a talent,

I really hope it's not Irish dancing."

[massed rhythmic tapping]

[distant tapping]

[woman shouting indistinctly]

- [shouting indistinctly]

- You just give up so much.

Like, you could be invited to 1,000 parties,

and you can't go.

And even, like, birthday parties

for some of your family you have to give up.

You wouldn't throw a strap over it.

You'd be like-- you wouldn't be like, "Uh,

why did I never get to have some freedom?"

It's not that.

It's like, you dedi--

When you walk in those doors to dance

and you're dedicating your time and so are the dance teachers...

- Hundreds of people have said to us,

"Where did this wee thing come out of?"

I mean, she come out, and somebody says,

"You think you seen the best?

Watch this. This is the best."

[woman humming]

♪ And one, two, three, four, five ♪

You got to do the jump on five.

- I make a face when I'm dancing.

I open my mouth.

I go like that.

Or something--I don't know.

But when I'm dancing, Dad'll be all,

"You look like an old-age pensioner."

Mm.

[chuckles]

So I just be like, "Ooh, sorry."

It's just, you know, one, two, three--

- You thought wrong, then.

Because what you thought wasn't gonna work.

- Rest just like...

- And...

- Dancing for my granny

and my mom and daddy and all

because they put so much money into it.

Like, it's unbelievable.

My friends say, "Whoa, my mommy wouldn't let me do that."

We could be in a big house with so much furniture,

but they've dedicated their lives to it,

my hobby, you know, so I find it so, like, extraordinary.

Hi, Mommy.

- Any money that, you know, myself and Dan have,

it's spent on Brogan and her Irish dancing.

I haven't had a holiday since, what, 2004, did I say?

- Since Brogan started dancing.

- [laughing] Since Brogan started dancing.

That's all that I've had.

- My mommy says what's a talent wasted, like?

If you have a talent, like, show everybody.

- Brogan is very nice,

even though she keeps beating me.

I try to do as much as she does.

Like, I always look on YouTube to see how she's dancing,

and I always try to perfect it the way she does it.

That's how I got, like, my hop-overs

and, like, my front clicks

because I found out how she does it.

- She has a tendency not to want to do things

until she feels like she'll look good doing it

or competitive with the other girls, I think.

I think that was part of the thing

that we didn't realize about her.

[rhythmic clapping]

- Jump back.

Big cuts, and turn.

[rhythmic Gaelic music]

♪

- She was extremely quiet in the beginning,

so shy and so nervous.

- Yeah.

- So when Anna Lynn had said to Karen

they were going to a feis,

you know, her first dancing competition,

you had said she's never gonna get up and do it.

- I don't know if she'll get onstage, you know?

So I went to the competition,

and they were coming out two at a time to dance.

And the next thing, Julia stepped forward,

and she just performed like no one's business.

And my mouth dropped,

and I literally called you in Ireland--

- She called me in Ireland.

- And I was like, "Lisa, we got a live one."

I was like, "Wow."

Hard, hard, hard, hard!

- All!

- Big ending, ladies.

Come on, pick it up!

[rhythmic clacking]

Eight seconds.

Come on. Eight seconds.

Pick it up! Pick it up! Pick it up!

- We're just in it for some fun.

It's a nice cultural thing to do.

But she kept progressing as time went on.

Then I saw the wigs,

the dresses,

and I was like, "What's that all about?"

And she's like, "Oh, well, that's what they do."

- They go to different states, and they drive to--

I'm like, "Yeah, psh, I'm not gonna go to Connecticut.

I'm gonna go local."

- Connecticut seemed like a little much.

- It's too much for me. I'm like, no.

- But you do. You get drawn into it.

She's doing well,

and you buy the dress, and you get the wig,

and you get the shoes, and you go to Ireland.

- We've gone to Scotland twice.

It's crazy.

- Ireland. - Ireland.

- England. - Yeah.

- My name's Simona, and I'm from London,

and I'll be competing in the age 19 to 21 category

at the worlds.

[clacking]

My main competitors

will be Suzanne from Glasgow

and Claire Greaney from Galway.

- We've known Claire and Suzanne since Simona was six,

'cause we've always competed.

- I remember Simona back when I was seven at the all-Scotland.

I didn't get the recall that day, and she won it,

and I remember thinking, "Look at this girl."

She was unbelievable.

Then Suzanne won the worlds in Glasgow,

our very first worlds,

and that's the first time I really took notice of her

and thought, "Oh, my God."

- You go.

[sprightly Scottish accordion music]

♪

- So I suppose it's just been the three of us

always in the top five.

We've been taking turns.

It started off with me

and then Suzanne and then Claire.

♪

- We're going straight into the under 21 men's competition.

- My grandparents on both sides, they're all Italian,

so I've got no Irish blood.

- [panting]

Got on my back legs.

I was really born into it.

I started dancing when I was 3.

And, well, I'm 19 now,

so 16 years.

[chuckles]

It doesn't feel like that long, though, at all.

♪

- I'd meet Simona's mother and Suzanne's mother

at the competitions,

and, you know, while we'd be all secretly hoping for our own,

we wouldn't begrudge it to the others.

♪

- I don't think it's any different to anything else.

I think if you do sport,

if you want to win, you got to be focused.

It becomes your life.

I mean, horse riding people are traveling all over the country,

and it's the same with Irish dancing.

It's just, we wear wigs and funny dresses.

[chuckles]

- And a big round of applause for our top three.

[cheers and applause]

- I'm John, and I'm ten.

And I've got five brothers, and I'm the only one who dances,

and this year I'm going for worlds for my very first time.

Stepbrother's Cordelay,

and my brothers are--

the oldest is Dean,

Ashley,

and then it's May,

and then it's Thomas, and then it's James.

I like dancing ten out of ten,

and football, about two out of ten.

- We're not Irish.

You know, we don't know Irish dancing.

And we went to a feis,

and we walked in,

and it was like--

it was like a Shirley Temple convention, wasn't it?

There was teenagers and youngsters,

and they'd got the wigs on

and really brown legs.

- [laughs]

- Really made-up faces.

And then these wigs-- it was like--

You just find yourself, like, staring at people

for a very long time, thinking,

"I'm glad I've got a boy."

