Eight Girls Tap Their Shoes And Land Spot In Ed Sheeran's Video With Exceptional Routine

Mar 24, 2021

In the world of dance, older forms such as tap have started becoming more popular today. While there is a cornucopia of dance forms that one can choose from in various dance studios across the country, people are finding comfort and joy in discovering their traditions and roots through creative forms such as dance. 

One such form is also a "Riverdance" which has caused quite a stir in the online community thanks to the incredible videos by a dance group by the same name. Rhythmic step dancing routines that embody the beauty of Irish dancing have reached a compelling new peak since Riverdance provided a framework for a modern version of traditional dances.

Thanks to fantastically fast footwork, this legendary troupe demonstrates the marriage of the old and new through exciting performances that have been highly sought after since 1991. Traditional tap dance stylings will never hold a candle to this decadent cross-genre display of this artistic style — but this isn't to say that traditional Irish tap does not have a sheer brilliance of its own. 

In 2017 singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran caused a sensation by advertising for Irish dancers for his then-upcoming video for the song "Galway Girl." This caused a stir across dance schools in Ireland, many of whom have trained for years in the traditional Irish tap form. This was a chance for a big break,  and the lucky winners were these eight gorgeous female performers from Hession School of Irish Dancing, which is in fact in County Galway. In their audition video below, the girls show off their incredible footwork to Sheeran's hit song "Shape of You."

In an interview with Eoghan McDermott, Sheeran had announced in January 2017 that he was looking for "proper céilí dancers" for his upcoming videos and music. 

''The public announcement by Ed has sent the Irish Dance World into pandemonium as everyone knows this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for whoever the lucky dancers are that will be picked to work with one of the biggest music stars on the planet.'' Chris Naish, Artistic Director of Fusion Fighters said. The Fusion Fighters crew "is made up of over 50 professional dancers, 20+ musicians and hundreds of students around the world who provide entertainment for a variety of corporate performances, festivals and video campaigns."

It goes to show that this announcement was an exciting event for dance schools and crews across Ireland, especially as they had the opportunity to showcase their traditional dance forms. The performance company started a campaign called #step4sheeran to encourage dance troupes across Ireland to submit a tape of their traditional dances, and the winning group of girls was actually from The Hession School of Irish Dancing from the county of Galway, which is perfectly in line with the song they would be a part of! 

The audition tape of these talented girls quickly went viral when it was released, and we can definitely see why Sheeran chose them. Before the girls begin their dance, there are a couple of funny blooper-takes of the introduction, which might have helped the girls become a bit more relaxed about auditioning for the highly acclaimed Sheeran, who is a beloved artist across the world. They chose the iconic song "Shape Of You" for their audition dance. 

This song's beat has a universal application in some ways, as it has spawned people from different parts of the world to do their own traditional dances to the music, such as this one which incorporates the classic Indian dance form of Bharatnatyam. The Irish version of this dance was also a huge hit as these young women employed traditional Irish tap dance, also known as Riverdance, to showcase their performance. This is exactly what Sheeran had been looking for — and the girls delivered. 

As the music begins, the dancers follow in step to the beats of the song with their feet, and their footwork is marvelous. The rhythmic tapping is hypnotic, almost, and it shows us exactly why Irish tap dancing is so exciting! Making this kind of dance appear polished is a gargantuan task, but these eight girls had been doing this for years. It looked easy but the steps certainly aren't, especially as the tapping has to be kept in line with the beats of the song. The girls also embody the signature Irish tap dance feature, specifically the stiff upper body that ideally does not move at all with the dancers' feet merely tapping and stepping along to the music, which gives the dancers the typical "floating" look.

The only time in this performance the girls move their upper body is when they put their hands on their hips. Apart from this, the main feature of this dance is the super footwork that eventually won them the coveted place in Ed Sheeran's 2017 release, "Galway Girl."

Not long after the video was submitted, someone called the girls to tell them that they were the chosen ones, as was reported here by Ireland's Daily Edge news. The dancers only found out about the video the day before shooting and were understandably ecstatic. This audition video of the women has now been viewed over 15 million times since being posted on YouTube. 

In the official music video of "Galway Girl," the dancers who won the completion are actually surprised to see Ed Sheeran appear in the video and Gemma Carney, a teacher with the Hession School of Irish Dancing, told the news outlet, "They didn’t know that Ed was going to surprise them, so their reaction in the video is genuine, pure joy." 

Through their experience, the girls reported that Sheeran was "a pure gentleman" and being part of the video filming was "an unforgettable experience" for everyone involved. As for the result of the video, Carney said, "They are thrilled with the video. It’s a privilege to be part of a showcase for Galway!"

We can imagine that being a part of a project like this one will be a highlight for all the dancers who were chosen. The girls' dance also got a shoutout from the Fusion Fighters. "We at Fusion Fighters just want to say that we are absolutely thrilled and proud that these dancers got picked for arguably the biggest pop star in the world. A massive congratulations to the Hession School of Irish Dance in Galway and what a brilliant and satisfying ending to our #step4sheeran campaign!" Chris Naish of Fusion Fighters told Ireland Calling. 

We love it when dreams come true, and this is exactly what happened to eight girls from Galway. If your friends would like to read about a great story like this one, please let them enjoy it too, and be sure to tell us your thoughts about this beautiful dance as well.