Fresh from dazzling at the BRIT Awards, Irish choreographer Maureen Moores returns to home turf this week, joining acclaimed singer-songwriter Raye for a high-energy show at Dublin's 3Arena.
At 34, Moores is as grounded as she is gifted. Her Instagram might be a swoon-worthy peek into fashion and style, but it’s her determination and authenticity that truly shine. Her path back to dance wasn’t straightforward. Years ago, the Dubliner gave up the stage for youth work, supporting churches and clubs with the Prince's Trust in London.
"I used to dance - that was my thing - then I got into youth work. I loved it, but I kind of gave up dance, and with it, my creativity. It’s sad thinking about it. But that’s not the case anymore," she tells RTÉ Entertainment.
Fate intervened years later when chart-topping sensation Raye, a friend from the same youth group, reached out in search of a new choreographer. "I hadn’t spoken to her in about seven years. She asked, 'Hey, do you still dance?’ I said I don’t, but I’d help. Then we got on a call, and it just clicked," Moores explains.
Even when the set threw curveballs like playback cues she’d never seen Moores rolled with it. "I was winging it, but it ended up amazing," she says. That spark reignited her creative drive, leading her into fashion, content creation, and eventually a standout performance at Glastonbury Festival last year. Since then, things have been moving fast - and in the right direction.
Moores, who once entered Britain's Got Talent as part of a duo and has worked with dance powerhouse Diversity, says she’s a huge believer in signs.
"No word of a lie," she laughs. "I was chatting to Fadila [her good friend, hype woman, and director at Halesound Management] the day before. We’re both Christian, so we pray together. I said, 'I don’t know what it is, but I feel something pulling me to be creative again.’ And then, the next day, I hear from Raye. It was wild!"
Looking back, Moores says she wouldn’t have been ready for a gig of this scale when she was dancing years ago. "I’d never done anything this big. Back then, I would’ve spent too much time trying to prove myself. Now? My attitude is different: I’m here to help. If I do a good job, brilliant. If not…well, I gave it my all," she explains with a grin.
The ever-humble Moores said the important lesson she learned when Raye reached out to her was that if you always stay true to yourself, "you'll impact the right people".
The vibe of the iconic, viral Where Is My Husband choreography is fierce, sassy, and unapologetically confident. But how did Moores bring those moves to life?
"Raye is exactly the kind of artist I love working with; she's insanely talented and knows exactly what she wants," she says. "My job is to see it in her and pull it out, rather than just handing her my idea and calling it done. With that dance, the moves came alive from a mix of Raye's energy and the spark of her dancers."
So what can we expect from Raye's upcoming Dublin gig? "Oh, it’s huge. It’s unbelievable," Moores says, lighting up. "She’s insanely talented and so is her team. One of her brass players is literally one of the best in the world. He’ll go to New York and people will be like, 'Wow, that’s James Copus!’"
"The show is unreal. The album is art and the show takes you on a full journey. You'll cry, you’ll laugh, you’ll rave, you’ll have a little dance. It’s just so good!"
She adds with a laugh, "Side note: I’ve done music videos with her and loads of live shows, all with totally different themes, and the one thing everyone always says is, ‘Isn’t she so lovely? Isn’t her team amazing?’ And that’s not always the case with artists! They’re genuinely the nicest, most down-to-earth people."
Moores is back in Dublin after fifteen years in London, and she's full of pride. "This year hit me out of nowhere. I’m just so proud to be Irish! I’m amazed by Irish talent, and honestly, I think Irish people are the best," she says.
Reflecting on her remarkable career, the wonderfully self-deprecating Moores admits: "After all these years, I finally thought, 'Yeah, Maureen, you did do some good stuff. You’re good, and you didn’t give up.’ Part of your brain always thinks, ‘Did I fail a little?’ But now I’m like - nope! I just put things down for a while, and at the right moment, it all came back up again."
It turns out Maureen Moores didn't miss a step, she was simply waiting for the perfect beat to drop.
Raye will play Dublin's 3Arena on 4 and 5 March.
For more music news click here
