Programme
Sixteen years after it first burst upon the World, "Riverdance," the show which has become an icon for Irish culture, is still going strong with three touring casts worldwide in this it's Farewell year. The cast touring the UK and Europe is the 'Corrib' cast, consisting of around twenty Irish dancers, six Russian Folk Dancers, two jazz tappers, and one female Flamenco - all musically supported by a four strong band, five strong choir with female soloist, and solo male baritone vocalist.
The spectacle of pure Irish stepdance alone could not sustain a show of this duration, even with the themed elements (which are, in any case, thin and sometimes a bit of a stretch). To overcome that limitation, however, this show cleverly borrows upon other dance styles, either incorporating elements of them in an Irish dance fusion or else directly contrasting and even setting them in competition.
Leading the Irish dancers from the front on the night were Alan Kenefick and Maria Buffini who introduced us to some truly spectacular solo Irish stepdance routines, with flashing feet tapping impossibly fast, and accentuating the contrast against their essentially immobile upper bodies. When the full cast are on stage, they weave intricate patterns around each other. It's hard to keep up with and truly spectacular, with the girls even, at times, rising on point in their tap shoes! When the instantly recogniseable 'Riverdance' sequence itself arrives just before the interval a great murmur of approval and excitement ripples through the auditorium and brings everyone present to the edge of their seat.
The Russian Folk Dancers are equally as spectacular as their Irish counterparts as they perform a routine which is more contrast than comparison. The men leaping and high kicking and the women spinning across the stage or being whirled around gyroscopically by their male partners. Highpoint of the act is when one of the girls crouches in front of her male partner who then proceeds to whip her around at incredible speed like a human spinning top.
Marita Martinez Rey gives an incredibly dramatic performance of Spanish Flamenco, setting the stage alight with her passionate Firedance. Her solo was magnifent, but the segue into a routine in which she performed her Flamenco against three male Irish stepdancers less so. This was the only part of the show which, for me, didn't really work. The problem being that the sheer power and drama of Miss Rey's Flamenco simply overwhelmed her male counterparts.
The zenith of the evening's entertainment comes in the routine entitled "Trading Taps," exploring the clash of home-grown American and immigrant Irish culture. Here, our male Irish lead, gets into a confrontation with two American jazz tappers, Parker Hall and Lee Payne which turns into a kind of 'duelling banjos' on tap shoes as they trade blistering tap routines. Kenefick's footwork in this segment defies description and has to be seen to be beleived as he overcomes, but never subdues, his opponents.
There are moments away from the dance as the Riverdance dance choir, lead by solist Brioni Gallagher, deliver some soft ballads and baritone Charles Gray delivers a moving immigrant song celebrating the arrival of Irish settlers in America. Each of the members of the four-strong band also get solo moments to showcase their talents, not least among which is Niamh Fahy's mesmeric fiddle playing.
Whilst not as fresh as when it first burst upon the World, this is still a very good show which bubbles with energy and enthusiasm. The sheer boisterous enjoyment that permeates throughout the entire Corrib cast of incredibly talented dancers and musicians provides for a truly exhilaring spectacle which is sure to have you foot-tapping and even with my own recently sustained broken wrist (currently held together by K-wires) it was difficult to refrain from joining in the hand-clapping and rapturous applause that accompanied the more adventurous routines. If you have not seen "Riverdance" this 'Farewell Tour' could be a last chance that is not to be missed - but then, with a show as good as this one, a revival somewhere down the line seems inevitable.
A 'Farewell Tour' that, admittedly, lacks the show's original freshness but which has lost none of the high-octane energy or exhilarating excitement that has made it such a phenomenon. Don't miss a last chance to see.
Don Gillan - www.stagebeauty.net
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