Irish Dancers Entertain Wedding Guests And Bride Joins Them To Astonish The Crowd With Her Performance

Sep 28, 2021

Weddings are a wonderful time to showcase your singing and dancing talents. The internet is filled with amazing dance numbers that thrill and move audiences, especially as weddings are becoming more elaborate and beautifully planned today. Usually, the couple picks a song that has some personal meaning attached to it, but sometimes the song is perfect for the kind of dance the couple loves even if it doesn't have a special meaning. 

In these ways, it's always nice to see people put their own stamp on their wedding and make it a personal celebration that others can also enjoy. One very special couple wanted to celebrate their Irish heritage on their wedding day in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and did so by having Irish dancers perform for their guests. The viewers can see that the dance floor is lit up by these talented young dancers, and the group consists of young girls as well as young women. 

The video begins with the song "Shut Up And Dance" by the band Walk The Moon already in progress, and two young women take the floor. They begin to tap their feet intricately, and we see the incredible talent that is required for Irish step dancing. The two young women are then joined by two young girls, who seamlessly tap their feet in sync with their other group members. We can't help but be hypnotized by the beautiful moves! These young girls are truly talented. As the upbeat song continues, we are going to be in for more surprises as the group becomes larger! 

As this dance routine is going on, we can see the bride and groom in the background, watching with joy as their guests are entertained. The four young girls, who had taken the stage by storm, take a step back and make way for the next group of dancers. Six more girls step onto the stage with incredible moves, and from behind, the four girls clap and cheer for their group members as they dance.

All of the dancers are from the Hooley School of Irish Dance. The school is able to showcase talented dancers because of its mission to "cultivate character and excellence through a supportive community and learning environment," as stated on their website. According to See It Live, the bride, Gretchen, is a teacher at this school! She holds a T.C.R.G, which stands for Gaelic Teagascóir Choimisiúin le Rinci Gaelacha, and means that Gretchen is a “certified Irish dance teacher.” She inspires and motivates her students to dance their best every day, so it must have been nice to watch her students excel so wonderfully at this craft. 

Once the six new members show off their talent, they are once again joined by their previous team members, which makes for a beautiful display of footwork that we think is beyond amazing. Their feet tap along to the quick beat of the song, which requires a large amount of energy as well. Throughout the performance, all girls have a large smile on their faces and show no signs of being tired at all. 

For over two minutes, all the girls dance along together in sync before breaking off into pairs. Each pair is a powerhouse of energy and talent that surely thrilled the guests at Gretchen and her husband's wedding. However, the best was yet to come! As the girl group is still dancing, we see the bride motioning to someone from where she is standing, and she quickly runs out of the frame. We are left wondering, where did she go? 

The wedding party is in for a treat, however, as we see Gretchen run onto the stage with a young bridesmaid, both of whom are excitedly part of the dance now. They blend seamlessly into the routine despite being barefoot, so they are unable to make the same tapping sound as the rest of the dancers, but the dance nonetheless takes a breathtaking turn. Have you ever seen a bride in her beautiful dress performing an Irish step dance? We hadn't yet till now! We have to say, Gretchen looks gorgeous in her dress, and her dancing was sure to be the highlight of the wedding party. 

The Irish dance teacher and her students treat the crowd to a beautiful performance together as their feet move to beautiful synchronicity, but before the end of the entire dance, there is still one more thing remaining: the bride and groom both being a part of this spectacular display. As the song winds down, the dancers make two lines and as they dance away to the side, the bride and groom come onto center stage. 

Together, they bust out a move and a twirl before the groom plants a romantic kiss on his new wife, and the crowd goes wild for the entire performance! The applause and a myriad of cheers show the viewers that this was a dance of a lifetime for the guests as well as the new husband and wife. The video was a hit as soon as it was uploaded onto the Hooley School of Dance's official youtube page. The video was uploaded in September 2019, and as of March 2021, it has garnered over 8 million views. We believe this is fully deserved, as this unique dance is thrilling without being over the top. 

The history of Irish dancing cannot be traced back to a particular date or time, but historians do know that it originated from Druidic and Celtic traditions and dances. DanceUS.org states that another form of dance, the Quadrille, may have heavily influenced Irish step dancing as well. "The Quadrille was popular across Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries when royalty held balls and cotillions," reports the website. 

Traditional Irish dances contain traditional music, which is made with instruments such as the Irish Bodhran (drum), Celtic harp, concertina, accordion, fiddle, Uiliean pipes, tin whistles, and banjos. While in the past, dancers may have worn long skirts and blouses, today's modern Irish dancing allows for bright colors and short skirts that accentuate the leg movements of this dance. As we can see from the video below, modern Irish dancing is riveting, to say the least!

What do you think about the bride joining in with this performance? Have you ever seen a wedding dance like it? Tell us your thoughts, and share this with anyone who loves a good wedding dance.