Riverdance originated at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest and promptly took 90s pop culture by storm shortly after. Jean Butler and Michael Flatley’s Irish dancing was so awe-inspiring that it led to the creation of a touring stage show.
While Butler and Flatley may have been the first to popularize this type of dance, many Riverdance-influenced troupes have formed since. The groups that form generally take their names from Irish rivers. Examples include Foyle, Moy, Lagan, Shannon, Corrib, and Bann.
Riverdance goes global.
As Riverdance continued to explode in popularity in the 1990s, a tour of the United States commenced beginning in October 1996. By March of 2000, Riverdance was performing in Broadway’s Gershwin Theatre.
Over the years, Riverdance’s popularity has waned from where it was in the 90s but continues to be a popular show.
Nowadays, Riverdance performances are done in smaller theatres with simplified sets.
The reaction to the shows tends to be the same, however. Attendees frequently can be heard uttering comments such as “Oh you just have to go see Riverdance” to their friends.
A very unique Riverdance performance.
The Riverdance performance here is fairly unique. It begins with 9 male dancers on the stage clogging away with purpose. One male dancer then separates from the rest of the group as if to say “I’m a little bit more advanced than the rest of my class.”
He then captivated the audience with brief periods of solo dancing before being joined by the rest again.
A new player has entered the game.
The 8 male background dancers scurried off the stage as the solo dancer continued his step dancing routine. He’s then joined by two women with drums for a brief period before a woman in a green dress appears on stage as well.
The man and woman dancer are dancing in complete unison, the sound of their shoes tapping on the floor heightening the music playing all around them. It really is a beautiful show. There is something rather hypnotizing about the rhythm of dance and traditional Irish music.
They are joined by more dancers.
More dancers enter the stage and form a line along with the man and woman in a green dress. With 8 dancers on stage, 4 male and 4 female, the music starts to intensify. Then more dancers appear on stage as if the music willed this to be the case.
Eventually, the stage is filled with dancers and the music continues to increase in speed and intensity. Finally, when the music abruptly stops, the crowd can’t contain themselves and break out into thunderous applause.
Video of performance goes wild.
Video of this performance has gone viral. It has been viewed over 1.3 million times on YouTube. Many viewers were so impressed with the performance that they felt compelled to leave a comment.
“His pants are so sparkly!!! I remember when it used to be leather. But still this part of the show is always my favorite! :)” Another viewer noted about the male dancer’s pants.
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“I am speechless. Proud to be a Celt,” wrote Angust McKernan.
You can view this breathtaking Riverdance performance in the video below.
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