Everyone who likes modern dance has seen Riverdance, right?
So you don’t need to see again the magical Irish dance routines which first came to the world’s notice at the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin in 1995? Wrong.
The show which launched a whole new generation of Irish dance schools in the Midlands and across the world is back in Birmingham this week and playing to not as many people as it deserves.
Mrs W (an Irish girl who wishes she could move like Michael Flatley) and I first saw Riverdance at the NIA several years ago and wondered if this new production, billed as the final chance to see the show in the United Kingdom, could be as good – and it is.
The first half is made up of the traditional Irish routines which made the show famous, including the extraordinary Riverdance itself while part two features dance from across the world. Flamenco, Russian folk dance and American jazz/tap routines all get an airing and the latter received an even better reception from an enthusiastic crowd than did the traditional Irish work.
A hard-working troupe of 40-plus dancers garnered a noisy response, while the traditional Irish band kept up a toe-tapping beat for the full two hours.
It made me feel like dancing up the 164 steps to the office – sadly, my 40-something legs wouldn’t let me.