[indistinct talking]

[boys shouting indistinctly]

- ♪ Point, two, three, four

♪ Squeeze and point

♪ Bend your legs

Darcy, you're not pointing your toe to the back.

Ellie, you're not pointing your toe to the back.

May, you're not even listening.

- There's quite a lot of people who tease me

and call me names.

But I just ignore them and walk away

'cause they don't know what they're talking about.

- It's not as bad as it used to be.

Used to be terrible out there.

People would be, you know--

"Hey, Johnny says-- he's called me gay,"

or, you know, and that lot.

But we used to say, "Well, just take no notice.

Just go and show them what you can do."

- As a parent, you want to go out there,

and you want to say to him, "Don't call him gay.

You know, Michael Flatley's not gay and"--

But then you have to stop yourself

because, you know-- and we'd--

- I tend to go out there and throw a blizzard.

- ♪ Lift, lift

♪ Put your elbows in

♪ Step, two, three

♪ Two, two, three

♪ Three, two, three, and four ♪

♪ Up and go

- It's the rhythm and the music.

And the shoes.

I like the shoes.

- ♪ One, two, three, four

♪ Tuck, kick, down

- When he first learned his sevens,

which is, like, one of the first things you learn,

he was, like, up on his toes like this.

And I was like, "Oh, God, he's gonna be good."

♪ Go, stretch, and one, two ♪

♪ Up kick

Now watch your arms, John.

If John was at class four or five times a week

like the rest of his competition, probably,

then I'm sure he would be pretty much unbeatable.

But unfortunately,

you know, he's one of five.

They're all playing football,

going in different directions,

and dancing's expensive.

Move.

- My wages basically pay for John's dancing.

I go away and freeze

and everything come weekends or the TA.

And at the back of my mind...

[laughs]

At the back of my mind, I'm thinking,

"This is for John."

- ♪ Up is down, up is down ♪

Up now. Now head to body.

♪ And kick, two, three

♪ And up, and a-one, two, stretch ♪

Now right up.

Push, kick down.

That's better.

Hands above upper back.

♪ Up is down, up, three, click ♪

♪ One, two

Now, straight legs.

♪ Stretch, push, up, kick, down ♪

♪ Stand, point, stand, point ♪

Tense, pull in here.

Five, six, seven, eight.

When he hits it and when he's on form,

you know, I think he's, you know, probably unbeatable.

Two, three, four.

♪ And a-one, two, stretch

♪ Two, three, push

Now really stretch it out.

Out, out.

There, that was better.

- I've been making silly mistakes

and stopping.

But hopefully this year, it will all go.

- He just tends to forget things

and, you know, do something silly

or, you know, just stop eight bars before the end.

And then I'll say, "What were you thinking?"

"I don't know. I forgot."

Right, who's next? Mitch.

- How are your blisters?

- All right, yeah.

- Still got your plasters on?

- Yeah.

- It is frustrating

'cause he could be so good.

I think he's got the potential

to win worlds, definitely.

He's a completely different dancer to Joe.

He has to have something for a long time,

and when it's polished,

and when he knows it, and it's drilled right,

it looks great.

But, you know--

but then he might forget it anyway.

[chuckles]

But whereas Joe,

even on his worst day,

will never forget it, and he'll never, ever stop.

- I would like to dance like Joe,

but he's strong.

He's confident,

and...

I just love the way he dances.

- ♪ Now stretch it out, and three, four ♪

♪ Up and down and stretch ♪

♪ Push up and down

Pull the back leg up.

Shoulders back. Stretch.

♪ Stretch, two, three, four

♪ Up and down, step down ♪

♪ One, two, three, four, up and down ♪

♪ Stretch, push up and down ♪

Pull that back leg up.

And stretch.

♪ Stretch, two, three, four ♪

♪ Up and down

♪ Push, cross, cross, cross

Arms back.

♪ Arms, two, three, four

♪ And a-one, two, stretch

Push up!

♪ Kick and dance, now point ♪

Point, stretch those legs out.

Feet, feet, feet.

♪ Kick and kick and one, two

♪ Stretch, two, three, four

Up. Put your shoulders, John, up.

Up, up.

♪ Kick and down and stop there ♪

- John's my best dance teacher ever.

He's really good at dancing as well.

And he shouts not a lot,

but he shouts.

But not loud.

Not that loud.

- Get the feet turned down and the toes pointed.

Your heels will automatically hit.

[clacking]

That's better, but now let's do it without the dodgy head.

Two, three, go.

♪ Treble up and toe, hop and step ♪

♪ Kick, kick, and down

You know, I am quite hard on him,

but he can take it.

You know, he never cracks.

He's very, "Mm-hmm, okay, mm-hmm."

Getting strong on these treble backs.

♪ Treble and back step, treble and down ♪

♪ Treble and down

Showing me the inside of your ankle all the time.

Okay, arms tight. Five, six, seven, go.

Bang, bang.

♪ Treble and back step, treble and-- ♪

No, come on, that's just it now. Concentrate.

♪ And treble and back step, treble and cross, cross ♪

♪ Heel and toe sharp, two, three, treble and back ♪

♪ Treble up and back stretch

♪ Stretch it out, two, three, push ♪

♪ Push, push, push it right up ♪

♪ Now for the back

♪ Treble and step, up and step ♪

♪ Kick, kick, and down

- If I don't come in the top ten

or a recall,

I won't be okay.

But it would just show me if I haven't danced my best.

- Stretch your legs out! Chin up!

Nowadays, because so many people want to win,

there's a lot of people that probably don't have

a lot of natural talent

but have just worked so damn hard at it

that they're actually winning

because they're so technically correct.

So people with natural talent now

have to put the work in.

You know, there's no room for error now.

You have to put be foot perfect.

Out.

In.

Down.

Right, left, right, right, out, in, down.

When I was growing up,

Riverdance and Lord of the Dance didn't exist,

so no one really knew about it in England.

From there, you go out.

So, yeah, I didn't really tell anybody at school that I did it.

And then after I won the world championships,

I think I was on the news.

And then so I went into school the next day,

and I was walking around the corridor,

and everyone was like, "I saw you on the news last night."

