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Dance partners for the Austin Stacks GAA ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ Mary O’Donnell and Richard Walsh. Photo O’Connor.
Our Beauty Columnist, Mary O’Donnell, is taking part in this year’s Austin Stacks Strictly Come Dancing, which takes place in the Dome on August 23. Here she keeps us informed on her progress…
THE ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ launch was great fun last Saturday. It started in FAS where we were treated to make-up application and hair styles.
The whole experience was very professional from start to finish. Firstly, I was asked what my dance theme was and they said images of styles to choose from for the night would be sent to me.
Next it was lights, camera, action for our video clip. Paul Dolan and Niamh Blanche recorded all the couples talking about their dance style, music, sponsors and nominated charities.
On the night in the Dome, this clip will be played before we dance. After FAS, it was off to the Austin Stacks club for the party, where we saw all last year’s contestants dance on video.
This made it all too real as the standard was sky high. It was a great night as all the couples got to meet up and talk about their progress.
Francie Breen did a great job as DJ for the night while Aidan O’Connor thanked all involved and wished us luck on our journey.
Continued below…
Speaking of which, in one part of the dance, I’m supposed to fall backwards and my partner Richard Walsh catches me. Of course, I’m a scaredy cat and I refuse to go back too far.
So our choreographer, Jackie O’Mahony, calls me aside and tells me that Richard would never drop me, to trust him and just fall back. I’m still a bit wary as I was just after getting my hair done for going out and had loads of serum in it.
So I went for the big fall, the hair was too slippy and, you guessed it, down I went like a sack of spuds. Trust issues are back again.
The outfits are a big part of the night and Karyn Moriarty is making ours. She has great ideas and will be on hand on the night to dress us. The sale of hot pants is about to go up in Penney’s as the all the ladies need to have them sewn into their dresses for the twists and turns!
All of this has opened up a whole new world for me. Jackie told us we were doing a ‘throw’. Now as far as I knew, a throw was something at the end of a bed but no – the throw is me.
The fitness is coming along nicely and Joe O’Conner added an exercise called a ‘Turkish get up’. I now know why it is called this as the next day, I could not get up.
Paola is working on the latin moves and is spending a lot of time laughing with me at my attempts as they certainly are not coming naturally.
So next week is where the ante is upped, one hour on our own dance, one hour on group dance and practice what we learn – madness I tell you but great fun.
• Next week: The first group dance.
