Irish dancers under 10 years old are now forbidden to wear makeup or false eyelashes during competition but can still wear wigs. The Irish Dancing Commission’s site announced that the ban would take effect in March.
The news created major ripples in the Irish dance world where there has been considerable controversy over the increasing use of makeup on young children. Debbie Ryan, the Long Island-based parent of one former Irish dancer, told IrishCentral that she welcomed the news.
“It is good, more age appropriate. Children ten and under do not wear that stuff in the real world so why should Irish dancing be different?
“We are all worried about child pageants and forcing young girls especially to dress and act older than they are.”
Another move has been to ban carriage aids that allow dancers of all ages to keep their arms straight while dancing. To ensure the dancers aren’t wearing the aids, they will “be required to perform the simple exercise of raising their arms to shoulder level unhindered,” say the new rules.
Ban on Makeup and False Eyelashes for Irish Dancers
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