And I was like, "Did you?"

It was like, "I didn't know you did that dancing."

I was like, "Oh, yeah, yeah."

- I don't really talk about Irish dancing

outside Irish dancing, like, my mates from Irish dancing.

And it's just normally, like, football and American football.

- Work on your arms.

Yes, of course.

Okay, let's go.

[loud clacking]

Okay, cross, over, over, over, over.

Bring it on back.

Come on, straighten this elbow. Tighten it a bit.

Lower back.

Cross, cross, cross.

The back foot out more, out more.

♪ Da da da da da

Bring this arm in tighter.

Cross. Now, ready, the other one.

♪ Treble up and treble

♪ Da da da da da da

Here's the fast ones.

Back foot.

Left flat.

Left tap.

♪ Da da da da da da

♪ Da da da, da da da ♪

Right. [laughs]

Right.

He just has a complete understanding

of every kind of rhythm that I throw at him.

Even from a very young age, I was always giving him stuff

way harder than other people his age.

♪ One, two, three, da da la da ♪

Cross.

Cross, cross, cross.

♪ Da da la da da

That's better. Good.

[rapid clacking]

Do that one again.

Up, kick, kick, and toe.

Right up, right back.

- Joe's desire to pursue dance

was phenomenal.

It was living and breathing dance for him.

And I--it was like a snowball

that I couldn't stop.

- ♪ Up, kick, kick, and toe ♪

♪ Kick, kick, and toe, cross ♪

♪ Back and cross, da da la bum bum ♪

Yeah, that wasn't too bad.

Just looked a little bit better.

♪ Up, kick, kick, and toe ♪

♪ Feet and kick, kick, kick, and treble and back ♪

That's better. Good.

That looked much better.

- There was just that intensity about him.

He'd spend seven hours in the living room

with the carpets rolled up

and the furniture moved,

and that reel would play over and over.

- [chanting rhythmically with clacking]

♪ Out, out, out, sharp

- When he started out,

you know, he was like everybody else,

hop, two, three.

But he won the first 17 events he entered.

And he found out he was pretty good at this.

- We're a lot alike, Joe and I,

so I think that there was

a point in time when I realized

I had to help him manage himself

without being--

I couldn't push him; let's put it that way.

But in my own way, I orchestrated things, no doubt.

- I had heard rumors that this California boy

was thinking about moving to England to dance.

And I just thought it was a little bit crazy.

But then, you know, that's--

Dancing has grown so much that people take it so seriously.

You know, even though there's no money involved in it,

it's quite prestigious,

and people want that world title.

- We are a little mad.

So, you know, you hear about families who up and move

to Florida when they have a good tennis player.

- I had a very successful medical practice.

I pretty much gave that up.

I lived in a wonderful neighborhood

and £5 million and £6 million houses.

The weather here is certainly nothing

compared to California.

- I know, yeah.

It's always raining in this country, though.

God.

- ♪ Five, six, seven, heads move, two, three, four ♪

When Joe first arrived from America,

he was maybe spoiled.

♪ And sharp, sharp, sharp, sharp ♪

He was this amazing talent from when he was younger,

and everybody just told him how amazing he was all the time.

And it was like, "Oh, you're brilliant.

You're brilliant. You're brilliant."

You know, and he was; he's very talented.

And then came to our class, and it was like,

"This is wrong. This is wrong.

You're not doing this. You're not doing this."

And I think it was a huge shock to his system,

and I don't think he liked it very much.

And catch. No, no, no, no.

- John Carey's just an amazing dancer and teacher,

choreographer-- you name it.

I mean, he's won the worlds eight times,

and he's an incredible inspiration.

- I definitely have an ego in Irish dancing.

When you're at the top, it's hard not to.

When he tells me something,

like, sometimes I'm a little iffy with my listening.

- It's interesting to see John and Joe dance together

because, you know, I see this look in Joe's eyes like,

"Yeah, I know you're better than me."

[chuckles]

And, "Give me time."

[clacking]

- I just want to be one of the best that's ever danced,

as good as John Carey is.

I want to be known for, like, doing the rhythm

and having the set dance,

and people will be like,

"Oh, Joe Bitter, I remember him.

He used to do those amazing set dances."

[clacking]

- I'm Ana.

I'm Russian.

I live in Moscow.

And I'm a part of a ceilidh team of eight dancers.

We are all adults.

We started Irish dancing when we were in our 20s.

You can practice a lot,

for a week,

for two weeks,

for two months,

for a year,

and still you cannot do something.

And then one day, you just go to the class,

and you can do it, like magic.

And it makes you so happy, so proud.

You're like, "Whoa, look, look here.

Look, I can do it."

- I'm based in Munich,

and then my weekends are usually away

teaching in Poland or Russia.

Over the three countries, we have 500 pupils.

I've got three days of workshops

with all the dancers on the ceilidh team.

And we've got about 25 hours of classes lined up.

Hopefully we'll be able

to get the last-minute practice in before the worlds.

- I think I probably spend

about half of my salary Irish dancing

because we travel to many countries.

It's very expensive.

People keep asking us about Irish dancing.

"Why?

"You are Russians.

"You live in Moscow.

Why?"

I don't know.

Because I like it.

[chuckles]

It's a game for adult people.

- You know, in Russia,

the winter lasts about six, seven months.

Could be rather depressing.

- When you come dancing,

no matter what mood you are in,

you're always leaving the class in high spirits.

Only Irish dancing allows you to fly,

really to fly.

- Chin up, class, yeah.

- [speaking Russian]

- Shane is a wonderful dancer,

a brilliant teacher.

- Up a bit more, Sasha, up.

Jump, two, three.

Jump-de-dump-de.

- Stop, stop, stop.

[speaking Russian]

- I would definitely think of the Russians

as the hardest-working Irish dancers

that I've ever met.

And you're not lifting...

They love it. They really do love it.

And they enjoy dancing it.

So we're really trying to brighten them up

and make them show that they enjoy it.

And four, five.

Iri and Vera, you look like you're having a terrible time.

♪ One and two

Drop three, round the feet.

- [speaking Russian]

- Even that time when I was watching,

it was just Vera and Ana

who held this all the way throughout.

