This past Saturday, Fordham’s Irish dance club, Sláinte, hosted its 11th annual Irish Night, an evening celebrating Irish culture through dance and song. The performance featured original choreography from Sláinte, as well as performances from the B-Sides, the Satin Dolls, the Hot Notes and the Ramblers.
Sláinte performed nine numbers, including traditional classics like Riverdance and Lord of the Dance, as well as dances to modern songs like ROLE MODEL’s “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” and RAYE’s “Where is My Husband?”
Fordham’s a cappella groups showcased a classic Irish song, “Irish Blessing,” and the Satin Dolls sang “The Parting Glass.” The setlist also included modern hits like “Come On Eileen,” inspired by Celtic fiddle playing and addresses Irish-Catholic repression.
Sláinte has a tradition of incorporating pop culture into its performances, staying up to date and bringing Irish dance with it. This year, they performed a dance to “The Rocky Road to Dublin,” inspired by the Oscar-winning film “Sinners,” complete with a vampire hiss at the finish. Sláinte also performed the choreography they brought to Villanova University for competition. The choreography, entitled “Sláinte in the Fast Lane,” was set to Rihanna’s “Shut Up and Drive,” with Sláinte members dressed in Formula 1 jackets and sunglasses. When the dancers took their sunglasses off and placed them in their hair, the crowd went wild.
Allison Engelhart, GSB ’27, Sláinte’s marketing coordinator, shared her thoughts on the evening. “Irish night is so much fun because we get to share what we have worked so hard on all year, while also sharing an important piece of our culture. This year, having Irish night fall the week of St. Patrick’s Day felt very special, and I could feel the Irish night energy leading up to the night,” Engelhart said.
“We also get to see some of our favorite alumni back to visit, which is an extra special part of the night!” she said. As is tradition, Sláinte alumni were invited onstage to perform a short show and bring the longstanding Fordham Irish dance community together. One of the final dances, the senior dance, was titled, “Seniors… but They’re in a Boy Band” with a mashup of multiple boy band hits, including songs by Big Time Rush, One Direction, 5 Seconds of Summer and BTS.
My friends have come to the consensus that Irish Night is our favorite night of the year. Mia Juday, FCRH ‘27 attended the event and said, “The environment is super welcoming. They gave out energy drinks and programs, and everyone went crazy when the lights went out and they started dancing.” Juday added, “Everyone was dancing to the songs we knew, and we had a blast!” Juday also enjoyed the dances to modern hits, saying, “I liked the ‘Where is my Husband?’ dance, and the senior boyband dance! Those were so much fun.”
One of the greatest joys of cultural art forms is sharing them, and the atmosphere at Irish Night is electric every year. Watching the result of months of Sláinte’s hard work is awe-inspiring and always a treat.
The amount of work Sláinte’s presidents put into the event was evident, and it undoubtedly paid off. Engelhart said, “It’s a great time to send off our seniors and give them thanks for their hard work in the club — and a special shoutout to our presidents Meghan Naughton and Julia Morales because they have done so much work to prepare us for Irish night and set up this wonderful event.”
Bringing traditional cultural art forms, like Irish step dance, into modern culture demonstrates that Irish culture is alive and continues to evolve, while remaining true to its history and spirit. Watching collegiate performers combine tradition with popular culture alongside talent and dedication was a moving and exhilarating experience.
The a capella groups that performed all have upcoming shows you won’t want to miss. The Spring Teaser will include performances from the Ramblers, the Hot Notes, the B-sides, the Satin Dolls and Lincoln Center’s F-Sharps. Join Fordham’s various a capella groups on the Keating first floor on March 27.