While scrolling through Instagram recently, I came across a pair of Irish dancers my son and I often enjoy watching together. To my surprise, I learned they’re currently touring with Beyoncé. Yes—Beyoncé. Something about that moment brought me straight back to my 13-year-old self: completely absorbed in Riverdance, dreaming of becoming a professional Irish dancer, and feeling inspired by the way Irish dance embraced other cultures. I was flooded with joy watching these dancers perform—living the kind of dream I once imagined for myself.
(For the record, that dream didn’t happen. I became a psychotherapist—and later, founded Refresh.)
But alongside that joy came something else. I also remembered the strain Irish dance placed on my mental health. I remembered teachers yelling at us, weighing dancers in front of the entire class and telling some how much they needed to lose before the Oireachtas. I remembered the guilt for not placing at a feis—or in my case, skipping one altogether because I had another commitment, and the criticism that followed.
So when my neurodivergent son showed interest in Irish dance at age three, I was careful about the environment I chose. Many schools turned him away because of his gender, age, or neurodivergence. I found a teacher who welcomed him exactly as he was—no yelling, no shame, no rigid expectations. Her school emphasizes joy, inclusion, and encouragement.
Morgan Bullock, star of Riverdance and Beyonce dancer, poses with my son at his Irish dance class.
That Instagram moment sparked more than nostalgia. It led me to reflect on what it means to process a dance history that, for many adults, is emotionally complicated. I work with high-achieving adults every day—people who, like me, often revisit childhood passions only to uncover both joy and injury.
So what does it mean to care for your mental health as an adult with a history in competitive dance?
What Irish Dance Can Teach Us About Mental Health
As adults, many of us carry childhood experiences that were both beautiful and bruising. Irish dance was one of those for me. Returning to it—even just as a spectator—has become an unexpected window into understanding myself more deeply.
If you’re beginning to reflect on the intensity of your own childhood passions—whether in dance, academics, athletics, or another performance-based environment—therapy can help you explore how those early structures shaped your current patterns.
Written by: Keeley Teemsma, LCSW, MA
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