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Family steps up for Irish heritage
Gaelic Gorman trio brings joy to audience
The Gaelic Gormans
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It was Little Miss Smiling Irish Eyes that was the lucky charm for the Gorman family.
At age 7, Catherine Gorman was hand selected for the title by the Naples St. Patrick’s Day Committee and that would be the impetus that would lead to the dance trio, the Galelic Gormans.
“There was no family history and neither of us danced,” says their mother, Cathy. “Catherine fell in love with it. She identified with the Irish culture and it set the hook for her dancing.”
So the Gaelic Gormans created their own Irish history, as Catherine has performed traditional Irish step dancing with her younger sister Claire, 15, and brother Sean, 11, for the past 10 years.
As with any form of dance, practice makes perfect, and the Gormans traveled to Miami every Saturday to study under a certified instructor at the Breffni Academy of Irish Dance.
Today, the trio practices and choreographs their own detailed routines. The performances include meticulously adorned dresses for each Gorman sister.
“All of the colors represent different things,” explains Catherine. “Black is power, red is passion, blue is royalty, green is pride, and purple is for youth.”
They’re beautiful, but heavy. The dresses weigh seven pounds, or more, depending on the design.
Then there are the competitions. The Gormans have traveled to many destinations to compete against elite Irish dancers, garnering many awards along the way.
DONN BROWN / Staff
Irish Step Dancers Catherine and Claire Gorman performed on the Naples Irish Club float during the 30th annual Naples St. Patrick's Day Parade, last month.
Levels of competition include beginner, novice and advanced. Cathy says because her children are in different age categories, they do not have to compete against each other.
For the Gorman girls, the competitions are fierce, so their hair is tightly curled to bounce in syncopation for that total Gaelic look for the competition.
“All of the girls wear wigs in the competition. The comb attaches to your head, and we use bobby pins,” Catherine explains. Noting that her wig has never slipped, she does recall a shoe that came untied in the middle of a dance. Her mom also shared some nevous moments as the trio danced on a float in the recent St. Patty’s Day Parade.
“Claire nearly took a header off the back of the float once,” she says.
Sean, who recently took up fencing, provides a comedic break for his sisters, telling Irish jokes while they take a break between shows.
Over the years, the Gaelic Gormans have performed for thousands of audiences from the St. Patty’s Day Parades and the Knights of Columbus to the Emerald Ball in Naples.They have even opened for Hal Roche, a famous Irish comedian.
“My favorite part of Irish dancing is making people smile, performing for the audience and how they enjoy watching,” says Catherine.
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