A Taste of Ireland brings Celtic Christmas to SOPAC

Photo Courtesy of Sean Higgins
The critically acclaimed ‘A Celtic Christmas’ by A Taste of Ireland features a cast of world-champion Irish dancers.

A Taste of Ireland will bring a “Celtic Christmas” to the South Orange Performing Arts Center this month.

The show, which features some of the world’s finest Irish dancers and musicians, will include Irish music, Christmas songs and a lot of dancing on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Cian Walsh, who lives in Cork, Ireland, is one of the lead dancers.

Being a professional dancer was definitely in the cards for Walsh, as his mom and dad are dance teachers with their own studio in Cork. Walsh started dancing at age 3 and loves it.

“It’s in the blood,” he said. “Who better to teach you than your mom and dad? They have 30 to 40 years teaching Irish dancing to hundreds of kids. It’s a proud moment for me to spread the Irish love.”

It was only two years ago when Walsh realized he wanted to make a career out of dance.

“One of my friends who I knew through Irish dancing was heading to New Zealand with A Taste of Ireland (the company Walsh is now employed by). He was doing a tour. I thought maybe that would be cool, doing what I love onstage and seeing the world. I was dancing competitively until I was 19 years old. Now I moved to the professional side. There’s no better feeling, getting on stage, especially in America.”

Walsh started with A Taste of Ireland as a back leg performer. Now he’s a lead dancer, though sometimes he switches to perform in the back line if his legs are getting sore. It’s common for dancers to switch up, he said.

“A little back-up to keep you healthy,” he explained. “You’d still perform in the show, but you’d perform in the back line. It’s just as intense but that little bit of rest is kind of a recovery.”

While Walsh is now reaping the benefits of all his hard work paying off, there are still challenges of being on the road.

“The main thing is eating well,” he said. “It can be tough. You jump on the bus in the morning, drive five or six hours to the next location. You don’t have a kitchen. But we definitely find ways to hydrate. Hydrating is huge. If we don’t, we’ll get injured. We look after ourselves. Warming up, stretching, jump in the ice baths after the shows. If we don’t, it can be very tough.”

The challenges are just as daunting mentally as they are physically, with sound checks, doing the show, packing up costumes, and then doing it all again the very next night. But the rewards are worth it for Walsh when he sees the audience on their feet.

A Celtic Christmas is a poor boy meets wealthy girl love story.

“You’ll be up on your feet,” Walsh said. “You’ll be laughing and crying. There’s a lot of room (in the story) for putting your own twist on things. It’s really a beautiful show.”

Walsh’s favorite part of the show is being a lead dancer.

“I get to come out and do a solo piece, acapella,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I’m a natural—I can sing a little bit.”

When Walsh isn’t on tour, he likes to relax and reset for two to three weeks. During that time, he’ll get massages and look after his legs. He also teaches with his mom at the dance school.

“It’s dancing when I get home, but a different kind,” he said. “Teaching the younger generation, show the kids if you want to make this your job that you can make this your life. It’s mind blowing and I’m really grateful.”

To get tickets for ‘A Celtic Christmas by A Taste of Ireland’ visit: https://www.sopacnow.org/events/a-celtic-christmas-2024/.