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Riverdance has electrified interest in Irish dance worldwide
Riverdance, the Irish dance touring company, will play five performances at the Providence Performing Arts Center this coming weekend.
The cast of Riverdance performs at the Great Wall of China.
Glitzy, yes, baldly commercial, absolutely. But Riverdance, the musical whose primal sound of pounding feet and Celtic tunes ignited an unlikely rage for the folkloric art of Irish step dancing, was no fad. Thirteen years after its Dublin, Ireland, premiere, its continued popularity proves that it was, and remains, a phenomenon of historic proportions.
As evidence of Riverdance’s enduring status, consider this: The production has grossed at least $1 billion so far.
Dancing and music have always been a potent mix on the roadshow circuit. But traditional Irish dance and music, the old-timey stuff of corner pubs and village crossroads? Riverdance’s unexpected success broke ground on several fronts: It proved the bankability of an all-dance, no-dialogue musical theater production;. it demonstrated that you can market musical theater to men (!), who had always been an elusive target; it has been an economic boon to the Broadway touring industry, a shot in the arm for Irish pride, a gateway for the world to experience the music and dance of Ireland.
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