The rest of you were going through the motions.

And we need eight of you to be doing that,

'cause it can't be just one or two on the team,

and the rest of you all just hanging on behind.

I want people to look at you and go,

"Wow, they're cocky; they know what they're doing."

So I think all the time when you're dancing,

dance it like you are world champions.

Your hands are perfected. Your feet are good.

Now we need to work on the actual presentation of it.

♪ One and two

♪ And three

♪ And four

♪ And five

♪ And six

Katya, you look miserable.

Chins up. Wait, wait, wait.

We lost the personalities.

Eight unhappy Russians.

[laughter]

Imagine you're like-- they're hot fingers.

Like, you can't hold on to them for too long,

'cause I saw a few times-- you see this, like,

sticky fingers...

Hands.

Hot fingers, like, ow.

You know, you can barely touch them.

You touch them and you're gone.

But they're really hot.

Go!

♪ Up, two, three

Move it, move it.

♪ Jump, two, three, four, five ♪

And go! Move! Come on.

Go, go, go, go.

Go. Go.

Move.

Hot fingers.

- If they are not nervous,

if you do no stupid mistake,

if you look happy,

I think we have a chance to get a recall.

[clacking]

- Coming up for our major, I practice almost every day.

I like the privates the most

because you get to see what you do the best.

[clacking]

They always tell you specifically.

They're always watching you.

At the private, my mom takes notes

about what I have to fix.

- Thank you.

- She writes it down

so she knows what to practice the next time.

- Oh, no, I don't have privates.

- ♪ One, two, three

- 'Cause we're so together.

We're like one big family, the McConomys.

- The reason we don't do private lessons

is because we've got 90% in our class

who just couldn't afford it.

[cheers and applause]

- It's not fair for any of the older children,

'cause if I got private, like, my friends in my age group,

they wouldn't get it.

So it's just not right.

We don't do that.

- Yeah, other side.

Good?

[bones cracking]

- If you do it wrong, you have to get it right.

You can't just leave it.

- [grunts]

- My mom, she's very strict about that.

- There you go.

[clacking]

Okay, see the leaning on the shoulder?

Just relax your shoulder.

Push it back and relax.

- She had been dancing on a broken foot.

And the day that her mom said

that they were going to the doctor,

Julia was like, "Oh, you know what?

It doesn't hurt so much,"

'cause she realized we were leaving for Scotland soon,

and she didn't want to miss.

[clacking]

- Straight.

Good.

- One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,

nine, ten...

I remember when I hurt my foot before the all-Scotland,

I just moved on.

My mom was like, "You can't dance steps."

Like, "Aye, I can.

I can. Watch me."

There's so many injuries coming up to the worlds too.

It's, like, unbelievable.

My friend, she broke her leg a couple days ago.

And you're like, "Whoa."

But luckily she's not going to the worlds

'cause she didn't qualify.

But she still broke her leg at dancing?

You're like, "Whoa."

- When I hurt my foot,

that was just the best time to strengthen it

and to make it better and better for competitions.

- We want to work the muscles in the lower leg as well, okay?

So the inside part of her arch,

she uses one muscle called the posterior tib,

the other muscle called the flexor hallicus longus.

Are you having any pain over this area?

- No.

- Okay.

Just drape one right here.

If it gets too cold, you let me know.

Nice and supple.

There's no knots in them,

so that's a good thing.

Are you gonna win?

- It's gonna be a tough competition.

- Okay, you be confident.

And you have to have fun with it.

- Okay. - Watch the player.

I realized how good Julia was,

and I thought, "You know what, Brogan?

You're not gonna win this world easy."

Do it again.

Step it over.

Step over.

Over, step, back.

And move.

Hit that step! Come on!

Execute! Make it wider.

That's it. Then go.

- Stay on the gray.

- Dance classes, they've got tougher.

Rosetta's making us do, like,

loads and loads of jumps, like, 2,000 and stuff.

- Stop, stop. Stand your toes.

Put the right down.

Right up.

Hop and set, aye? Do them up.

I had three sons.

I had one daughter.

And I wanted her to be a world champion.

I didn't care if she couldn't read or write.

I know a lot of people said, "That's ridiculous.

Her education's more important."

But to me, it wasn't.

Irish dancing was the most important thing in my life.

- You see how they tear you all,

and you just want to work to make them happy again.

And you want to make them proud because they work so hard.

They take their time off.

- Dance on.

[rhythmic clacking]

Hat.

- You danced it that time.

No, she danced it that time.

- Well, it's just her, she's--

- Either do it right, or don't do it at all.

You looked as if you were going for a walk,

a cheese, and on I go.

You're not going to world dancing like that.

Get it right, or take it out completely.

- When Simona was tiny,

it was her that wanted to do it.

Now I probably have to push her a little bit more

because I think she's older and there's other interests.

- I started just getting fed up with it.

I thought, "What's the point?"

'Cause I really wanted to win a world,

and that's why I was doing it.

And when you're not getting the results,

it's really hard.

- She was thinking of knocking it on the head

but didn't want to 'cause of me,

'cause she knew it would upset me.

[machine whirring]

That is way too big.

I've remortgaged twice,

not just, I suppose, for the dancing,

but most of the money that I earn

does go on the dancing.

See, it looks like it matches there,

but when you look at it on there...

It's expensive.

That's why I started making costumes,

'cause I couldn't afford to buy one.

Looks wide, sweet pea.

- I just checked.

- That is not the same as that.

- I just checked.

- And people say, "Did you win anything?"

You say no, and they go, "Well, why are you doing it?"

And it's not the money.

It's--you want to win the world.

I mean, if you've done Irish dancing

for all those years,

the top prize that you can get is the world.

And that's what the kids strive for.

- I won the world championships

for the first time in 2002

when it was the first year in Glasgow.

The next year, I was second.

And a year after that,

then I won three worlds in a row.

- Well done.

Okay, standing very well, Katherine, lovely.

- And we had a break in the summertime

'cause class was closed for a month,

and Suzanne and a couple of other girls

who dance with her said,

oh, they couldn't wait till, like, Sunday

for the class to reopen.

- That's right.

