Dir. Sue Bourne, 93 minutes, 2011, UK
Cast. Brogan McCay, Julia O’Rourke, Joe Bitter
Review by Michelle Moore
Irish dancing has been around for generations but popularised in 1994 by the world-famous show Riverdance, notable for its speedy leg and foot movements, while the upper parts of the body remain mainly stationary. But what is that makes Irish dancing so appealing to thousands of individuals all over the globe. Is it the music, the shoes, the costume or the large wigs?
Jig is a feature length documentary that tells the story of the 40th Irish Dancing World Championships, held March 2010 in Glasgow. It explores the dance form through the lives of a variety of individuals. First, through the perspective of two young girls; Irish born Brogan McCay and Julia O’Rourke from America who although born in two very different parts of the world, the one thing they have in common is their love and admiration for Irish dance.
This style isn’t just appealing to young girls however, as the movie discusses. It is important to a few teenage girls; some of Irish decent while other are Italian but enjoy it a great deal. Two boys also share their experiences, tapping their toes while their friends are out kicking a ball around. One family goes so far in their belief in their son’s talents and his dedication for the art, that they move to the UK from America so he can fulfil his dreams.
This documentary explores the dedication everyone goes through to continue on with their passion, working through sore feet, broken ankles and aching legs while struggling to carry on as they get older and want to pursue other things in life. Money is also a part of the dance, as families find ways to make trips across the globe, with one family re-mortgaging their property to encourage their daughters dream.
The film talks to a group of Russian dancers who explain how expensive following your dreams of dance can be, as they travel around the globe for tournaments and competitions. It isn’t just about practice, practice and many more dedicated hours of practice, it also comes down to the lively costumes; the embroidered dresses/outfits which became popular in the 1970s and 1980s, the shoes (soft and hard varieties) and of course those very large curly wigs. With some families having to make their own costumes due to lack of funding.
Jig is an informative 93-minute documentary that looks into how the Irish dance phenomena has been a world wide success, spreading around different ages, cultures and nations, as well as sexes. Although viewing may not be the most entertaining way to spend an hour and a half of your day, particularly when you have two left feet and no musical coordination what so ever, it is very informative and surprising to watch as you are exposed to so many things about the Irish dancing you may have never realised.
