Dancers ZOOMing through the Pandemic
Irish Dancing has a vast competition circuit which runs from local competitions to global championships. Dancers on the circuit often form strong bonds over the years at these competitions.
There are stories of dancers who formed friendships at the young age of 5 at a beginner competition and later became college roommates. Or the two friends who went head to head in competitions that now are the best of friends on the professional show circuit. And, then there are the stories of friendships that have lasted decades which all began at a "feis" pronounced "fesh," which is an Irish word commonly used to refer to Irish Dance competitions. Competitive dance provides participants an outlet to form friendships that often last for decades.
For dancers on the competition circuit, the pandemic may have temporarily sidelined seeing each other in person, but it certainly did not sideline the ability to keep friendships growing. Last summer, a group of 11 and 12 year old Champion dancers from nine schools on the East Coast of the USA launched a ZOOM group to keep up with each other's pandemic lives. From the beginning, ZOOM proved an important lifeline for their friendship.