Julia O'Rourke | |
---|---|
Born | |
Years active | 2004–2017, 2022 |
Former groups | Petri School of Irish Dance |
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 (Irish Dancing World Championships), O'Rourke became known as a public face for the dance form globally. [1] She won several further titles before her retirement from competition in 2017.
O'Rourke began taking Irish stepdance classes at the age of 5 after seeing a classmate at elementary school perform the style in a show and tell session. She began lessons at the Petri School of Irish Dancing (later the Doherty-Petri School) in Garden City Park, and continued at the same school until her retirement from competition. [2] At her first feis, she won a first prize. [3]
In 2010, O'Rourke was selected to be featured in Jig. The documentary followed her preparation for the World Championships, that year held in Glasgow, Scotland, including competition at several other major competitions held by An Coimisiún Le Rincí Gaelacha around the world that year. [4] O'Rourke won her first World Championship that year in her age group. [5] As her career progressed, O'Rourke competed at three to five competitions outside the United States each year, usually including the All Ireland and All Scotland Championships. [6]
In 2012, O'Rourke suffered a major back injury, which resulted in an unusually low placing of 24th at Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne 2013. She did not compete for some months, but trained intensively throughout 2013 and won a second world title in 2014. [5] That year, Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne was held for the first time in England and O'Rourke featured on the BBC program Newsnight . [7] [8]
O'Rourke won further titles at Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne in 2015 [6] and 2017. She announced her retirement in June of that year. [2]
During her career, O'Rourke was described as an "ambassador" for Irish dance [6] and as a symbol of the increased diversity and globalisation of the dance form. [1] In 2017, shortly before her retirement, O'Rourke was named one of five "Top Irish dance influencers" by IrishCentral. [9]
O'Rourke returned to Irish dance in 2022, winning as the Senior Ladies Oireachtas Champion, Mid Atlantic Division. [10]
O'Rourke is the first of two children of father Kevin, originally from County Louth, Ireland, and Filipino mother Annelyn, both of whom are accountants. [11]
She attended St. Agnes Cathedral School in Rockville Centre, New York [11] and Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead. [5]
O'Rourke now began attending the University of Delaware in 2017 [12] and has announced her intention to study physical therapy. [2]
Irish dance refers to a group of traditional dance forms that originate in Ireland, encompassing dancing both solo and in groups, and dancing 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.
Mary O'Rourke is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Leader of the Seanad and Leader of Fianna Fáil in the Seanad from 2002 to 2007, Deputy leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2002, Minister for Public Enterprise from 1997 to 2002, Minister for Health from 1991 to 1992 and Minister for Education from 1987 to 1991. She also served as a Minister of State from 1992 to 1994. She served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1982 to 2002 and 2007 to 2011. She served as a Senator for the Cultural and Educational Panel from 1981 to 1982 and from 2002 to 2007, after being Nominated by the Taoiseach.
Events in the year 1970 in Ireland.
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 Scotland, to immersive teaching courses, specialising in traditional music and culture. 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.
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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. 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. Males and females can both perform Irish stepdance but for the most part in today's society, the dance remains predominantly female. This means that the costumes are mainly dresses. Each dress 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. Dancers would typically curl their hair before each competition. Many dancers invest in curled wigs that match their hair color. Poodle Socks are worn with the dresses and shoes. These are white socks that stretch to mid-calf with distinctive ribbing.
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.
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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.
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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.
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