Happy Valentine's Day, Irish Dancers!

What does an Irish dancer want for Valentine's Day?

A sweet, red and pink valentine, adorned with hearts and glitter?

Or perhaps a bouquet of roses from that special someone?

Or maybe something sparkly and wrapped in a bow?

Cards, flowers, and presents are always welcome on Valentine's day, but what every Irish dancer [and non-dancers] really wants on this holiday is inherently simple. The best gift of all is LOVE! What Irish dancer hasn't dreamt about falling in love with the man [or woman] of their dreams, who also shares their passion for Irish dance? Many of us dancers are lucky enough to find love, without the side of Irish dance, but a lucky few dancers have fallen in love with someone special who shares their love for Irish dance.  Two of these unique couples that have found happiness, success, love, and marriage through Irish dance are Bernadette Flynn and Damien O'Kane, and Sheila Ryan Davoren and Tony Davoren. 

Bernadette Flynn and Damien O'Kane are one of my absolute favorite Irish dancing couples. Bernadette and Damien have toured the world together, staring as leads in Lord of the Dance. Both joined the original LOTD cast in 1996. With dozens of championship titles [Bernadette having won the World's a whopping 6 times!] and a pair of TCRGs between them, they are one of the most talented Irish dancing couples to grace the stage. On the small screen, they performed together in the 2009 NBC series, "Superstars of Dance."  In addition to their talents on stage and screen, this leading couple has inspired and coached hundreds of up-and-coming dancers as instructors at Camp Rince Ceol.  Damien and Bernie [as she's lovingly called] married in 2005. I was lucky enough meet Damien and Bernadette while working as a counselor at Camp Rince Ceol, and I just adore these two. They are a triple threat: amazingly talented, sincerely kind, and dare I say, incredibly good looking to boot! Honestly, how can you not love them? After watching these two stunning duets and heartwarming interviews, I actually might adore this couple even more than I already thought possible...

My other hands-down, favorite Irish dancing couple is Sheila Ryan Davoren and Tony Davoren [although Tony isn't technically a dancer himself]. After competing on the World Championship level with the Golden School and later earning her TCRG in 1993, Sheila was one of the first American dancers to be asked join the cast of Riverdance in 1996. Hailing from Wicklow, Ireland, Tony was one of the original musicians to tour with Riverdance and is featured on not one, but two Grammy award winning recordings ["Riverdance: The Show" and "The Long Black Veil"].  Sheila also directed and produced "Dancing at the Crossroads," an instructional ceili video. Tony, an accomplished producer, directed the video's music. His musical talents are evident in this 1996 Riverdance performance of "Oscail an Doras." [Sorry, no video of Sheila's beautiful dancing. She'll tell you herself that Tony got all the screen-time!] 

After falling head over Irish dancing heels for one another while touring with Riverdance, Tony and Sheila married in 2002. They are happily raising their three beautiful children, Roisin, Aoife, and Malachy. Tony and Sheila's successes are extensive, but they are best known in the Irish dance community for the original place "where Irish dancers spend their summers" ...Camp Rince Ceol! Tony and Sheila's camp is a labor of love. The camp allows dancers to spend their summer learning first-hand from stars of the Irish dance world in an incredibly fun, non-competitive environment that fosters true friendships. As a former camper and counselor myself, I know first hand the unique environment Tony and Sheila have created for Irish dancers. The memories and freindships created at Camp Rince Ceol are cherished by countless dancers worldwide [including me!]. Camp Rince Ceol is extraordinary, all thanks to Tony and Sheila. 

Tony and Sheila, and Bernadette and Damien are two real-life Irish dancing fairy-tale love stories. Both of these Irish dancing power-couples showcase their talents and love for Irish culture [and each other] in the instructor's showcase from Camp Rince Ceol 2011. Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day dancers! Hope it is filled with lots of love... and chocolate!

Happy Dancing

- Moira 

All of the dresses featured in this post [with the exception of Julia O'Rourke's] are currently for sale online. If you're interested in one, click the links below. 

Pink with silver hearts

Red and white hearts [Doire Dress Designs by Shauna Sheils]

Black and white with roses [Chantelle]

Black, white, and red with bows [Celtic Star]

Red and black with white roses [Elevation Designs by Gavin Doherty]: 

More than a Little White Dress

Watching Conan is not out of the ordinary for me. Conan is high-larious. I'm also quite the night owl, so he's on at the perfect time. On top of CoCo's usual comedic antics & celebrity guests, Wednesday night's episode had an extra added bonus..

Emmy Rossum walked out in a gorgeous Cynthia Rowley dress. So stunning, in fact, that my boyfriend even commented on how beautiful it was before I had a chance to say anything. [What can I say? He has good taste.] This obviously wasn't just any little white dress. I love the delicate lattice pattern, tailored bodice, and flouncy, feminine skirt. Instead of a metallic shoe, a la the Cynthia Rowley runway look, Emmy paired the dress with a vibrant cobalt shoe. Her relaxed hair and matte, red lips finished the look like a cherry atop a perfect cake. Behold...

Cynthia Rowley, Spring 2012 / Emmy Rossum on Conan 1/4/2012
This is what perfection looks like. 

Maybe I just have dance on the brain [duh], but my next thought was, "I love all white solo dresses!" I really do love a champion dancer in a white solo costume, when done right. [When done wrong, white solo costumes can border on figure skating costumes.] Maybe it's because I think white dresses are classic, feminine, and graceful. Maybe it's because my pageant friends always say, "Winners win in White." Maybe it's because Bernadette Flynn wears a stunning white lace costume as the lead in Feet of Flames during "Stolen Kiss." 

I couldn't help myself. Bernadette Flynn is too extraordinary to not show up in this post.
And in four different all white looks! 

White dresses are something special. They aren't for everyone, but whether worn by Emmy Rossum, Bernadette Flynn, or a champion dancer, the perfect little white dress can take your breath away [or my boyfriends!]. So here is my Emmy Rossum/Cynthia Rowley inspired Irish dance look. The dazzling, ethereal dress is by Doire Dress Designs. Paired with blue patent leather soft shoes [available from Fay's Irish Dancing Shoes] and red lips, this look is meant to turn heads. 

Flawless and Sparkling

Totally red carpet parade of champions worthy. 

-Moira

PS: While writing this post, something funny happened. When you type "Bernadette Flynn Stolen Kiss" into Google, this photo of Bernadette's husband, Damien O'Kane, is found. 

Damien O'Kane at Camp Rince Ceol

Finding a photo of Bernadette's hubster really isn't that weird, except... wait... who's that girl on the far right in the pink shirt? Oh yeah. It's me! This shot is from Camp Rince Ceol, where Bernadette and Damien were instructors, and I was a counselor. I'm standing next to my friend Jessie Baffa, who is currently touring with Riverdance. Caitlin Kelly, a new TCRG and dress designer [Fairy Reel Dancewear], and James Keegan, Lord of the Dance lead and former World Champion, are also in the background :) 

Moral of the story: When you google Bernadette Flynn [6 time world champion, original Lord of the Dance lead, & my favorite dancer of all time] a photo of me shows up. Coincidence? I think not.