| Jig | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Sue Bourne |
| Produced by | Sue Bourne |
| Cinematography | Joe Russell |
| Edited by | Colin Monie |
| Music by | Patrick Doyle |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Screen Media Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | £194,515 [1] |
Jig is a 2011 documentary produced and directed by Sue Bourne about the world of Irish dance and the fortieth Irish Dancing World Championships, held in March 2010 in Glasgow.
Bourne first proposed the film to BBC Scotland commissioning editor Ewan Angus in 2009 after hearing that the 40th World Championships were to be held in Glasgow. After realising further funding would be required, Bourne negotiated a deal with Creative Scotland and the BBC which secured a short theatrical release for the project followed by reversion of the TV rights to BBC2. [2]
Bourne approached An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha (the Irish Dancing Commission) in late 2009. Her proposal to film a documentary was met with skepticism, largely because the Commission does not permit filming of competitions in order to protect the original choreography of the dances. A meeting of the Commission's 100 members eventually agreed to the project on the grounds of Bourne's previous work and the potential publicity benefits of the film. [3]
Filming began in January 2010 with a crew of three, but Bourne used a crew of 20 during the nine days of the Championships themselves. In order to ensure copyright compliance, Bourne commissioned a suite of dance music from two Irish musicians, which was specially licensed for use in the film's rehearsal scenes. The film was subject to an 18-week edit which tailored Bourne's television style to cinematic release. The film was released in 50 UK cinemas on 6 May 2011 by distributor Arrow Films. [2]
The film follows eight dancers from across the world as they prepare for and compete at Oireachtas Rince Na Cruinne (the Irish Dancing World Championships), held in Glasgow in 2010 by An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha. One dancer, Julia O'Rourke, wins her first world title in the course of the documentary.
The score for Jig was written by Academy Award-nominated Scottish composer Patrick Doyle. The soundtrack was released through Varèse Sarabande 12 July 2011.
Jig premiered at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival on 1 May 2011 with 2 screenings. [4] It then opened on 6 May in a short limited release across 50 cinemas in the United Kingdom. [2]
The film opened in 5 theatres in New York City, Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston on the weekend of 17–19 June, with an opening weekend gross of US$ 70,432. The screenings were largely attended by Irish dancers and their families. [5] [6]
Jig made its broadcast premiere on 1 September 2011 on BBC Two, subtitled as The Great Irish Dance-Off. [7]
The film received a mixed reception from critics. It currently holds a 61% rating on Rotten Tomatoes [8] and a score of 53/100 based on fourteen reviews on Metacritic. [9]
Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times praised the film for capturing "the unique physical, emotional and financial aspects of diving into competitive Irish dance", calling Bourne's documentary "superbly crafted" and giving it four stars out of five. [10] Mark Feeney, for the Boston Globe, wrote that the "involving, if at times overly slick" film deserved praise for its presentation of the dancing without "editing trickery". [11] Benji Wilson, in The Telegraph , compared Jig to successful sport and hobby documentaries Spellbound and Hoop Dreams for its attention to detail. [7]
However, many reviewers criticised the film's use of tension, such as Jeanette Catsoulis of the New York Times, who wrote that the "programmatic" documentary quickly became "leaden", despite the quality of its cinematography. [12] Empire's Anna Smith wrote that the film was probably most interesting to "dance fans". [13]
Jig was nominated for the 2011 British Academy Scotland Awards in the Best Single Documentary category, [14] and for the 2012 Golden Trailer Awards in the Best Foreign Documentary Trailer category. [15] Its soundtrack was nominated for the 2011 International Film Music Critics Awards for Best Original Score for a Documentary Feature [16]
Irish dance refers to the traditional dance forms that originate in Ireland, including both solo and group dance forms, for social, competitive, and performance purposes. Irish dance in its current form developed from various influences such as earlier native Irish dance, English country dancing and later possibly French quadrilles, as it became popular in Britain and Ireland during the 19th century. Dance was taught by "travelling dance masters" across Ireland in the 17th and 18th centuries, and separate dance forms developed according to regional practice and differing purposes. Irish dance became a significant part of Irish culture, particularly for Irish nationalist movements. From the early 20th century, a number of organisations promoted and codified the various forms of dance, creating competitive structures and standardised styles. Irish dancers who compete for competitive reasons dance in a dance style that is more modern than traditional Irish dance. It is mainly done solo, but there is some team dancing in groups of 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 16 and even numbers onwards.
A cèilidh or céilí is a traditional Scottish and Irish social gathering. In its most basic form, it simply means a social visit. In contemporary usage, it usually involves dancing and playing Gaelic folk music, either at a home or a larger concert at a social hall or other community gathering place.
A Feis or Fèis is a traditional Gaelic arts and culture festival. The plural forms are feiseanna and fèisean. The term feis is commonly used referring to Irish dance competitions and, in Ireland, to immersive teaching courses, specialising in traditional music and culture. Although it is Irish, in Scottish Gaelic, the accent is important because there is a difference of meaning and pronunciation between feis and fèis — the word feis means sexual intercourse.
Sheffield DocFest is an international documentary festival and industry marketplace held annually in Sheffield, England.
Irish stepdance is a style of performance dance with its roots in traditional Irish dance. It is generally characterized by a stiff upper body and fast and precise movements of the feet. It can be performed solo or in groups. Aside from public dance performances, there are also stepdance competitions all over the world. These competitions are often called Feiseanna. In Irish dance culture, a Feis is a traditional Gaelic arts and culture festival. Contemporarily, costumes are considered important for stage presence in competition and performance Irish stepdance. In many cases, costumes are sold at high prices and can even be custom made. Each costume is different, with varying colors and patterns, designed to attract the judge's eye in competitions and the audience's eye in performance. General appearance beside the costume is also equally important. Female dancers would typically curl their hair before each competition or wear curled wigs, while male dancers would neatly style their hair to a shape to their liking. Poodle Socks are worn by female dancers while males wear plain black socks. Poodle socks are white socks that stretch to typically 1-4 inches above the ankle, depending on the dancers preference. They also have distinctive ribbing, and can be embroidered with gems. This hyper-stylization originated in the Irish diaspora. Traditional costume was homemade or from the local dressmaker and embroidered with Celtic knots and designs.
The World Irish Dance Association (WIDA) is an Irish stepdance organisation founded in 2004. It is based primarily in Europe and the United Kingdom, and offers "open platform" competitions that are open to competitors from all Irish dance organisations.
In modern competitive Irish dance, an oireachtas refers to an annual championship competition. Oireachtais are held by several Irish dance organisations globally, including An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha, An Comhdhail na Múinteoirí le Rincí Gaelacha, the World Irish Dance Association, and others. Many oireachtais include both solo and ceilí (team) events. The competitions vary in size, duration, and level of eligibility.
Kevin McCormack is a former professional Irish dancer who spent many years as a Dance Captain with Riverdance. The Dublin native was part of the original 24 troupe members for Riverdance's seven-minute interval act at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. A 10-time World Irish Dance Champion, McCormack holds ADCRG titleship which means he is recognised by An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha, the governing body of Irish dancing worldwide, as being qualified to adjudicate Irish Step dancing on any competitive level throughout the world.
Festival dance is a form of Irish dance traditionally associated with Northern Ireland. It separated from the "feis" movement in stepdancing in the mid-20th century and became stylistically and administratively distinct. The form is practised competitively in Northern Ireland, England, and parts of mainland Europe.
"Haste to the Wedding" is a jig tune in the English, Scottish and Irish musical traditions. The tune originated during the 18th century, although its original composer is not certain. Written in the standard 8-bar AABB format of Gaelic music, it is traditionally performed on the fiddle, but is a simple tune which can be performed on a variety of instruments, and is frequently adapted for session music. The tune has also been used as the basis for songs, and as musical accompaniment for ceili dances of the same name.
Róisín Mullins is a TV presenter, TV talent show judge, professional Irish dancer, singer, stage show owner and choreographer.
Sue Bourne is a Scottish television documentary producer and director. She founded and runs the independent production company Wellpark Productions, which has produced films including My Street, Fabulous Fashionistas, Mum and Me and Jig.
An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha is the oldest and largest governing body for competitive Irish step dancing globally. Founded in 1927, CLRG is responsible for creating a standardised system of Irish dance, music and competition for its member organisations in 26 countries. It organises Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne as well as Oireachtas Rince na hÉireann, and is the central authority for teacher and adjudicator accreditation. It is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.
Michaela Hinds is an Irish-Canadian Irish dancer, the most awarded North American in the history of the An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha's Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne. She retired from competition in 2017, after her seventh win.
Comhdháil na Múinteoirí le Rincí Gaelacha, also referred to as An Chomhdháil, is a global governing body for Irish stepdance. Founded in the early 1960s, and then breaking from An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha to become an independent organisation, An Chomhdháil is today the second-largest Irish dance organisation and one of six to run a World Championships competition.
Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne is an annual Irish stepdance competition run by An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha. The Worlds include competitions for solo stepdance, organised by gender and age; and for certain traditional and original ceili dances, also divided by age group and team gender composition. Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne is the top competition of the hierarchical system operated by An Coimisiún, and dancers must qualify at major Irish stepdance events across the world in order to compete.
Julia O'Rourke is a competitive Irish stepdancer. After being featured in the 2010 Sue Bourne documentary Jig as a competitor at the 2010 Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne, O'Rourke became known as a public face for the dance form globally. She won several further titles before her retirement from competition in 2017.
Conor Simpson is a competitive performer of Irish stepdance from Canberra, Australia. Having begun dancing at his mother's school at the age of nine, Simpson has been highly successful in local and international competition. He is one of the few Australians to win a title at Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne, and has also performed professionally.
The Gardiner Brothers are professional Irish dancers, social media personalities and influencers. Michael and Matthew are Irish-American dancers and choreographers who are currently living in Galway, Ireland. They are both cast members of Riverdance and have toured the world extensively since auditioning for the show in 2015. They are known for their rhythm, innovation and syncopation and have both won the Irish dancing World Championship multiple times.