‘Riverdance family’ ready for Marquee outing
(Left to right) Members of the cast of Riverdance, Brian Shinners, Ruth Charles, Ellen Bonner, Jason O’Neill, Keeva Corry and John Lonergan pictured in Cork, as it was announced they will once again play Live at the Marquee in June. Photo: Mark Stedman
The Riverdance cast is returning to tour Ireland and director John McColgan says he is proud of what the show has achieved and the people it has been a platform for over 25 years.
Mr McColgan was speaking at the announcement this week that Riverdance: The New 25th Anniversary Show will open at Cork’s Live at the Marquee in June. He co-founded the Irish dance phenomenon with his wife, producer Moya Doherty, and he said the “Riverdance family” that tours the world is a welcoming troupe.
“They call themselves the ