I've been an Irish dancer, on and off, for several years, but what got me started in the first place, as it did all over the world to budding Irish dancers, was THIS show.
The overall efforts of the Dancing troupe, Maria Pages (the fiery flamenco dancer), Bill Whelan (composer)and Michael Flatley and Jean Butler are amazing. The music is at times very fast paced, and you can barely catch all that's happening in stage, let alone wonder how they do it, and other times it's incredibly sad and haunting (Davy Spillane, Irish bagpipe player, who coaxes breathtaking laments out of a very complex instrument to play). And the dancing is a whirlwind of shoe tapping, perfect synchronous and well-timed. Not to mention...SO COOL!
The Moscow Ballet Troupe is so acrobatic, and fun- and the singing really is heavenly (thanks to the choral sensation 'Anuna'). The American Tap Group was a blend of the comical and the captivating, all wonderfully talented, and the two lead dancers, Michael and Jean, are the greatest presences on stage EVER. Despite the many productions that followed, no-one could manage the 'show' character to be able to fill up a stage like those pair! (Or an audience.) And Maria Page defines the word 'graceful' with her Firedance- my favourite couple dance in the world, is the one between her and Michael.
Riverdance is an amazing and brilliant first step onto the wider world stage, for both Irish dancing and its rich tapestry of history and folklore. Anyone who hasn't seen this is missing out!
