Dancing has ‘saved my life’ during pandemic

DESPITE the woes of the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact on the dancing industry, Sarah McGinley feels as though it helped her reconnect with why she loves to dance.

The Old Bawn native is one of the foremost professional dancers in the industry, having performed in more than 70 countries all around the world since turning pro 12-years-ago.

Today, Sarah is living in Los Angeles and her ambitions have never faltered, working on a plethora of different projects as she continues to perfect her craft.

After working with Taylor Swift and going on a four-month tour with KPOP star KUN all around Asia, Sarah was awarded her artist visa to move to the United States.

However, shortly after making the move, Covid-19 brought a rapid halt to the dancing industry and therefore, Sarah’s work – so, she moved back home to Ireland for a brief period.

“Covid was an interesting time for dance and artists in general, and it sounds corny, but even though my work came to a halt, dance saved my life,” Sarah tells The Echo.

“I was back to dancing in my bedroom with no audience and remembering why I dance, when I didn’t know what to do or how to feel about anything in that whirlwind period.

“I would dance/create and it was reassuring to know it was my outlet that I know so many people can struggle with.

“I was back in Ireland for lovely lockdown and was lucky enough to come and teach for Dance College Ireland, Phoenix Performing Arts and a special shout out to WTA, it was amazing to work with the next generation of dancers here in Ireland.”

Having started on Zoom, it inspired Sarah seeing the next generation showing up every week to further progress their abilities – despite the barriers in place with restrictions.

Now, having returned to LA 11-months-ago, Sarah is thrilled to be back in the “dance mecca”.

“The scene here is electric,” Sarah says.

“I’m now touching shoulders and working with the choreographers of videos I used to spend hours dissecting from my room in Tallaght as a kid.

“I never get nervous around any ‘famous’ artists I work with but I absolutely fangirl and get nervous around the dance OGs I look up to and admire.

“LA is the dance mecca of the world, the atmosphere is truly inspiring, everybody here wants to push for quality and innovation with their art.

“The environment motivates me to push for what my personal best can be.”

Recently, Sarah has been working as part of the movement team with the DUBAI EXPO, a large-scale event in the middle east and finished working with a team of dancers in Todrick Hall’s Femuline World Tour.

What’s next on the agenda?

Well, Sarah is getting ready to shoot a commercial for Coachella with Kim Petras and is starting to choreograph for a new girl group in LA.

Aside from that, the former door-to-door seller of The Echo is contuing to hone her craft and teach at TMILLY TV, her current dance home in California.