Riverdance is on its 20th year of touring
and I have never seen the show! I love to watch dance (see Day 193-Pilbolus & Day 90-Nutcracker ) so I thought that it was time to see why this show has had such a
long run and get my Irish fix on St. Patrick’s Day weekend. My son was home, so
even though he needed a push to go, we both were amazed at the show. I
overheard several people say “I thought it would be good but did not know it
would be this good!”
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| Russian Dance, Flamenco too! |
Reflection
I first saw Riverdance on a television PBS special about 10 years ago. Back then, I was amazed at the skill
of the dance and loved the mixture of tapping with ballet but nothing compares to
seeing it live. This show started with a
foggy stage and the classic haunting flute as the men, and then the troupe, preformed
the iconic Irish tapping with military precision.
The whole show was intense with the pulse of the drums and the electrifying
rhythms from the dance. At times the tapping was so fast that my ears almost
could not keep up with the pace. As the
dancers upper bodies remained still,
your eyes are drawn to the legs and feet with entertaining amazement. (My
thighs ached as I watched them and I couldn’t help but wonder how many calories they burned as they danced).
The show had a balance of music and dance. In the song, “The Heart’s Cry,” the lead vocal
had an angelic pure sound.
The Irish sound was beautifully harmonized with the other singers as they sang
about love. There was also plenty of the
traditional Celtic sounding music with uilleann pipes, fiddle, drums, flute and saxophone.
( see show clip here).
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| Men duel with styles, American vs Irish |
The show took
the audience on a ride from the Irish coast to Spain, Russia, and then America.
There were two brilliant Flamenco dances by soloist Marta Oritz Duesto. Her hand and upper body moved like waves in contrast to her pounding feet. The Russian acrobatic men dancers
reached amazing heights as they jumped and the girls twirled faster than a top.
The most fun was the men’s dance that dueled the looser jazzy “American style,”
against the tight “Riverdance style” of
dance.
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| Thunderstorm |
I particularly enjoyed the intensity of the all women dance, “Anna Livia”
and the all male dance, “Thunderstorm." This show with its energetic rhythm (either from the tapping,the drums,or the
music) made a perfectly amazing St. Patrick’s Day celebration, I see why Riverdance has entertained for 20 years!
( Be amazed by Riverdance from March 17th to 19th at the Benedum Center as part of the Cultural Trust events or on tour).
Spiritual
Source
Everyone
was gripped with great wonder and awe. And they praised God, saying over and
over again,”We have seen amazing things today.”
(Luke 5:26)
Other
Sources
Watch Riverdance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc1Fd0BpjmM
Tour dates http://riverdance.com/tours/usa/
Cultural Trust www.TrustArts.org