They conquered North America in hard-soled shoes, short black skirts or slim black pants, this troupe of Irish dancers and musicians. Sweeping the continent by storm with jigs, reels and hornpipes, Riverdance grew into a millions-served phenomenon, resuscitating an interest in Irish culture and big, flashy arena-style shows showcasing dance and music. In its wake, it has left millions dazzled by heartbeat-quickening, Irish step-dance rhythms performed with the precision of a military drill team.

It started as a bit of a lark: In 1994, the producers of Eurovision Song Contest needed a seven-minute filler to bide time while judges deliberated. A composer, choreographer and producer came up with Riverdance, a music-and-dance number. It combined the pinpoint accuracy of a Radio City Music Hall Rockettes line with the heartfelt ballads and spritely jigs of Irish folk music, featuring Bill Whelan’s compositions.

This weekend, the massive North American operation of Riverdance — 60 dancers, singers, musicians and crew — will sing and dance for the last time on these shores. The Dublin-based production company is closing down its North American tour with five performances at Wolf Trap, one of its earliest and most consistent venues.

“We just thought this was a good time to close down here,” said Julien Erskine, who, as the show’s executive producer, is a bit like a general, his office wall plastered with maps filled in with color-coded dots denoting the cities, countries and continents where Riverdance has stepped.

“I think it’s the right call at the right time,” he added. “Nearly 12 million people in over 400 cities have come to see Riverdance in North America. We’re very, very happy with that and we don’t want to spoil it by outstaying our welcome.”

Padraic Moyles (pronounced Poor-ick Moy-ills) has Dublin and Bronx in his makeup — born in Ireland but schooled in the New York borough where his parents moved when he was a child. He grew up watching his mum and dad and their friends socializing on Friday nights in their living room with Irish set dances, which are similar to American square dances.

A Riverdance veteran, currently touring with the New Zealand and Australia cast, Moyles spent the majority of his career traveling and performing across North America, which he insists has the most effusive audiences in the world.

He remembers seeing the show in its first U.S. performances at Radio City Music Hall in New York in 1996. “I liked dance, but I didn’t love it,” Moyles said; at 16, he was taking Irish dance lessons because his parents wanted him to. “That night I saw Riverdance and it changed everything. I realized how cool it looked up there and I said to myself, ‘I need to be a part of this.’ ”

Hearing about an audition, Moyles and another dancing friend skipped class and drove to Boston to try out. A few weeks later, he came home from school to find his mother holding an envelope, wondering why Riverdance was writing to him. Moyles had been offered a position in the company. His mother hugged — and scolded — him. His parents agreed he could join the tour as soon as he finished high school.

Now 33, Moyles is married to one of the original dancers, Niamh O’Connor. He thinks he has performed at Wolf Trap at least a dozen times, and it remains among his favorite venues. “You walk out on the stage and see the people sitting on the hill and within the theater, with all the wood,” Moyles said, “and it’s always packed.”

Riverdance has been a phenomenon for Wolf Trap, said Ann McKee, the venue’s senior vice president. Over the years the company has performed 109 times, with 492,877 people attending the shows. Wolf Trap has grossed more than $23 million — not including this year — making Riverdance its all-time bestseller.

For McKee, that’s a huge relief. When she booked the tour for its first two-week visit in the summer of 1997, she had never seen the show; all she had to go on was a video excerpt she caught on the nightly news. It was enough to convince her that Riverdance would be perfect at Wolf Trap.

“It was a mighty roll of the dice,” she said, “but it proved to be an amazing collaboration.”

Riverdance Troupe. Final Farewell Tour of North America.

Asked whether Wolf Trap has anything special planned for this weekend’s final North American run, McKee kept mum. Erskine will travel from Dublin to see the cast take its final bows on American soil and to bid farewell to Wolf Trap, a venue he names as one of his top five in the world.

“There’s a great moment at Wolf Trap,” he said, “when [the ushers] drop the ropes and the crowd comes pouring over the hill to get the best place on the lawn . . . coming over the top of the hill with a great sense of excitement.”

Erskine won’t rest on his laurels. Riverdance he said, has other nations, other continents to conquer. In the coming months and years, Riverdance will add India, China, South America and the Middle East to its territorial expansion.

