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Unexpected Visit from Gardiner Brothers at Schenectady Irish Dance Camp

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Updated:
Kiara Thomas
By Kiara Thomas
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Unexpected Visit from Gardiner Brothers at Schenectady Irish Dance Camp
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SCHENECTADY​ — The global phenomenon of short-form video content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram‍ has not left the Irish dance community ⁤untouched. Over‌ the past eight years, these platforms have revolutionized the​ way we consume⁢ entertainment, and⁤ the ‌Irish dance community has ‍been riding this wave of change.

Last ‌week, the significance of these platforms to the dance community​ was underscored when renowned Irish dancers, the Gardiner Brothers,⁤ visited a dance camp at ​Union College. They choreographed,‍ filmed, and posted ⁤a dance routine to‍ Abba’s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” on social media. By⁤ Saturday afternoon, ⁢the⁣ 75-second ⁣video had garnered 1.2⁣ million⁢ views on Instagram and⁢ 1.8 million on TikTok.

The Gardiner Brothers’‌ visit to Union from July⁣ 19-21 was part⁤ of Camp Rince Ceol’s pop-up​ workshop weekend series, marking the camp’s 25th anniversary. The dance camp also welcomed world champion Irish dancers Tyler Schwartz and David Geaney for a workshop in mid-July.

Michael​ and Matthew Gardiner, the Irish-American professional dancers and social media influencers, have⁤ won over 40 major Irish dancing championship titles between them. They have also‍ amassed a following of over 1.6 million on Instagram and‍ 3.4 ⁣million on TikTok.

According to Camp Rince Ceol co-director Tony Davoren, the aim of the Gardiner Brothers’ visit was to teach‍ the kids some exciting choreography and give them a glimpse into the process ⁣of staging, filming, ​editing, and posting a viral‌ dance video.

“We wanted this to be an inward look at what it takes to create these amazing Irish dance videos​ that captivate audiences worldwide,” Davoren said.

The video ⁣featured about 75 kids, aged between ‌7 to​ 18, dancing⁤ in and out of the video alongside the Gardiner Brothers to⁤ Abba’s 1979 disco hit. The video blended disco moves with traditional Irish steps,​ as the dancers grooved in sunglasses and⁤ vibrant clothing⁣ outside of Union’s iconic Nott ⁣Memorial.

Bryggen Robertson, a 10-year-old from ⁢Wilmington, Delaware, participated in the Gardiner Brothers’ workshop ⁤in mid-July.

Robertson expressed her thrill at learning ⁣the choreography from the Gardiner Brothers, and then experiencing the filming and editing⁣ process for the video.

“They​ taught [us] a complete routine and then they showed us how to edit the routine, add special effects to it, and then post it,”⁤ Robertson⁣ said.

The‌ Daily Gazette was unable to ‌reach ‌the‍ Gardiner Brothers for comment.

Davoren,⁣ along with his wife and co-director of the camp⁤ Sheila Ryan, are big fans of the Gardiner Brothers. They had ⁤been trying to arrange ‌a visit ⁤from the ⁢brothers to the camp for five or ⁢six years, Davoren‌ said, so they were ‌thrilled that the workshop happened ⁣this summer.

“It was extraordinary to ​witness that level of talent and⁤ see ‌how kind and‌ caring they⁤ were with these kids,” Davoren said. “And how much time and effort they invested in the three days they spent with [the kids]. It was ​truly heartwarming to see.”

After​ their‍ brief visit to Schenectady, the Gardiner Brothers jetted⁤ off to Abu Dhabi, United Arab ⁣Emirates, to film ⁣a sponsored video with ​Experience‍ Abu‌ Dhabi.

Besides‍ the weekend workshops ​with the Gardiner ‌Brothers and Schwartz and Geaney, Camp‌ Rince⁤ Ceol hosted 671 dancers this summer across its three ​camp locations in Santa Barbara, California, Notre Dame, Indiana, and Schenectady. The⁢ Schenectady ⁤site is the largest of​ the three, with three week-long sessions‌ during the month of July, each ⁤week hosting about 160 campers.

