20 years later, 'Riverdance' hasn't lost its sparkle
Watching Riverdance is like seeing your favorite band. You know much of what to expect, but you may enjoy the spectacle even more for it.
Watching Riverdance is like seeing your favorite band. You know much of what to expect, but you may enjoy the spectacle even more for it.
So it's easy to see why this show, which brought its 20th Anniversary World Tour to the Academy of Music Tuesday night, has endured. There's much for fans to look forward to year after year, yet just enough changes to keep it interesting.
Changes for this anniversary tour include a new a cappella hard-shoe piece for the women and new costumes, lighting, and projections.
Riverdance grew out of a sort of halftime show at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. It then began as a theatrical performance in 1996, and has not lost its sparkle since. It is a modern look at Irish dance, set to music that is European-folk-based, not exactly Irish (being closer to Balkan), but close enough to furnish an exhilarating setting for the dancing.
The tapping of the hard shoes is synchronized and at times thunderous. A variety of gorgeous, jewel-toned costumes are worn for the numbers. (The costumes are not overly ornate, and the dancers do not wear the curly wigs often seen in Irish dance.) The musicians mug for the audience and encourage people to clap along. The percussionist played many different instruments and was especially cool to watch.
There's a loosely woven story introducing the sections and told in a sort of mythical poetry that can be hard to follow. But the basic theme is about the traditions of the Irish people both in their homeland and when they immigrated to the United States, especially following the Great Famine of the 19th century. It finishes with the immigrants' children visiting Ireland with fresh eyes.
Along the way, Irish dance intersects with various other similar forms - American tap, square dance, flamenco, Russian character dance, and contemporary, among others.
The Irish choreography was created by Michael Flatley, who came to Philadelphia in February with Lord of the Dance as part of his farewell tour. The shows are similar, but it's not too soon to see another group of stellar Irish dancers, and there are enough fans to go around.
The show is highly polished, but some of the effects are overdone. Strobe lights that are supposed to represent lightning were blinding, and spotlights shone directly into audience members' eyes in some of the glitziest moments of the show. The music occasionally overwhelms the tapping.
But Riverdance is worth seeing. It will be at the Academy through Sunday.
@edunkel
Riverdance 20th Anniversary World Tour. Through Sunday. Academy of Music. Tickets: $20-$110. Information: 215-893-1999 or kimmelcenter.org.