Read this on the Riverdance website: PREVIEW: Wolf Trap ready for a last ‘Dance’

Riverdance boasts The Riverdance Dance Troupe, Musicians and Singers, Irish and International dance and song soloists from Spain, Australia, Great Britain and the United States. Musical Director/Keyboardist Declan Masterson runs a tight ship and if there was one note gone awry in this whole production neither I nor my professional musician friend caught it.

The tappers and singers are amazing but one of the brightest stars of the show is the percussionist, Mark Alfred. Far right of the action but somehow right in the middle of it, Mr Alfred gives an incredibly energetic performance, calling to more primitive blood with his booming rhythms on two enormous drum sets, and on castanets, chimes, and the wonderful Irish hand drum called a Bodhran. He came out center stage to play a duet with the talented fiddle player, Niamh Ni Charra and he played that drum so fast that his hand was literally a blur while never missing a beat. People were on their feet cheering.

Declan Masterson

Mark Alfred

Niamh Ní Charra

The audience were on their feet a lot during this production and most deservedly so. Somehow the stage was miked to amplify the sound of the dancers tapping in perfect unison and at times the very real impression of thunder filled the Fox Theatre.

Jason E. Bernard

Ben Mapp

One of the best bits in the production is the introduction of Jason E. Bernard and Benjamin Mapp, street tappers, equally breathtaking in their mastery of jazz tap. They and the four of the male Irish dancers have a dance duel, highlighting their differences and similarities as they change styles back and forth, the street dancers doing their comatose version of the stiff armed Irish style, and the Irish dancers giving us one of the best illustrations of jazz hands ever.

The choreography is incredible. Men and women flying across the stage, women linking hands to do a stiff armed chorus line where nothing moves except their legs and feet and those appendages are a blur of precision. The singers are equally polished and wonderful, ethereal harmonies abound.

James Greenan

Alana Mallon

James Greenan and Alana Mallon danced the leads the night we went. They were a beautiful pair and I didn’t miss Michael Flatley one bit; and although I’m not quite clear on what Spanish Flamenco dancing has to do with Irish step dancing, except perhaps as a progenitor, it was a treat to watch Marita Martinez – Rey, haughty and wonderful, dancing in that most beautiful style.

Riverdance is a feast for eyes and ears, a call to cultural identity and a ripping good show.

Riverdance played The Fox Theatre, St Louis, 18 – 20 May 2012

Read this on the Riverdance website: Dancing Magic, Music and Timeless Beauty at the Fox

Mark Alfred Percusion Riverdance Farewell Tour St Louis

After over 15 years of touring the US, Riverdance has truly become a household name. When someone sees Irish dancing, it is most likely the first thing that comes to their head. But as they say, all good things must come to an end. Last night at the Fabulous Fox Theatre marked the start of the Riverdance Farewell tour in St. Louis.

I have always been a fan of dance, but somehow avoided ever seeing Riverdance much to my chagrin. Sure, I’ve seen performances of the famous show on television and DVD – but never in person, and never at the Fabulous Fox. And one thing I can now say for certain is that there is nothing like seeing it live at one of the best theaters in the country. As the show starts, the beautiful Irish music fills the massive auditorium, taking us on a transformational journey to Ireland. A bright and colorful screen takes center stage for the duration of the performance, changing from scene to scene as it sets the mood and season for each breathtaking dance.

The show is a wonderful amalgamation of music, dance and song. Of course the dancing is the main attraction of the show, being called Riverdance after all, but without the rich traditional music it would be nowhere near as impactful.

The band is comprised of only 5 musicians, but their talent is relentless as each of them resonates powerful and rich music through multiple instruments. Much credit should be given to Declan Masterson, who plays the keyboard and acts as musical director for the show.  Each song sets the scene for the dance that follows, and sends the kind of feeling through your body that powerful music tends to do.  Matt Bashford, who plays a beautiful rendition of “Caoineadh Chu Chulainn” on the Uilleann Pipes, also plays the low whistle and tin whistle.  Niamh Ní Charra plays the fiddle, having a couple of solo performances that are truly outstanding, while Dave McGauran plays the saxophone during the show. Last but not least, Mark Alfred is at the helm of the percussion section and takes over the stage as he plays every drum, symbol and chime. His drum kit seems endless as sound after sound emanates from his side of the stage.  He also has an incredible solo session with the Bodhrán, a round Irish frame drum, where you wouldn’t believe the magnitude and range of sound that comes out of it.

