Riverdance continues lengthy, energetic run

The fleet-footed folks from Riverdance want you to know that not all Irish dancing is created equal.

“One of great things about Riverdance is no matter what kind of Irish dancing people have seen, they tend to call it Riverdancing. The brand is so powerful,” said Riverdance Associate Director Padraic Moyles from the show’s Dublin home base. “But also sometimes people may feel like they’ve already seen us, when they’ve actually seen another show. But Riverdance is the grand leader in this type of entertainment. So make sure you see the original.”

The venerable stage show celebrates its 20th anniversary with a tour that stops at the Gallo Center for the Arts next week. The company will perform three consecutive nights: Tuesday through Thursday, Nov. 10-12.

Moyles, who has been with the show since 1997 and started as a dancer, said the special celebration year shows off the finest and fittest cast in its history. The production features 29 dancers and takes audiences on a journey through the Irish experience and the immigrant experience.

“The production is so pure and so deep-rooted, and not just in our culture. It’s a storyline, given that there’s not much spoken text, that can relate to it from all over the world,” Moyles said. “People can relate to the concept of going someplace to give yourself a better opportunity. In the second act, we have people immigrating, people who end up in New York and other parts of America and working hard, trying to make an honest living. So you’ll see Irish dancers dancers alongside American tap dancers.”

The show is still helmed by its original team, Grammy Award-winning composer Bill Whelan and husband-and-wife directors/producers Moya Doherty and John McColgan. It was conceived in 1994 as an intermission act starring Michael Flatley during the Eurovision Song Contest. But he broke away from the act before its full-show run began and started Lord of the Dance. Since the Riverdance’s first stage show in Dublin in 1995, the show has become a worldwide phenomenon that has traveled across six continents and 46 countries in more than 465 venues. The cast has given more than 11,000 performances to some 24 million people.

“I think the show has gone beyond everyone’s wildest imaginations and biggest dreams,” Moyles said.

He also stressed that the show has changed much since its inception, and from year to year. People who have seen past shows can expect a new experience this time out.

“The performers have changed over the years, certainly. Even the body type, athleticism and sense of professionalism has changed,” he said. “We’re at a completely different standard and level today. On stage, this is pretty much the best version of Riverdance I’ve ever witnessed.”

The show has added new numbers, costume changes and lighting design for the 20th anniversary tour. The cast, crew, musicians and managers typically travel from show to show in two buses for shorter distances. And among the traveling caravan are two very important unseen positions: a physiotherapist and a massage therapist. Over the course of the show’s history, producers have tallied that the some 2,000 dancers who have been in the show have gone through about 20,000 dance shoes and 50,000 rolls of self-grip tape.

“There is an understanding that when you join a show like Riverdance that you are in it to be part of the team. You are there to do what you love to do, take passion and joy in it, and not to become a superstar,” Moyles said of the dancers. “They realize how lucky they are and deserving they are. We let them know if they look after their nutrition, mindset, rest and physical condition, they’ll have a long career with us. That will help ensure that Riverdance is around for another 20 years and continues to get stronger each year.”

This story was originally published November 4, 2015 at 9:23 AM with the headline "Riverdance continues lengthy, energetic run."