Irish dancer Emer Walsh on starring in the new Wicked film and touring with Kelly Rowland
The only female Irish dancer to feature in the upcoming Wicked movie starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, Sarah Finnan sat down with Emer Walsh ahead of the film’s release to find out what life on set was really like.
Originally from Bray (home to other Irish talents like Laura Whitmore, Dara Ó Briain, Hozier and Katie Taylor), Emer Walsh has done it all throughout her career – from working as a dancer to moving her way up the ladder to assistant, choreographer and later, creative director.
During that time, she’s built up an incredibly impressive portfolio of work and has collaborated with just about every big name you can think of, including—but not limited to—global artists like Kelly Rowland, The Black Eyed Peas, Sugababes and Take That. She’s also choreographed for shows such as Eurovision, The Voice, The X Factor, So You Think You Can Dance and more… hers is quite the CV, I think you’ll agree.
This past summer, she teamed up with Dublin singer and performer Jazzy – who surpassed some of the biggest names in music to become the most popular Irish female artist in the world on Spotify. “That’s something I’m really proud of,” says Emer. “I’d love to provide more opportunities for Irish dancers here. It was one of the reasons I left the UK – I felt like there wasn’t enough to do. So to get to work with Jazzy, who’s an Irish artist, and to provide Irish choreography, and to do that with Irish dancers is incredible. I’d love to be able to continue to do that, and to share what I’ve learned over the years with other dancers so that they can be better and have better opportunities.”
Originally studying law at UCD, dancing was always of interest to Emer, though not something she pursued professionally until after university. “My mom was, and still is, very keen on education, so she was always like, ‘You can do whatever you want, but you’re going to get a degree first’. That was kind of the rhetoric in our house, so off I went to get my law degree. But it was kind of a now-or-never situation. I knew that if could be old and grey and still be a lawyer but if I wanted to dance, I needed to get my butt in gear.” And that she did, using every summer to go to New York on a J1 where she would work and do dance classes and perfect her craft. “I was always just drawn to dancing. I don’t even really know why.”
When she was younger, that passion was fuelled by the likes of Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Britney and Beyoncé with Emer learning specific routines by rewatching VHS tapes (the good old days) in her free time.“I did ballet-jazz classes where you wore a leotard and had your hair in plaits. Then when I was about 18, I went into Dublin and took a hip-hop class by Anne and Paula. People kind of know them in the Dublin scene. They were actually the two girls in the original Maniac music video! That was my first hip-hop class. It was the jump between dancing to 1970s music, and then dancing to a song you knew. And that was it for me.”
Completely hooked, Emer moved to the UK where worked on big dance shows and with some of the most famous names in pop. Dancing in a Robbie Williams video was a real peak as was touring with Kelly Rowland. “Working with Kelly was a massive career highlight for me. I worked with her for two years, she gave me opportunities to choreograph, I got to see the world, and she gave me a lot of confidence in myself and in my figure. That sounds like a weird thing to say but she gave me a lot of body confidence. She was a great boss, really caring and fun.”
Most recently, Emer just wrapped on a huge dance number for the upcoming Wicked film – her first gig as a dancer since 2017. “I pretty much had hung up my shoes, because I feel that I’m better at choreography. It suits my brain better – there are more things to do and look at and figure out. But it was nice to be a dancer on Wicked. For once, I had no responsibility at all. I just had to look after myself and make sure that I looked cute! It was lovely to be able to remember that’s who I am and who I was, to begin with.”
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Part of an ensemble cast for the One Short Day musical scene, Emer was lucky enough to work with both Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the film’s two leads. “The scene is spectacular and the sets are just overwhelmingly large. In part of the scene, Ariana and Cynthia ended up standing very close to where I was set – we re-set that shot maybe six to 27 times in the day and each time we re-set, Ariana would cheer and wave and smile. There was just joy flowing off her person. They both just seemed to be in really good spirits.”
In the past, Walsh has had just 15 minutes to learn a routine. Thankfully that was not the case this time around and she was in rehearsals for around six days. “We had a decent amount of rehearsal but, as always, things change on the day, and you still have to be able to think on your feet. It’s not for the faint-hearted. Movies are hard work. They’re not short days by any means, but they’re also really special.”
However, despite having now worked on the sets of two different films (as a dancer in Wicked and as a choreographer for Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), Emer admits that it wasn’t something she ever had on her radar. “Obviously being in a film is something I dreamt of because I love movie musicals – I’d drink them through a straw – but I never thought, ‘Oh, I’ll be in a movie one day’, probably because it didn’t seem realistic. It was more, maybe I’ll be in a music video, or maybe I’ll perform for an artist, or maybe I’ll do really crappy corporate gigs in the back of a tent somewhere. You gotta just take your take your chances and hope for the best!.”
Now happily settled in Wicklow with her partner and four-year-old son, Emer keeps busy teaching kids’ dance classes at Bray Commercial Dance, with adult classes kicking off at the end of November. “I love teaching beginners, it’s so much fun” she enthuses. That said, there’s a big difference between teaching children and teaching adults. “Fear is a big thing. I think sometimes people in Ireland get to 30 and they think they can’t have hobbies anymore. Usually, I’ll just try and get people moving by doing easy steps. Once the endorphins start to kick in and your blood starts pumping, people are a little less fearful. And then it’s just about retaining information. Like anything else, the more you do it, the easier it becomes.”
Does she think anyone can dance? Well, yes, she really does. “Is everyone cut out to be a professional? Maybe not, but anybody can dance, and anybody can learn. There’s so much joy involved in just dancing for the fun of it without having a goal to achieve. People often come to my classes and say, ‘Oh I used to dance when I was small but then I stopped’, and you can see how much they love it. Everyone’s smiling and having fun. It’s really lovely to build that sense of community back up, especially for women, because we’re so busy doing everything for everybody else but taking time for yourself is so important. I’ve started bringing my son with me too. Dancing has been part of my life for 20 years so it’s lovely to introduce him to it as well. He actually said to me this week, ‘Well, you don’t work. You play.’ And yes, I do. God, shouldn’t we be so lucky to play for work?”
As for her who she’d most like to work with next? Well, that would be Beyoncé, obviously… though Walsh thinks the prospects of that happening are “slightly far-fetched at this point” (I disagree). “She has been a huge inspiration for me my whole career long and I still think she’s just such a powerhouse.” Here’s hoping Queen B reads IMAGE.ie.
Wicked opens in Irish cinemas on November 22 and you can watch the trailer below.
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