As impressive as the music of the show is, the singing is just as wonderful.  Songs like “The Heart’s Cry” and “Cloudsong” are so heart-touching and beautiful that you just can’t help but to feel the emotion in the air.  The lead vocalist from the Irish Dance Troupe, who I believe was Aisling Drennan, was phenomenal. Every note left her mouth with what seemed to be perfection and ease. I have heard many versions of the songs from Riverdance, but none of them were sung as beautifully as I heard them last night. All of the male and female singers harmonized together so perfectly for each song, transforming their voices into their own rich instruments.

Alana Mallon. Lead Dancer

The lead male and female dancers, James Greenan and Alana Mallon, were both superb. Neither of them ever missed a step as they meticulously hit every note that resonated from their shoes hitting the stage.  James has to have some of the fastest legs I have ever seen, and proves it during a “dance-off” so to speak with two less-traditional tappers: Benjamin Mapp & Jason E. Bernard.  Mapp and Bernard furiously hold their own as they dance in a free style version of tap, and it is quite a site to see. Alana Mallon dances beautifully throughout the performance, and commands the lead with her presence.

Marita Martinez-Rey dances Flamenco and does a brilliant job during the “Firedance” and “Andalucia,” two solo performances.  Her fire-colored dresses wave through the air like flames as they match the fiery background and music during the dances.

If you have never seen Riverdance before, don’t miss your last chance to see it on tour.  I am certainly glad that I was able to see it.  The show is full of so much energy and passion, and you can tell that these dancers are among the best of the best. Every step is in perfect unison, as it partners with the lively music and song.  It’s different than any other show you’ve seen before, and if you love dance, I’m sure that it will not dissappoint.

Read this on the Riverdance website: Farewell Riverdance, you will be missed

Riverdance was born in 1995, the energetic young offspring of Big Eighties shows like Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon.

It was bred with that curious – and theatrically unsustainable – mind-set that bigger is better. It’s a lovely relic – unlikely, it seems, to have made such a remarkable global impression if it were born in these cost-conscious times.

That makes its last stop in Boston – April 13-15 at Boston Opera House – a milestone worth recognizing.

Of course, there’s no future in shows built around helicopters hovering above stage, and it’s probably also a deal-breaker to tour a dance show that requires teams of professional dancers. Dance, like plays, has gotten small. And although we all know it’s dangerous to trade art for opulence, there’s no denying the power of a line of dancers – extending from one end of Boston’s biggest stages to the other – hammering out tightly choreographed Irish dance steps that look like the height of military precision and sound like Celtic thunder.

The show is a feat of teamwork, built around the idea of a dancer being part of a whole, being part of something bigger than herself. Despite the fact that the show gave us Michael Flatley,  Riverdance is not a show about stars, it’s about the company. And, arriving on the heels of street-bred dance shows like Stomp and Bring in ’da Noise, Bring in ’da Funk, Riverdance  found humor and insight with its playful competition between step and tap dancers, a competition that’s clearly more of an appreciation than a rivalry.
Dancing is in these days, as you may have noticed. And it’s not really professional dancing; it’s the amateurs who are stealing the show. Ellen DeGeneres’ dancing became a signature moment of her hit talk show, and we cringe at the foibles of the overmatched “stars” of Dancing with the Stars, but deep down we admire them for dancing like nobody is watching, even though everyone is watching.
You can’t give Riverdance all the credit, but it surely deserves some of it. Just ask the suburban moms trundling their kids off not to soccer games, but to Irish step-dancing classes and competitions, complete with over-the-top costumes, sometimes hand-sewn by moms who can’t explain their kids’ obsession, but secretly love it. It’s a phenomenon that certainly wouldn’t have occurred with such force without frequent Riverdance stops in Boston, rousing our Irish roots.

It’s a fitting legacy for the show. I remember when I first saw Riverdance all those years ago, it seemed odd that the audience sat so still, spiritually moved by the spectacle onstage, but physically, literally, unmoved. Good dancing makes you want to dance, and Riverdance does that. Not only is this incoming production a chance to see, one last time, one of the defining touring shows of the past 20 years, it’s a chance to pay tribute to a show that, I’m sure, swells the ranks of local dance classes, where young girls and boys turn step dancing from something you simply see into something you do.