- We were enjoying a month's holiday,

and they couldn't wait for the dancing to start again,

you know?

In fact, Suzanne had an injury about four months ago.

She was on crutches for a couple of weeks,

but she came to every class.

- With her crutches, yeah.

Just to watch.

[laughs]

- She was using her crutches

to demonstrate wee basic steps.

[ethereal pan flute music]

♪

- Here's the da-da-da-da-da, dum-bum.

You're doing the diddly dums,

your back foot could be more out.

Yeah, push the heel forwards.

Do that again.

♪ Dum-dya-bum-bum

- Really smell it off them.

- Yeah. [laughter]

You can, yeah, yeah.

- You see it in the legs.

The beautiful legs.

Legs are so important.

I love legs.

Legs are just that.

[clacking]

- Dum, diddly, dum.

- Yeah, you're rushing those toes a bit.

♪ Da-da-da-da-dum da-da-da-da-dum ♪

- Claire I think will find it hard to give up the dancing

because she loves it so much.

I do think that dancing will always be part of her life.

- I don't think you'd last in this unless you love it.

No matter where you go, you'll find yourself,

you know, this kind of thing.

En masse, it could be this way.

You start thinking.

I lie in bed-- if I can't sleep,

I'll start making up steps.

The duvet could be jumping up and down.

That's just it.

That's the mental side of it.

- It is my life.

It is my passion.

I've sacrificed so much in my life

to be an Irish dancer

and to be where I am right now.

- Inside that skinny little body of hers,

she has such determination.

- If you're at the top, the only place you can go is down.

And you really don't want that to happen,

so the pressure is always there to stay at the top.

- They just pulled out. Did you see that?

- I did. And I'm glad you saw it.

You're not turning here?

- Yeah, why?

- I thought you were going straight.

- I'm not going that way.

- I'd be happy if she goes to the world

and dances really well.

And I know she's capable of winning it,

but then that doesn't mean she will.

- Claire's gonna go there wanting to keep it

'cause she won it last year.

Suzanne's gonna go wanting to get it back.

And I haven't won it,

so I just really want to win one.

[chuckles]

- I'm Sandun.

I'm this Sri Lankan guy who lives in Holland,

and I'm Irish dancer.

They call me the Flying Dutchman.

I want people to say this year,

"Flying Dutchman is in the top five of the world."

When you go to Irish dance class or to a feis,

you step into this other world.

I really see it like that.

[rhythmic Scottish accordion music]

[clacking]

- The first time I looked at Irish dancing was Riverdance,

and I didn't like it at all.

Then I took home a video,

and he watched it three times a day,

four times a day, five times,

like little kids watch cartoons, The Lion King.

And he watched Riverdance.

- It's like a drug.

Irish dancing is like a drug.

I mean, tough sport-- it's not good for your body.

Get injuries everywhere.

But at the same time, it gives you this nice feeling.

[blunt punching sounds]

- He's absolutely determined, if he wants to.

He can also be a lazy bastard.

- I would be seeking thrills everywhere.

I think probably, you know,

if someone would be like, "Hey, take this joint,"

or, "Take this little pill," I'd do it.

But now I want to, you know, perform good,

and you can't do that with drugs

or an over amount of alcohol.

[chuckles]

[both conversing in Dutch]

- Sandun is the only boy in the school.

- You have no one else

to compare yourself with during classes.

You have to do it all by yourself.

- He made his own mix

because he's cocky enough to think...

[laughs]

That he knows best for himself.

- Sandun cocky? - Yeah.

- And what is very funny is,

Irish dancing is a girl's sport.

More, it's a white girl's sport.

You don't see colored people in Irish dancing.

I know there are thousands of people,

and I've seen five colored people,

something like that.

And he feels perfectly comfortable

because people accept him for what he does dancing

and not for who he is colored or non-colored.

[speaking Dutch]

- Being adopted, for Sandun, it's very difficult

because he grows up in a white environment,

being a child of white parents,

and that's not how it should have been.

He should have grown up in Sri Lanka

with his own parents.

Being given up by your own mom,

that's not easy to cope with.

We had really rough times when he was younger.

That's why Irish dancing was very important to us.

Something that made him feel very good about himself.

Even in the rougher moments of our lives,

we went to dance practice,

and that always made it right again.

- That's been a difficult path.

It's not been impossible,

but Sandun has many interests,

and now he's gone to puberty,

and it's not helping to be...

- Yeah, he wants to go out and stay up late

and drink.

That's very normal for teenagers,

but that doesn't combine very well with the sport.

- I don't want to be like,

"Sandun came, he got seventh, and that was it."

No, I want to be like, "Sandun got tenth.

"Then he got seventh. Then he got top five.

"Then he got top three.

Then, bam, yeah, number one."

- I was born in Glasgow,

and it's funny for me to be here

at the 40th world championships and be hosting the event.

There'll be somewhere just over 6,000 competitors.

It brings in all through the week 20,000, 30,000 people.

And everything culminates here

in three 35-second performances, if you're lucky.

Some of them only get to perform twice at this event,

and you get called--

only 50 people get to do the last round.

So really, all these children are practicing all year round

for six minutes of dancing.

- This morning, he was up at half five.

And tomorrow he's bound to wake up as well early.

He's got that excitement and nervousness all rolled into one.

There's, like, a coiled spring.

- When we get to the hotel,

are we gonna practice a little?

- No practicing, no.

It's just stretching, a little stretch.

- Yeah, that's what I mean.

- Yeah, no, no dancing.

Yeah.

That's gorgeous.

- That is beautiful.

Costumes cost $2,500 American.

- Give you a ton of roses.

- Wow.

- You have to see the headband.

- Oh, that's perfect.

- You like it? - Yeah.

- She got a new dress in July.

She's worn it four times, maybe.

- No, more than that, babe.

The little feises, you mean.

- The--with the white skirt.

- Uh-huh. Four times.

- Four times?

- Yeah, yeah.

- Uh, maybe five?

- Okay, I don't know.

I thought it was more than that.

- But she grew.

- It's beautiful.

- It's gorgeous.

See what I mean about this white,

that it's like that really shiny--

- Yeah, shiny.

- Almost, like, iridescent.

- And you have socks that are diamante, right?

