Flint, Michigan is internationally renowned as the birthplace of the GM automobile. Today, Flint is the third largest city in Michigan, due in great part to the development of the automobile industry. The first car, developed by Louis Chevrolet and built with assistance from William Durant, the founder of General Motors, was assembled in Flint. Unfortunately we had a very brief engagement here, not allowing us to do much else but perform at the Flint Cultural Centre. In between shows on the Tuesday we enjoyed an outdoor catered meal in the sun.

The latter half of this week brought us to the Washington D.C. area and to a favourite stop on the Riverdance tour for the last 10 years, Wolf Trap. Located at America's National Park for the Performing Arts, Wolf Trap plays an instrumental role in both the local and national performing arts communities. Wolf Trap's Filene Centre provides the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area with a magical outdoor venue for world-class performances of every genre. Operated in partnership with the National Park Service, Wolf Trap houses over 90 performances annually from late May to early September.

The crowds begin to gather on the lawn at Wolf Trap

2007 was a very special engagement for Riverdance. Since the theatre opened its doors in 1971 no other show has performed as many shows as Riverdance have and no other touring show in the history of American theatre has played the same theatre 10 times. Over half a million people alone have seen Riverdance at Wolf Trap in the decade the show has performed there, a record Riverdance is especially proud of. To mark the occasion, Senior Executive Producer Julian Erskine made a special presentation of Waterford Irish Crystal to the theatre and in return a wonderful 10th anniversary cake was wheeled onto to the stage during the finale on opening night.

Happy 10th Anniversary Riverdance

Audiences at Wolf Trap are always so appreciative. It is a very special theatre to dance at, as when lights go up at the top of Act 1 it is still bright out and you can see everyone in the audience. It is amazing to see the atmosphere change as it gets darker, number by number. Although Wolf Trap is a seated theatre, there is also a lawn at the back where audience members sit and picnic during the show. Wolf trap was definitely a favourite stop this Boyne tour!

The Boyne Company 2007 at Wolf Trap

Stretching backstage prior to the show commencing

With such a close proximity to Washington D.C. many company members used the daytime before shows to take the short trip to the Nation's Capital city. From its iconic monuments and buildings to its historic neighbourhoods and free museums, the capital of the United States offers so many interesting attractions. For history-lovers and culture fans, DC is replete with world-class museums and arts venues. The Smithsonian alone includes 15 distinct museums with vast collections of art and artefacts, including the Air and Space Museum and the Museum of American History. It comes as no surprise, then, that DC has an allure all its own. The city unites politics, cosmopolitan energy and culture with amazing dining, shopping and nightlife, crafting a melting pot of international influence that's not only a perfect destination spot but a chunk of the American experience itself.

Washington D.C.'s most famous landmark The White House

In Vienna we celebrated lead dancer Liam Ayres, troupe member Lisa Murphy and Sound Engineer Willie Mannion's birthdays and we had some emotional goodbyes to 4 dancers who were not joining us for our Boston run. Goodbye and thank you to Ciaran Connolly, Scott Doherty, Jillian Farmer and Siobhan Burke.

Scott Doherty and Jillian Farmer on their last day at Wolf Trap