Read more: www.patriotledger.com/entertainment

Where: Opera House, Boston, MA
When: April 13, 2012 – April 15, 2012.
Shows: Friday & Saturday at 8pm. Sunday at 6.30pm
Matinee: Saturday at 2pm & Sunday at 1pm

Read this on the Riverdance website: “one of the defining touring shows of the past 20 years”

By Sid Smith, Special to the Tribune
March 15, 2012

Perfectly timed for St. Patrick’s Day, “Riverdance,” the spectacular display of Irish folk dance, speckled with the arts of a few other ethnicities in its mix, returns for what’s billed as its farewell visit, on view through Sunday at the Oriental Theatre.

Surely it winds down as one of the more phenomenal and unlikely ventures in pop dance history, centered on what seemed in the beginning an eccentric craft, Irish step-dancing. But, in its tour, it then went on to make that craft familiar and even beloved while anchor of a unique variety show only now nearing its close after an impressive 15 years.

“Riverdance” rendered a highly competitive past time commercially compelling, while heightening awareness of the thrills, pluck and artistic subtleties of folk dance in general. Shrewdly throwing in flamenco and tap, it arrived as part of a broader, worldwide revival in percussive dance, a revival it helped inspire, and a reminder that people everywhere love to tap their feet and always will.

The show itself should be a bit creaky by now, but Tuesday’s opening proved anything but. The energy is still sky high, the seductiveness still irresistible, in part, it must be said, because the trappings of the show were always a tad dated and greeting-card corny to begin with. The wholesome, New Age circus gloss isn’t any more old-fashioned now than it was back in the ’90s. You tend to look past it to relish the extraordinary technical virtuosity.

The cast is excellent, the enthusiasm infectious and the technical skills better than ever. That starts with Tuesday’s outstanding principles, Padraic Moyles and Alana Mallon. She’s graceful, thin-limbed but exquisitely muscled, keen in her stepping and yet able to stylishly master the ballet-like stretches that depart here and there from all the step-dancing clickety-clacks. Moyles, sporting a slight resemblance to actor Gabriel Byrne in his younger years, is an irrepressible showoff and peacock, as delighted by his own performance as anybody. But Riverdance always served as a cheerleader for its art, and Moyles is as persuasive a cheerleader as they come, looser and more freewheeling in his overall approach, but electrifying in his intricate footwork and breathtaking speed.

Indeed, the Act II tap and Irish square off, a metaphor for American immigrant conflict and reconciliation, is as exciting as ever, if not more so, Moyles deliciously showing off his uncanny athletics while well matched by two dynamite, post-Savion Glover contemporary tappers, DeWitt Fleming Jr. and Michael E. Wood.

The show always boasted fine flamenco specialists, but Marita Martinez-Rey is especially beautiful, combining rapid-fire feet with flowing, undulating and sensual body work. She also has some of Moyles’ contagious enthusiasm, warmly inviting the audience into her art.

The musicians have always been a key component of the variety, and here the Uilleann pipes are mastered by Matt Bashford, Rose Duffy is a lickety-split fiddler and percussionist Mark Alfred is a one-man spectacle all by himself. Tap-dancer Wood doubling as baritone delivers his solo with mournfulness and compassion, and the clean, high-pitched voices of the choir are sonorous and pure.

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday

Where: Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St.

Tickets: $30-$85.

Box Office: 800-775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com

Read this on the Riverdance website: After 15 years, ‘Riverdance’ continues to kick up a storm

Here are some photos from the week…

Caterina Coyne did radio interview with arts and culture reporter Noe Tanigawa at Hawaii Public Radio

Caterina Coyne at Ohana Broadcasting

Caterina Coyne being interviewed on Ohana Broadcasting

Caterina Coyne being interviewed on the popular morning radio program Perry & Price (Michael Perry & Larry Price) broadcast live on KSSK Radio from Jimmy Buffett’s at the Beachcomber (located at the Holiday Inn Waikiki Beachcomber Resort). There is a live audience there for breakfast

Caterina teaches an Irish dance step to a member of the breakfast audience!

