30 years of IDO World Tap dance Championships
Seamus Byrne / Gibraltar Dancer | Teacher | Choreographer | Organizer | IDO Licensed judge | MC
Seamus started dancing at the very young of age of 3. At the age of 11 he first heard of something called the International Dance Organization He saw various National Championships been promoted in his home country with those selected competing at IDO World Championships abroad. His first very own national competition was in 1991 but it was not until 1995 when he qualified to represent Gibraltar and compete at the World Championships organised in Dunaujvaros, Hungary. Seamus recalls that IDO in his memory, were competitions in Switzerland, France,
Italy and Hungary, but then came to the capital of Dance…RIESA!! Riesa became the capital of IDO and the Olympics of Dance for all those who attended, for all IDO members and for the dance community at large. Two weeks a year, of superbly organised competitions in Show Dance and Tap, great atmosphere, great event and great friendships along the way. 2000, was the first every competition in Riesa for Seamus, where he finished as a finalist in the Adult Duet section with his colleague and IDO pioneer Aaron Caballero. In 2001, they came 3 rd and he recalls singing along the streets of Riesa with Aaron, returning from the Mercure Hotel towards Wettinerhof after the champions party and celebrating with the great Canadian National Team. He remembers Michael Wendt in 2003, when he was performing his solo ‘I have a Dream’ by Martin Luther King and Michael thought there were technical issues with the music system. As well as the annual Gibraltarian parties at the Greek restaurant…an endless list of memoirs after travelling to Riesa, nearly every year for 19 years, as a dancer, choreographer IDO international adjudicator, or as part of the IDO social media team. Seamus is very humbled and honoured for two reasons: firstly, because he achieved a lifetime ambition in 2016 when he was appointed IDO Vice-President, and secondly when Michael Wendt called him in 2018 to be the Master of Ceremonies at the World Tap Championships. The latter a very privileged position to stand alongside IDO’s greatest ambassador on the world stage, Michael Wendt…and Seamus Byrne from the tiny Rock of Gibraltar! Attending the World Tap Championships in 2018 was an incredible experience for Seamus. To be able to MC alongside Michael, promote IDO, speak in English, speaking Spanish to our Mexican friends, and the atmosphere was electrifying…in his personal opinion, the best competition he has ever attended, and looks forward to attending more Riesa competitions for many more years to come. Seamus is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Gibraltar Cultural Services, working for Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar, IDO Vice-President for Communications and IDO Ambassador for the Iberian Peninsula. He is also the founder of M.O. Productions that is a charity which organises educational cultural events for young people. He has organised many events from IDO European Dance Championships, IDO Annual General Meetings, National Championships and the annual Gibraltar International Dance Festival, now in its 20 th year. Seamus was the recipient of the 40 th anniversary, IDO Historical Award for his invaluable contribution to IDO for over a decade in the areas of public relations, social media and communications.
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