- Yes, - Obviously.

That's a silly question.

- Feel comfortable in those?

Feel ready?

[both laugh]

- This last year, Brogan hasn't had it easy

'cause Mom passed away.

Mom was diagnosed with cancer in June,

so Brogan was finishing up school in the June.

So we moved more or less up to Sligo

for that summer.

- My granny was just so, so ill.

It was unbelievable.

She was all, like, oxygen and everything.

It was just so, so sad.

But, like, she-- every day,

she would, like, be saying to me,

"Do your best and all."

So, like, and I know she would have just wanted me

to do my best.

So I just kept going to qualify for the world.

- The Ulsters was a big thing this year

because this was her qualifier for the worlds.

So for about the week before Mom died,

we knew she was really, really sick.

- And she was going, "Rosetta, I have to just qualify

for the world to go back and tell Grandma so she can die."

- Brogan won.

And then I rang my sister in Sligo,

who's in hospital at the moment.

I said, "Just whisper to her now that she's won

and she's gone through to the worlds."

And I went back up home,

and that morning, she died then.

- It was like she just wanted to find out that I qualified

and then, like, rest.

I was sad, but I was excited to hear

that she found out.

Everybody was, like, so upside down, like,

and it was terrible.

But we pulled through.

[rhythmic pan flute music]

♪

- Push those knees down flat.

Stomachs should be flat down on you guys.

Push it down.

♪

- [humming]

- My hand, see how all the blood goes out of my hand.

Sticking up that hand.

Let me see the...

beginning of the last jump.

- And relax.

Top half, you're dancing fabulous.

I'm really, really happy.

- My dress is so special to me.

My granny bought it for me,

and I say she's always dancing with me.

She got me this dress,

and she's my wee guardian angel and all.

It's not really about dresses,

but it will make me feel confident.

- Ladies and gentlemen,

we are now ready to commence competition 31,

the girls' championship, 10 to 11 years.

Competitors 177,

178, and 179.

[ambling Scottish accordion music]

♪

[cheers and applause]

Competitors 119,

120,

and 121.

♪

[cheers and applause]

- Beautiful.

It was really, really good.

Really good.

- Where's Lisa and Karen?

- They're in there. Did you want to talk to them?

- Are you happy now?

It was beautiful, beautiful.

- Thank you.

- ♪ One and two, four ♪

♪ Up, two, three, four, five, six, seven ♪

♪ And turn, two, three, four, five, and hat ♪

Their first round is in the heavy shoes.

It's all about rhythm and moving.

Their second round is the soft-shoe round.

That's more about lifting.

It's quite balletic, maybe.

There's a lot of flying around the floor,

high kicks and jumps.

And then the marks are added up for those two rounds,

and the best third are recalled back

to do their set dance.

And it's in heavy shoes again,

and it's basically your showpiece

to show off what you can do.

- The night before a competition,

I sleep with these two.

And this one's usually at the end of the bed.

This one's usually by the pillows.

But they keep me warm

and comfortable.

- [chuckles] Oh, and his tooth fell out, didn't it?

- Trying to open a bottle.

- Put it under your pillow.

- I'm up at 6:00 in the morning,

and I'll go to the venue at 7:00.

Well, John has to go through the steps.

My New Year's resolution was,

I'm gonna concentrate.

- He's just like a little firecracker.

Everyone's like, "Oh, you're a little cheeky fellow.

I love watching him dance; he's so good."

And I was like, "Yeah, when he doesn't stop, he's brilliant."

Want to tell you what we're doing.

Think about your head,

think about your left foot,

and think about pushing that click

right above your head, okay?

- Good luck.

[speaking indistinctly]

- Our first competitors, numbers 104,

105, and 106.

[ambling Scottish accordion music]

♪

- Whoo!

Was that good?

- Yeah, very good.

He covered the stage really well.

[cheers and applause]

- Can't breathe yet.

He's smiling now.

- I did watch him in one of the feises,

and I thought he danced brilliant.

And the guy next to me said, "He's won, he's won, he's won."

Well, he came third, I think, or second.

And I got a bit annoyed about that, you know?

I thought--you know, I was saying,

"Well, they've got it wrong."

But I don't know, so...

They know what they're doing up front, don't they,

the judges, I presume?

- Each band will be judged

by a different group of five judges.

And those judges have a total of 100 points

to award to the first place winner.

We put them in here because our art form's very subjective,

so therefore we don't encourage consultation.

They're not allowed to speak about the competition.

And they are very heavily policed.

So we actually have a system where our judges are chaperoned.

We don't have such a thing as fault penalties.

We try not to restrict the judge.

At the end of the day,

a lot of it comes down to personal taste.

[girls talking indistinctly]

[sprightly flute music]

♪

- There's been visa problems,

so a few of them have been denied their visas

to come into the country.

One of the things we were trying to do

was to make the team stand out

on the stage like they deserve to be there.

And then they're told they're not allowed

to come into the country.

They've just been beaten down, you know,

for no reason at all.

And, yeah, it's gonna be hard to get them

to get that energetic performance

that we were hoping we would see on the stage this time.

- And we all tried to do it

not just for ourselves,

dancing on the stage,

but also for the guys who stayed in Moscow.

And as Anya, the girl who stayed in Moscow,

she wrote us,

"Do your best, dance good for me."

[chuckles]

So we try to do it for her as well.

- Instead of kind of getting knocked down,

give it more of a push.

So from today and tomorrow

when we're doing all the practices,

keep that focus, keep that drive.

Let's do it.

One and two.

Nice dancing.

Stretch it up and back.

♪ And four and five ♪

♪ And six and seven

♪ And eight, two, three

Where's the faces?

[girls talking at once]

- We are now ready to commence

the second round of the girls under 11 championship.

Onstage now, we have 120 and 121.

[sprightly flute music]

♪

173 and 174.

♪

[cheers and applause]

[rhythmic fiddle music]

♪

- Well done.

- Hey, Daddy.

There, Mommy.

- Well done. - Oh, thank you.

- I thought you just flew around there like a bird.

Are you happy with that?

- Yep.

- Did you content yourself the way you danced?

- What?

- Were you very content the way you danced?