Caterina Coyne with oldies 107.9 DJ Ed Kanoi

Read this on the Riverdance website: Press Calls in Hawaii

To the list of things Irish — soda bread, whiskey, coffee, corned beef and cabbage, U2 and Daniel Day-Lewis — add Riverdance.

The Irish cultural sensation is all about the ecstasy of the feet — step dancing with unified cadence, creating a tap-estry much like “42nd Street” musical lineup of dancers on steroids. With Riverdance, the flow mostly is swift, frenzied, and constant, literally like a gushing river to which the show owes its name.

There’s a collision of sound and movement, but a happy one; the music is richly Celtic, but with occasional soft-as-silk vocal variations and periodic departures into the realm of flamenco dance. And yes, even bluesy tap executions reminiscent of Gregory Hines or Savion Glover splendidly staged as a Celtic/street dance competition among 10 of the snappiest feet (five guys) in the ranks.

The production, which debuted in Honolulu Wednesday night for a brief run through Sunday at the Blaisdell Concert Hall, features two dozen dancers who frequently move as one synchronized unit, engaging in stunning precision and galvanized by tradition.

Its frenetic, fierce tempos appear competitive but are winningly collaborative, with potent and thunderous step dancing; the technique raises cultural dancing to theatrical levels as storytelling and emotions are expressed via feet with arms and body generally rigid.

Craig Ashurst

It is high-energy, high-octane, high-voltage stuff. The amplified footwork (mics in the shoes? on the floor?) heightens the excitement and the adrenalin.

“Riverdance” is rooted in Irish history; the name is derivative of a flowing river, with tributaries coming together the way cultures meld. The tradition taps Celtic tales, some with mythological influences.

The title song that closes Act I is an evolutionary tale with historical relevance, as the full cast of dancers projects the power of flowing waters fertilizing, then flooding, barren land but prompting a burst of celebratory joy. It’s the production’s iconic parallel of the leggy, kicky signature of the Radio City Hall Rockettes.

Lead dancers Craig Ashurst and Alana Mallon bring requisite glamour and style in several numbers, showing workout agility in one instance, feeling the love in another.

Ashurst also is buoyant, at times springing into high leaps and twirling like a top. Mallon switches from balletic beauty to step dancing sizzler in her solo turns.

Alana Mallon

Marita Martinez-Rey is a Spaniard who specializes in the rich tradition of flamenco, providing fiery and seductive twists with arms and hands help telling her stories.

Not surprisingly, the audience favorite is the aforementioned tap-challenge routine, dubbed “Trading Taps,” where rigorous step-and-tap exchanges pit Michael E. Wood and Benjamin Mapp as soulful street dancers vs. Ashurst, Padraic Moyles and Jason O’Neill as traditional step dancers. With pride at stake, spectators can take sides, too.

The atmospheric musical score, by Bill Whelan, provides the colorful sound pallet that blankets the production. Happily, there are charming and revealing instrumental interludes by soloists in the five-piece band that’s on stage, notably Patrick Mangan on fiddle and Matt Bashford on the Uilleann pipes. On one hand, the instrumentalists take solo turns centerstage, sans dancers; on the other, they’re periodically integrated with the choreography — a very smart use of talented resources.

The production employs a central screen, framed by hanging banners, to project images that alternately look like photos and paintings to “set” the dance pieces. In some instances, there’s video in the holographic realm.

A team of choreographers is credited with the dance creations, including Michael Flatley, the iconic step dancing soloist who left the Riverdance ranks to lead a spin-off “Lord of the Dance” company. And so the river flows.

Set in 13 scenes plus a finale, Riverdance runs nearly two hours with an intermission. With all that energy shared, there’s no apparent sweating on stage. But as one spectator was heard as she exited, “Makes you wanna go home and get dancing. Except I sweat.” Indeed.
———

Remaining performances for Riverdance are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 3 and 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $25, $45, $55 and $75, available at the Blaisdell Center box office, all Ticketmaster outlets at Walmart and the Sports Gear Warehouse in Windward Mall, charge-by-phone 800-745-3000 and online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Read Wayne Harada’s Show Biz column Sundays in the Today section of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, as well as his Show and Tell Hawaii blog at www.staradvertiser.com. You can reach him at wayneharada@gmail.com.

Read this on the Riverdance website: Review ‘Riverdance is a cultural sensation’