From jive classes in Coppers to bopping in the ballroom in Fethard, the dancefloors around Ireland are alive and thriving every night of the week.
Everyone is welcome, regardless of ability, age, shape or size, and dancing has long been a beloved pastime among Irish people - whether it's a sensual tango, shimmying along to the radio, or simply rockin' the boat at your cousin's 21st.
Dancing can be more than just keeping fit or shaking off a busy week – it can be where love stories begin, an escape from grief, or a way to keep old memories alive.
In Secrets from the Dancefloor, RTÉ's new series, our passion for dancing is explored as we meet those who can't live without it and offer insight into what makes people dance.
We'll meet Kilkenny based,103-year-old, James McManus who loves to tango, and has no plans of stopping. "The day I do that, I’ll be in a coffin" he laughs. He reminisces on dancing through life with his beloved Patsy, and his time spent in the British Army during World War II.
Proving that people of all ages can find something in dance, Wicklow teenager, Freya Roche, is enamoured with ballroom dancing, saying: "I don’t know what my life would be without it, it’s made me so confident and outgoing". Freya defied her dyspraxia diagnosis, which affects her co-ordination, to become the All-Ireland Ballroom Dancing Champion last year.
Over the course of the programme, we'll follow along with Freya as she dances to retain the title for 2023.
As for Rebecca Harte and Eoin Sexton from Cavan, they met and fell in love at jive classes. They are busy preparing their home for the arrival of their very own tiny dancer, as well as planning a wedding and the all-important first dance.
Ethnochoreologist, Orfhlaith Ni Bhriain, from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, Desmond O’Neil, Professor of Medical Gerontology, and Loraine Barry, one of Ireland’s most successful ballroom dancers and Dancing with the Stars judge, all give their expert opinion on what it is about dancing that makes it so appealing.
Speaking about the programme, series producer, Darragh Byrne said: "The 'Secrets’ world brings audiences behind the scenes of familiar areas of Irish life and puts the viewer into the shoes of some remarkable people. With an access-all-areas approach, these are stories we can all relate to but which still have the power to surprise by allowing viewers into the sometimes-private thoughts of often unsung everyday heroes."
Secrets from the Dancefloor start on Monday October 2 at 9:35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