“It’s a well-oiled machine,” Davoren said of managing the three⁢ camps across the country each ‌summer. “We just have to plan it correctly and we can pull it off and it‍ works great.”

Davoren and Ryan, both former performers ‌on ​the famous Irish​ show ‌”Riverdance,” settled down in Louisiana in the late ‍1990s. It was then that Ryan came up with⁢ the idea for an Irish dance ⁢camp.

“We were the pioneers. We ⁢conceived the idea of an⁤ Irish dance summer camp back in 2000,” Davoren ⁢explained.

The couple initially launched the camp at a location in East Durham in Greene County in 2000. They moved​ north ⁤to Union College ⁤for the summer of 2005,‌ and have remained at the Union location ever⁣ since.

According to Davoren, he and Ryan decided to open locations in ⁤California, in 2004, ‍and Indiana, in 2021, in response to requests from ‌dancers in those⁢ regions for camps closer to them. However, the‌ New York Camp is significantly larger than the other two, with​ more weeks and more campers⁤ each week, due to the ‌strong Irish dance culture on the East Coast, Davoren said.

The Union College⁢ location attracts dancers from across the country, and even around the world, each summer — from as far as Mexico, Australia, and Saudi Arabia.

One of the camp’s main attractions for‍ dancers and their⁢ parents is the high-quality instructors that Davoren and Ryan bring in each year. Each camp ​session features 9 to 10 professional ⁢dancers as instructors, who help ​the campers refine their basic ⁢dance steps ‍and teach them choreography.

“We have instructors approaching‌ us now,” Davoren said. “We’re known in the​ Irish dance world. We treat⁣ our staff very well, we pay‍ them well, it’s a very fun environment.”

Joe ⁣Harrison, a professional Irish dancer who has toured with about ten shows, including “Lord⁢ of the Dance” and ‍”Riverdance,” returned to Camp Rince Ceol⁣ this year for his fifth summer as an instructor.

Harrison, who ⁤attended the camp as ⁢a child, described how influential it​ has​ been for him as both a camper and an​ instructor. “Sheila [Ryan] puts it⁢ best:⁣ ‘you don’t ‌know how special it is until you ⁤are a part of it.’ But truly, it is the most special place that I have ever been,” Harrison said. “The atmosphere is always so ‍welcoming. Everyone shares a love for Irish‍ dance.”

Throughout the day, Harrison ‌and the other instructors teach both general‍ Irish dance classes, focused on technique and stamina, ⁣to the campers, along with more specific “bonus classes” on⁤ jumps, core engagement, rhythm and ‌timing, or ‌strength ‍and flexibility.​ In addition to daily classes, campers work throughout the week with two⁤ professional choreographers on an all-camp modern dance.

When the kids aren’t busy learning choreography and improving their dance steps, Davoren said, they ⁤are engaged in other “typical American summer camp” activities, such as a campfire sing-a-long, trivia night, slip and slides, and a soccer tournament.

Robertson, who also attended⁢ a⁣ week-long camp session prior⁢ to​ the Gardiner Brothers’ workshop, described her favorite part of ​the camp as the sense of community it fostered among dancers from different places. “We didn’t really talk about⁤ competition stuff,” Robertson ⁤said. “We just danced there. It didn’t matter what level you were in. We all danced together.”

According⁣ to Davoren, the ‌collaborative environment that Robertson described is exactly what he and⁣ his wife strive‌ to create at the camp.

“Our goal from the⁣ very beginning was ⁣to create a non-competitive environment for kids who love ‍Irish ​dance — very simple,” he said.

Since Camp Rince Ceol emerged as the first Irish dance summer camp in 2000, several​ other Irish dance camps have ‍sprung up across the country, including the rival Riverdance Summer School in Boston. However, Harrison believes⁢ that Camp Rince Ceol remains the best of ‍its kind.

“We definitely sparked the creation⁢ of​ other camps,” Harrison said. “We‍ say ‍every ⁢year, it’s ‌very refreshing to come in and‌ feel the sense of community that ‍Irish ⁢dance is⁤ meant​ to foster.”

–

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Kiara Thomas
Kiara Thomas
I uncover quirky and compelling stories. Always on the lookout for the 'why' behind the 'what'.
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313 COMMENTS

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