Abstract
I have always had a huge interest in dance and have been enrolled in dance classes from the age of four years old. My thesis is a series of five feature article that cover the topic of Dance in Ireland. Chapter One is a feature is looks at the Irish dancing phenomenon that is Riverdance; how it has shaped the Irish dancing world and the impact it has had on the country. Chapter Two predominantly about ballet but also features contemporary dance, it covers the fact that there are no major schools or programmes here in Ireland for dancers to further their education. This results in many of them having to travel abroad (mainly UK) to better their training.
Chapter Three covers a revolutionary new therapy called Dance Movement Therapy. This new therapy was developed to help patients suffering from depression, mental illness and Parkinson’s.
Chapter Four is about a young boy who lost his brother to a terminal illness, encephalitis and how dancing helped him cope with his loss.
Finally, Chapter Five is about the impact of dance in the media through TV and film, it deals with young people being influenced by what they see on TV. It also shows how people can be influenced by these TV shows and films (Strictly Come Dancing [TV] or Dirty Dancing [film] etc.). I balance it out by looking into the cynical idea some people have that dance is a competitive world, that mother’s push their kids too much, therefore ruining their children’s childhood.
I think my piece on Riverdance or the studying abroad article would work well in an inflight magazine, perhaps Aer Lingus’ Cara. It’s a very cultural piece and I feel it would attract readership from people coming to Ireland. My dance therapy or the dealing with terminal illness article might suit a publication like the Irish Times or Independent. And the effects of TV and film on dance would work well in, again, possibly the Independent or even a supplement magazine such as The Gloss with the Irish Times. Author keywords: Dance, dancing, dance therapy, impact of dance in the media
