Warning - Riverdance can be addictive!!
The story of Riverdance's International dancers

'Where can I learn to dance like those Riverdancers?' is heard after every Riverdance performance, from New York to Tokyo. The interest generated by Riverdance in the past 10 years has led to Irish Dancing schools opening in exotic locations like Mexico and Budapest. They attract enthusiastic beginners who have never been to Ireland but are learning jigs and reels and dreaming of the stage. With strong competition from the more traditional sources of Irish Dancers: Ireland, UK, North America and Australia, this dream seems far fetched but 2 young men proved that sometimes dreams can come true - through a lot of hard work and perseverance!

Gili Ben Ari and Takayuki Hayashi are not names you'd usually associate with the Irish Dance Troupe in Riverdance, however this October their names will be featured in the cast lists for the European and Far East tours respectively. Their stories are a tribute to the power of Riverdance to move people, sometimes to literally change their lives!

Takayuki or Taka as he is known in Europe was born in Japan in 1973. He was 27 years old and an IT consultant when he first saw Riverdance in his native Tokyo in 2000. Despite the obvious issues of age, culture and training he decided this was what he was born to do. He saved money for a year and then gave up his career, home and family to move to Ireland where he intended to learn Irish Dancing.

In November 2001 Taka arrived in Ireland with hardly a word of English. He quickly discovered Irish Dancing teachers did not want to take on a 28 year old beginner; despite his enthusiasm they had no interest. Taka persevered and taught himself using videos and even busked on the street. Finally, 9 months after his arrival there was a breakthrough, Taka found a workshop run in Dublin by Ronan McCormack, a well known former Riverdancer. Taka attended the workshop and knew it was what he was looking for.

Ronan officially became his teacher in September 2002 and from there events moved quickly. After 4 months training Taka won Intermediate Grade in his second Feis. In 2003 he was one of the dancers selected to perform in the 100 strong troupe line at the performance of Riverdance at the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics in Croke Park.

Taka (on right) poses with other dancers at rehearsals for the Special Olympics

Previously rejected by some teachers as too old to compete, Taka qualified and competed in the 2004 World Championships. Not one to put the brakes on, Taka then applied for the Masters (MA) in Traditional Irish Dance Performance at the University of Limerick. He was accepted for the course and graduates this October.

In 2005 Taka auditioned for Riverdance and was accepted. His first tour will be the October 05 - January 06 tour of the Far East, taking in Japan and his hometown Tokyo before heading to Taiwan and South Korea. Earlier in 2005 Taka travelled back to Japan as part of the Riverdance Flying Squad. The Japanese Media were fascinated by this man who had against all odds become a Riverdancer!

Taka with the Riverdance Flying Squad in Japan

While Taka was inspired by a live performance, Gili Ben Ari is an Israeli whose first introduction to Riverdance was through a video. A talented young basketball player playing for the Youth National Team, Gili's imagination was hooked by the video and despite having no contact with Ireland or Irish Dancing knew this was something he wanted to do.
Gili began searching for information on the internet about his new interest, Irish Dancing. Two months later he was teaching himself at home using the Olive Hurley videos. Initially Irish Dancing was a hobby he did for fun but gradually Gili grew to love it more and more. His increasing passion for Irish Dancing meant he began to neglect his studies, basketball and social life to train at home in solitude. However he was always delighted to visit a house with space and a good floor to practice on!
Shortly after beginning his Riverdance journey Gili met with a famous Israeli modern dancer and choreographer, Yaron Margolin. Margolin was instrumental in helping Gili realize his potential. Gili devised his own training program using his experience as a qualified basketball coach and explored other forms of dance and sport which have helped him train and persevere in the absence of an Irish Dancing teacher.

Gili rehearses up to 6 hours a day

A year after he began teaching himself, Gili decided to travel to Ireland to learn from a professional Irish Dancing teacher. His economic situation didn't allow for trips abroad and wages in Israel are quite low so he found himself rising at 3am to do newspaper rounds and cleaning jobs in order to raise the funds. Finally this determined young man saved enough money to travel to Ireland for a month's training with Yvonne Gillen of the Inis Eagla school. The effort was worth it as he received strong feedback and was delighted to finally experience dancing with trained Irish dancers.

Gili poses on stage

After this workshop he knew his burning ambition was to become a professional Irish Dancer. He traveled home and practiced up to 6 hours a day giving it all his attention and energy. After further visits to Ireland for training Gili was lucky enough to secure an audition with the Irish Dance Director for Riverdance, former lead dancer Eileen Martin. Eileen accepted Gili into Riverdance and he is due to join the Avoca Company, touring in Europe from October 2005.
Gili and Taka's stories are an amazing inspiration to all aspiring Riverdancers!