Riverdance

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Riverdance

Riverdance is a theatrical show consisting of traditional Irish step dancing

Irish stepdance

Irish stepdance is a type of performance dance originating in Ireland from traditional Irish dance. Irish stepdancing has been recently popularized by the world-famous show "Riverdance" and its followers....
, notable for its rapid leg movements while body and arms are kept largely stationary.

iverdance was first performed during the interval of the Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision Song Contest 1994

The Eurovision Song Contest 1994 was the 39th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on April 30, 1994 in the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. The presenters were Cynthia N? Mhurch? and Gerry Ryan....
on April 30, 1994. It received a standing ovation

Standing ovation

A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding. This is done on special occasions by an audience to show their approval and is done after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim....
. At Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest

Congratulations (Eurovision)

Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest was a television programme organised by the European Broadcasting Union to commemorate the Eurovision Song Contest's fiftieth anniversary and to determine the Contest's most popular entrant of its fifty years....
it was voted the most popular interval act in the history of the contest. ll This first performance featured Irish Dancing Champion Jean Butler

Jean Butler

Jean Butler , is an United States Irish dancer and choreographer whose mother is from Co. Mayo in Ireland. She began training in Irish dance at the age of four with the widely respected teacher Donny Golden....
, Michael Flatley

Michael Flatley

Michael Ryan Flatley is an Irish-American Irish dance, flautist and choreographer who became internationally known through his theatre musicals, Riverdance, Lord of the Dance and others....
, the RTE Concert Orchestra

RTÉ Concert Orchestra

The Radio Telef?s ?ireann Concert Orchestra is one of the two full time professional orchestras in Ireland that are part of RT?, the national broadcasting station....
and the Celtic choral group Anúna

Anúna

An?na is an Ireland choral group. In 1987 Dublin composer Michael McGlynn founded An Uaithne, a name which describes the three ancient types of Celtic music, Suantra? , Geantra? and Goltra? ....
with a score written by Bill Whelan

Bill Whelan

Bill Whelan, is the Ireland composer who was asked to compose a piece for the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. The end result, Riverdance, was a seven-minute display of traditional Irish dancing that became a full-length stage production and spawned a worldwide craze for Irish dancing and celtic music....
.

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Encyclopedia

Riverdance is a theatrical show consisting of traditional Irish step dancing

Irish stepdance

History

Riverdance was first performed during the interval of the Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision Song Contest 1994

Standing ovation

Congratulations (Eurovision)

Jean Butler

Michael Flatley

RTÉ Concert Orchestra

Anúna

Bill Whelan

Planxty

Planxty is an Ireland folk music band formed in the 1970s, consisting, in its original configuration, of Christy Moore , D?nal Lunny , Andy Irvine , and Liam O'Flynn ....
. Flatley choreographed for himself and Jean Butler choreographed her solo and the troupe.

A video of the Eurovision interval performance was released by the Irish broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann

Radio Telefís Éireann

Radio Telef?s ?ireann is the Public broadcasting of Republic of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts on television, radio and the Internet....
under the title "Riverdance for Rwanda" with all proceeds going to the Rwanda Appeal Disasters Joint Appeal Committee. Many of the dance troupe featured in this performance subsequently went on to dance principal roles in later productions of "Riverdance the Show". Riverdance is produced and directed by husband and wife team John McColgan and Moya Doherty

Moya Doherty

Moya Doherty is a Dublin-raised entrepreneur and the producer and co-founder of Riverdance, the worldwide acclaimed theatrical phenomenon, which premiered in Dublin?s Point Theatre in February 1995....
, controlled through their production company Abhann Productions, based in Dublin.

In November 1994 tickets were sold in Dublin

Dublin

Dublin is both the largest city and capital of Republic of Ireland. It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin Region....
for the first full-length performance of "Riverdance", which opened at the Point Theatre

Point Theatre

The Point Theatre was a concert and events Music venue in Ireland, that ran from 1988 - 2007, enjoyed by in excess of 2 million people. It was located on the North Wall Quay of the River Liffey, amongst the Dublin Docklands....
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 second 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 travelled to New York City

New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
to perform at the legendary Radio City Music Hall

Radio City Music Hall

Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city....
in March 1996. This was the first time the show had been performed in America. To the relief of the producers, the show was a success. Anúna left the show in September of that year.

In 2000 Riverdance was on Broadway for a year at the Gershwin Theatre with an all-new show, featuring dance leads Pat Roddy and Eileen Martin and singers Brian Kennedy

Brian Kennedy

Brian Kennedy may refer to:*Brian Kennedy , journalist and activist who helped set up the London Lesbian and Gay Centre in 1985*Brian Kennedy , singer from Belfast, Northern Ireland...
and Tsidii Le Loka

Tsidii Le Loka

Tony Award Nominee and winner of several top industry awards including Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, EW Award, Drama League Award for Outstanding Performance in a Musical in The Lion King on Broadway, Tsidii Le Loka ?Lupindo continues to bring her electrifying performances and multi-faceted artistry to international audiences....
.

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. Sets have therefore 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 DVDs). For example, current touring productions of the show have 20 dancers in the finale, "Heartland", whereas 24 were used in the original Dublin show and 32 were used in the arena shows. Each production company is named after an Irish

Ireland

River

A river is a natural stream of water, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, or another stream. In some cases a river flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water....
. Currently performing companies are the Boyne touring in North America

North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, Corrib in Europe

Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
and Foyle in Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
.

Riverdance is currently playing its farewell tour, returning to UK, Europe and the Far East before finishing in 2010, fifteen years after it opened at The Point Theatre in Dublin.

Dance Numbers and Songs Performed

**Riverdance song and dance numbers**
Riverdance The Show	Riverdance Live From New York	Riverdance Live From Geneva
Reel Around The Sun The Heart’s Cry Women of Ireland Caoineadh Cú Chulainn Distant Thunder Firedance Cloudsong Riverdance Lift The Wings Freedom Harlem to Hollywood * Andalucia * Macedonia Morning * Marta's Dance - Russian Dervish Hope to the Suffering * Flute Solo - Michael Flatley * Home And The Heartland Heartland Riverdance International * Those numbers can be seen only on the European VHS tape. They were cut down for the American release.	Reel Around The Sun The Heart's Cry Countess Cathleen - Women of the Sidhe Caoineadh Chú Chulainn Thunderstorm Firedance Slip Into Spring - The Harvest Cloudsong Riverdance American Wake (The Nova Scotia Set) Lift The Wings Heal Their Hearts - Freedom Trading Taps Marta's Dance - Russian Dervish Oscail An Doras Heartbeat Of The world Homecoming Home And The Heartland Heartland Riverdance International	Reel Around the Sun The Heart's Cry Countess Cathleen - Women of the Sidhe Caoinedh Chu Chulainn Thunderstorm Shivna Firedance Slip into Spring - The Harvest Cloudsong Riverdance American Wake (The Nova Scotia Set) Lift the Wings Harbor of the New World Slow Air/The Tunes Home and the Heartland Heartland Finale/ Riverdance International

Riverdance Show #4 (not yet produced)

A fourth show has not yet been planned for production at this time. The network Detroit Public TV recently confirmed this via email.

Their three companies perform each of these songs during their show

Riverdance

History

Dance Numbers and Songs Performed

See also

External links