Couldn't have done any better. You were so brilliant.

[blender whirring]

[loud cracking]

- Oh.

- That's amazing.

- That's it.

- [speaking indistinctly]

♪ Left foot out, out, out ♪

♪ Chin up and chin up, then push up ♪

Come on, up, up, up.

Arms down, treble across.

- Competition number six.

Boys, 15 to 16 age group.

Now we have 105 and 104.

[sprightly accordion music]

♪

[cheers and applause]

- ♪ One and two

♪ And three and four

Okay, and just do the best you can

because you deserve to go up there.

Okay?

- Okay.

- Okay, you ready? all: Yeah!

[sprightly string music]

♪

[cheers and applause]

[all panting]

- I'm just going to read to you the recall

in numerical order.

- [speaking Russian]

[giggles]

[cheers and applause]

- 127.

136.

139.

[cheers and applause]

140.

146.

[cheers and applause]

151.

[cheers and applause]

159.

- No.

[speaking Russian]

[speaking indistinctly]

- Just so nervous every time.

- Yeah, my hands are sweating.

- Yeah, shaking.

- You know, battle on, and you'll be even better next year.

Yeah?

Okay.

Let's have a drink.

[melancholy string music]

♪

[clacking]

- Competition is really tough.

The top three is, like--

they're like titans.

You just can't move them.

- Between number four and number eight

is about the same level,

and then the first three are a little step higher.

So it could be between fourth and eighth, I think.

But he has to see improvement.

If he becomes eighth this year,

that's going to be a huge disappointment.

[ambling accordion music]

♪

[stirring string music]

♪

[cheers and applause]

- Next we have the results for competition number five.

Boys, 16 and 17.

190.5.

174.

203.

847.

[conversing in Dutch]

796.5.

1,026.5.

And 614.5.

[cheers and applause]

- [speaking Dutch]

- In tenth place...

[continues speaking indistinctly]

From the Netherlands is number 145, Sandun Verschoor.

- [speaking Dutch]

Ten, boy.

Well, it's still medal holder.

- Really terrible

'cause I came for fifth place or top five,

and I got tenth.

That really sucked.

Should I continue doing this?

But what would I do if I won't be dancing?

You know, I'm not that kind of person

who would go to university or, you know...

No, not for me.

I need to finish something, you know?

And that's gonna be dancing.

[rapid clacking]

- You know, when she's on form, she's on form.

And I just never know with Simona.

- She's beaten all the other girls

at different times at different competitions.

- So hopefully this year,

we're due a good world.

- Arch.

It's only a split second.

If it hurts, it's a split second.

- What I've been doing

is just dancing my steps through in my head,

and half the time, I can't get to sleep,

and I'll finish my set dancing,

have to go back to my junk and start again.

- [laughs]

That'll actually end up keeping me awake

about an hour longer when I should be sleeping.

But I'll probably do that for the wee half hour

and then go to sleep.

- I do it too.

[laughs]

I lie in bed doing her dances.

I would love for her to win in Glasgow again,

and that's her drive.

That's her motivation for this year.

[ambling accordion music]

♪

[cheers and applause]

- Very well done.

Oh.

- I didn't know that--

- Oh, my God, that was so amazing, Susie.

It was absolutely gorgeous.

You smiled the whole way through.

It was just gorgeous.

Well done.

- You're waiting, you're anxious,

and you're just hoping that everything

will go well for her.

That's all I ask, really,

is that she'll have three good rounds,

she danced the way she can dance,

and that's out of your hands then.

- I'm probably seen as the one to beat

because I'm one of the last three,

so it's just-- it is a lot of pressure

because you just-- you can't disappoint,

and there's so many in the competition

that are so good.

- There's 166 hoping to beat you.

- Slow.

[humming along rhythmically]

Ooh, jeez.

And bang and bang.

Timing.

♪ Da da da da

I ain't gonna do what I usually do.

[ambling accordion music]

♪

[cheers and applause]

That was near flawless.

The girl was there and then just went like that.

She handled it well.

- Adjudicators,

there is no 196.

Onstage we have 197 and 496.

- [sighs]

It was good other than that.

- You had to pin her.

[laughter]

- You couldn't go anywhere there.

- Well, we kind of just saw each other coming,

but we were both, like, doing something.

We couldn't move out of the way,

and I was just like--

We kind of just-- two of us kind of just went...

- I'm nervous,

really nervous,

'cause I really, really want to win.

I'm getting old now, so I ain't got much longer.

So I need to win it soon if I'm gonna win it.

Don't I?

- Yeah. [laughs]

14 years we've waited,

so it'd be nice to do it...

- Competitor 148, ramping rate speed 76.

- [speaking indistinctly]

- Quiet.

[speaking indistinctly]

[tense music]

♪

- Good job.

Very lovely.

[cheers and applause]

She's crying. She's crying.

- Now we'll have the ladies 19 to 21 years.

107.

249.5.

- That's not good.

- 108.

91.5.

289.

80.

75.5.

59.

695.5.

651.

1122.5.

546.5.

168.

1179.

343.5.

290.5.

127.5.

- Claire, Maggie, Suzanne, I think.

- Oh.

- In fourth place, competitor 148,

Simona Mauriello.

[cheers and applause]

[stirring string music]

♪

- Up and stretch.

♪ And one, two, three, kick, and down ♪

Up.

Point your toes. Point up.

♪ Treble, inside, back

For John, I'm like,

"Let's do the same thing

"and let's go over it again.

"Let's make sure you've got it in your head.

Have you got it in your head?"

And I deliberately don't change anything.

- Shh-shh-shh-shh.

This is the final round of the world championships.

Next is number 104.

[sprightly accordion music]

♪

- Right on.

♪ Down, treble, push, up, kick, down ♪

♪ Cross and treble back above your head ♪

[chanting indistinctly]

♪ Cross, cross

[chanting indistinctly]

♪ Two, three, treble, up and down ♪

[chanting indistinctly]

♪

[cheers and applause]

Next is number 105.

- Well done, John. - Well done, John.

Oh, lovely.

- Yeah.

- Got this one, big one--that was good.

Good, really good.

- Thank you.

- At least you're glad that's over now anyway.

