Jig: Movie Review

Jig: Movie Review

Jig
Rating: 6/10

Cast: Brogan McKay, Julia O'Rourke, John Whitehurst, Joe Bitter, Various competitive mums

Director: Sue Bourne
Irish Dancing sounds like an odd idea for a doco - but you'd be surprised to realise just how prevalent the sport is.
This doco from Sue Bourne takes to the highly competitive world of the jig, a multi generational sport which has everyone competing - both on and off the mat.
Choosing to follow rivalries, Bourne's piece takes a look at what motivates the young children to follow Michael Flatley's lead. There's little need really to explore what it is which gives them the push; most of the kids have the desire to win the world championships and their parents back them all the way.
By letting the kids narrate most of the doco and following them (as well as occasionally catching up with the parents), Bourne's doco has a disarming charm and is beautifully shot.
There are plenty of shots of practice dancing and a whole heap of shots of the young girls wearing the Irish dancing equivalent of Big Fat Gypsy Wedding outfits as they prance around in make up, wigs and expensive costumes.
You get the views of parents who give up all their wages to ensure the kids can take part, kids who're friends with their rivals first and teens who've resisted the call of their peers to take part in "normal" pursuits like going out partying and drinking. And yet, there's a feeling that this doco goes on a little bit longer than it should.

Sure, the dancing's incredible but there are few moments of real insight. When Bourne concentrates her camera on the parents watching and you see them moving while their kids dance for 2 minutes at most, that's when you really appreciate how much everyone's invested in this. Sadly though, there aren't enough moments like that throughout - and while there's a degree of contagion from the kids' enthusiasm, it's not unfortunately not enough to want to see this on the big screen.