RIVERDANCE

'''Riverdance''' is a theatrical show consisting of traditional Irish step dancing, notable for its rapid leg movements while body and arms are kept largely stationary.

Contents

History

Cultural impact

See also

External links

History

''Riverdance'' was first performed during the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest on April 30. This first performance featured Irish Dancing Champion Jean Butler, Michael Flatley and the Celtic choral group Anúna with a score written by Bill Whelan. Flatley choreographed for himself and the troupe and Jean Butler choreographed her solo. Many of the dance troupe featured in this performance subsequently went on to dance principal roles in later productions of "Riverdance the Show".
In November 1994, tickets were sold in Dublin for the first full-length show of ''Riverdance'', which opened at the Point Theatre on February 9, 1995. The show ran for five weeks and was a sell-out.
Michael Flatley left the show reportedly over creative differences with the producers before the show's first run in London. Irish dancer Colin Dunne stepped into the role of lead dancer and went on to perform in subsequent productions before leaving the show in 1998.
After successful runs in other cities in Europe, Riverdance traveled to New York City to perform at the legendary Radio City Music Hall in March 1996. This was the first time the show was performed in America. To the relief of the producers, the show was a success. Anúna left the show in September of that year.
''Riverdance'' continues to be performed all over the world, albeit in a diminished format and in smaller venues than hitherto. Current productions are geared towards smaller theatres, whereas past productions have been performed in large theatres and arenas. Thus, sets have been simplified and some numbers contain fewer performers than in past productions (such as those seen on the Live from Radio City and Live from Arena Geneva DVD's). For example, current touring productions of the show have 20 dancers in the finale, Heartland, where as 24 were used in the original Dublin show and 32 were used in the arena shows. Each production company is named after an Irish river. Currently performing companies are the Boyne (touring in North America), Corrib (in Europe), and Foyle (in Ireland).

Cultural impact

''Riverdance's'' appeal was such that the arts of Ireland were made globally popular in a very short time. Dancing school enrollments skyrocketed, Irish sessions found their numbers swelling with new musicians wishing to take part, and interest in Irish arts rose to an all time high.
However, many artists found that what was wanted by much of the new audience was not the traditions from which ''Riverdance'' was derived, but more spectacle after the fashion of the original stage show, or even direct imitations of the show's Bill Whelan tunes and hybrid-form dance numbers.
Overall, the general feeling of the Irish traditional arts communities seems to be that ''Riverdance'' was an enjoyable piece of Broadway-style theatre that did an extremely good job of popularizing Irish culture and arts worldwide. At the very least, Riverdance brought a great deal of needed funds to the Irish cultural and arts communities worldwide.

See also

★ Music of Ireland

External links

★ Official website