You can relax for a little bit. Well done.

- We're now ready to do results

of the boys 10 and under 11 championship.

Number 102 in round one,

206.25.

103, 155.5.

104, 431.

- [gasps]

- 105,

256.35.

106.

135.5.

122, 295.

123, 199.

Round two from the top.

170.5.

162.5.

307.5.

- Oh, dear.

That's not as good.

161.

351.

- Still winning, I think.

Just about, I think.

- 450.

- Oh.

- 214.

- No.

- 233.

- No, he's not still winning now.

- Round three from the top.

193.

201.

171.

368.5.

233.

189.

- I don't know.

- 206.

158.

281.

- I think he might win.

I think so.

- Oh, did he? - No, I don't know.

Shh, don't tell her yet.

- That gets the following totals from the top again.

- 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

- 489. - 10.

It's close.

- 1107.

- [gasps]

- 738.75.

- I think it's really close.

I don't know. I can't add it up.

I can't add it up.

I don't know.

- 482.25.

790.

- I don't know. Maybe.

It's close.

- 463.

- This is it.

- 1100.

- Yes, he won it.

[cheers and applause]

That-a-boy.

[laughing]

- Number 104. [people screaming]

[cheers and applause]

- [laughing]

Oh, my God.

- Hi, Dad.

I won.

Thank you, Dad.

Shall I pass you back on to Mom?

Love you.

[cheers and applause]

- [humming rhythmically]

When Joe does a set dance,

the whole hall is silent.

- John told me the beginning of it,

and I was just like, "oh, my God, this is so hard."

Like, but I just loved it

'cause I knew that if I would get it,

it would be one of the best sets I've ever done.

- We're just waiting for Joe Bitter's session,

because we've been watching him practice,

and he's amazing.

- There's nothing simple about it.

If I nail every beat,

then it's just gonna be one of the best sets

anyone's ever done.

[applause]

[jaunty accordion music]

♪

[cheers and applause]

- [chuckling]

- He made me cry.

It was the best set I have ever seen.

- Oh, thank you very much.

Thank you. Thank you.

- Absolutely a masterpiece.

- I actually started crying...

- Thank you.

Brilliant. Brilliant.

High play. High play.

- You got to set the pace for the competition,

and they've got to live up to you.

Everything you've got, sweetie.

All right, love you.

- Ladies and gentlemen,

we are ready to commence competition 31,

recall set dance.

- Oh, do you have to go up?

- Yeah, I'm, like, fourth.

- Thank you. Good luck.

[applause]

- Competitor 121,

dancing "The Three Sea Captains."

[jaunty accordion music]

♪

[cheers and applause]

[both chuckling]

- Let's be fair to all the competitors

and the judges who are concentrating

and focusing.

[tense music]

♪

Competitor number 177,

dancing "Drunken Gauger," speed 69.

[jaunty accordion music]

♪

[cheers and applause]

- Went all right?

- Went perfectly.

- Now the results of girls 10 to 11 years.

115, 84.

116,

111.5.

121,

373.

- [whispering] Yes, I'm winning.

- 172,

86.5.

174,

231.

177,

312.5.

179,

72.

203,

120.2.

- [whispering] Yes.

- And now from the top,

round two.

- It's okay.

- 62.5.

377.33.

206.5.

123.

80.5.

61.5.

- [whispering] You're gonna get 373.

- 270.

- 377.

- 340.5.

- My God. - You're in first.

- [whispering] I'm in first.

- 238.

108.5.

35.

186.

- Yes.

- [giggling]

- And now round three from the top.

191.

91.

128.

114.5.

373.75.

291.

160.5.

191.25.

196.

69.5.

236.5.

273.5.

440.

- I'm right.

- 271.5.

179.

270.5.

23...

89.

84.5.

119,

and 204.

- [whimpers]

- It's okay. You're in first or second.

Do you know how good that is?

- 294.5.

318.5.

1124.08.

749.5.

364.

287.

487.5.

282.

410.

497.

302.

271.5.

774.5.

1092.

[girls screaming]

[cheers and applause]

- They're over the moon over there.

- [sobbing]

Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

- 824.

- [sobbing]

[laughing]

[cheers and applause]

- In first place, competitor 121.

- Congratulations.

[cheers and applause]

- Second place, 177.

[cheers and applause]

- Whoo!

Wah!

- I did it.

I'm so happy.

- Thank you. Congratulations.

You're cute.

Okay.

- When you said what you said today...

- Oh.

- Yeah, well done.

- Thank you. You too.

Wasn't expecting it.

I thought you were gonna win.

- Oh, no, I knew you would.

Come here.

Well done.

- Thank you.

- Good job. - Thank you.

Thank you.

[music swells]

♪

- This is my little wish calendar,

which I write down all my, like, expectations for each month.

For march, I wrote "The Big Month."

I said, "I really hope I win the worlds this year.

"I've been under so much stress and hard work,

and I would really like this title."

I do really want it,

but I don't mind if I don't get it.

They're just my own wee wishes in my own wee world.

[cheers and applause]

- In first place,

we have competitor 121,

Julia O'Rourke,

Petri School, New York, USA.

[cheers and applause]

In second place,

let's hear it for competitor 177,

Brogan McKay, McConomy School, Derry, Northern Ireland.

[cheers and applause]

- ♪ I'll always be here

♪ Watching you shine

♪ I wish you well, my dear ♪

♪ Now heave no sigh

♪ Hold every moment

♪ Close to your heart

♪ Listen to each beating rest

♪ This is just the start

♪ But if you feel frightened

♪ Or have fallen from grace ♪

♪ It doesn't matter, my dear ♪

♪ Now is still your time

♪ I'll open my arms

♪ To keep you warm

♪ Over every mountain you climb ♪

♪ My love will show you which aisle, I'm certain ♪

♪ Now, oh, now is your time

♪ You will succeed here

♪ In every single way

♪ And if some don't happen to see ♪

♪ They will some other day

♪ And we will be proud when

♪ You leave us behind

♪ I'll see you soon, my dear ♪

♪ For now is your time

♪ I wish you well, my dear ♪

♪ Now is your time

♪ I wish you well, my dear ♪

♪ Now is your time