When it comes to choreographing their viral Irish dance routines, the rules merely exist to be broken for The Gardiner Brothers. Professional dancers and content creators, Michael and Matthew Gardiner, 29 and 26, hold five world championship titles between them and have both performed the principal role in Riverdance, but they can just as easily incorporate disco arms into an Irish jig as they can perform traditional steps with a poker-straight posture.
Born in Denver, CO, to Irish parents before moving to Galway, Ireland, in 2006, the pair have grown a devoted social media following of 3.6 million on TikTok and 1.7 million on Instagram thanks to their popular Irish dance routines to trending songs by Beyoncé, Queen, and even the Wicked soundtrack. “Our real goal and vision was to show Irish dancing to modern music,” says Michael.
Dance Spirit spoke to the tap-dancing duo about how they are merging Irish dance with other performance styles, why they want to push the traditional dance form forward, and what to expect from their brand-new, upcoming stage show.
Why does Irish dancing have viral appeal?
Michael: It’s definitely something about the rhythm—that’s what caught both of us as little kids—and also the form of the Irish dancer. There’s something beautiful about the foot placement and the rhythm. It’s kind of like, ‘How are they doing that?,’ because the speed is just outrageous. For people who don’t know Irish dancing, it’s a little bit hypnotic.
How did you find the process of breaking the traditional rules by using your arms?
Matthew: Our vision was just to show how modern, athletic, and versatile Irish dancing can be. We also drew inspiration from places like Riverdance, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, and other dancers online that are in a different genre, like hip hop. We just wanted to keep pushing the boundaries of Irish dance—hold on to the tradition from the past, but innovate it for the future and see where we can take it.
What’s it been like to see Irish dancing boom in popularity on social media and become more integrated into the wider dance culture?
Michael: It is amazing to see, and really refreshing. When Riverdance was created in 1994, that was an explosion for Irish dancing. But I think in the pandemic in 2020 it took another step, and we’re very proud to be a part of that. It’s great to see other people not being afraid to explore with their Irish dancing. The sky’s the limit and hopefully it keeps going.
How do you find working alongside your brother? Are there ever any spats?
Matthew: If there are, it’s usually because we’re hungry and tired, or we haven’t got enough sleep. It definitely helps us that we’re brothers because we have that synchronicity, we have a very similar style of dance. It might not have worked as well for us if we were different heights, but we’re very similar. We’re always asked if we’re twins.
What do you look for in the songs you choose to dance to?
Michael: We do love disco songs, like ABBA or the Bee Gees. Those classics do really well for us online, maybe even a little bit more than the very modern ones. We just love creating and choreographing to any song and seeing what we come up with. It’s good for our mind and keeps us fit, mentally and physically. We love exploring with our dancing.
Do you have a favorite TikTok routine that you’ve filmed?
Matthew: The first one that comes to my mind is “Tulsa Time.” We flew over to perform at an event at the University of Tulsa, and they had an Irish theme. We just fell in love with the choreography that we came up with, and the music was amazing. That was a special one for us.
You’re about to launch a brand-new professional show together, Unleashed. What can people expect?
Michael: We’ve always been good friends with the [Scottish folk band] Talisk. They’re pushing the boundaries of traditional Irish and Scottish music, and we’re pushing the boundaries of Irish dancing, and I think the marriage of that is going to be special—we’re unleashing tradition. It’s going to be an amazing experience of tradition, innovation, emotion, and huge energy.
Editor’s note: Tour dates for Unleashed are being rescheduled as of February 19, 2025.
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