“What’s a talent wasted?”

This question is posed by a parent in JIG. Specifically, it’s posed by a woman whose daughter has the potential to be a world champion Irish dancer. What she asks, is what good is it to know that someone is gifted and not do everything you can to nurture that gift. And by “everything” we’re talking about giving up many nights and weekends to run back and forth to practice, along with thousands of dollars spent on travel and costumes. In some cases we’re even talking about uprooting the entire family and moving halfway around the world. All in the name of talent.

It’s a scenario that has applied itself to virtuoso musicians, phenom athletes, and gifted academics. In JIG, it all applies to Irish dancers and focuses not only on the parents and coaches of these boys and girls, but on the dancers themselves and their mindset as they prepare for the Irish Dancing World Championships in Glasgow.

It plays like SPELLBOUND but with a lot more curly wigs.

The film combines some glorious photography, a lot of cheeky humour, and a boatload of amazing dancing as it takes us on the road to Glasgow. We are patiently introduced to a lot of the competitors and given a true sense of the amount of work it has taken them to come this far and only left to wonder what it will take to get them to the top.

What’s interesting about JIG is the way you wonder if the younger dancers especially might be sacrificing a normal childhood for their goal. For a moment or two you ask yourself if they wouldn’t rather be playing with their friends instead of getting yelled at by a coach. But what the doc shows in a very natural manner, is that these dancers aren’t doing this because they believe they have to – it’s what they want to be doing more than anything.

So much so that one young girl works her steps while she’s walking her dog, and one young boy practices his steps while he’s tending goal in a football match. It comes from a place of true joy – a place that says that if they weren’t working it to death, they’d be doing it anyway for funsies.

The passion of JIG is not to be missed.

JIG plays Hot Docs once more: Wednesday May 4th – 4:15pm at Isabel Bader Theatre