Dancing to a different tune: Tourism Ireland stages first Irish – Emirati Dance to celebrate St. Patrick's Day 2014

– 30 Al Ayallah dancers and students from the Victoria International School of Sharjah join Dubai – based Irish dancers for Burj Al Arab ‘Global Greenings’ event

17 March 2014: Setting the tempo for UAE St. Patrick’s Day festivities this year, Tourism Ireland staged its first ever Irish – Emirati dance exchange in Dubai in front of the world famous Burj Al Arab hotel, as part of its annual ‘Global Greenings’ festivities.

More than 30 traditional Al Ayallah dancers, ranging from 15 to 72 years old, and local school children from the Victoria International School of Sharjah (VISS), performed the UAE’s national dance in the stunning night-time setting of the Burj Al Arab hotel. Joining them were traditional Irish dance students, who clicked and grapevined as the Burj Al Arab lit up in brilliant, emerald green once again on St. Patrick’s Day, as part of the global greening of significant world landmarks.

The Irish dancers performed a capella to the acoustic drum beat of the Al Ayallah dancers, in a unique take on the traditional Irish jig. The students, who are aged between 14 and 16 years old from Siobhan Kilalea’s Irish dance school in Dubai, tapped and shuffled to the sways and chants of the Emiratis in a remarkable, first-of-kind performance. The mash-up of traditional Irish and Emirati dance styles wowed spectators, coming together in a surprisingly harmonious fit with the fast-paced rhythm of the Irish dancers’ hard shoes accenting the steady, mellow beats of the Emirati drummers.

“Tourism Ireland is privileged to be able to ‘green up’ some of the world’s most distinctive landmarks each year on St. Patrick’s Day,” Amanda Burns, General Manager of Tourism Ireland’s Asia Hub, said. “The greening of the Burj Al Arab hotel serves a valuable purpose in promoting Irish culture here in the UAE and, importantly, in celebrating the deep-rooted cultural links and friendship between the two countries.

“The celebratory mood of Dubai and the UAE since its Expo 2020 win late last year still lingers, and what better way to celebrate than through dance? The first ever Irish – Emirati dance exchange recognises that through inviting local dancers from ages young and old to learn more about Ireland’s national dance, and vice versa.”

The visual spectacle introduced Irish dance to students studying at the Victoria International School of Sharjah, aged 11 – 12 years old, for the first time, who had been busy perfecting their distinctive hair dance, unique to female dancers from the Gulf region, in the run up to the event.

“Two of the values of the Victoria International School of Sharjah are excellence and diversity so it was wonderful for our students to have an opportunity to see these in action through their participation in this event. They enjoyed both the opportunity to perform a traditional dance before a larger audience and the opportunity to see and mingle with dancers from different cultures," said VISS Principal Dr Roderick Crouch.

Gerald Lawless, President and Group CEO of Jumeirah Group, which owns and operates the luxury hotel, said:

“We are delighted that Burj Al Arab has been selected as the symbol of Dubai as part of the global greening of significant landmarks around the world in celebration of St Patrick’s Day. Being part of a worldwide celebration is very important to the hotel, as is being the backdrop to a moving expression of friendship between the UAE and Ireland.”

This year marks the fourth year that the Burj Al Arab has gone green for St. Patrick’s Day, alongside some of the world’s most famous landmarks, including the Pyramids of Giza, the Las Vegas Welcome Sign, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and, new for this year, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Treasury in Petra, Jordan.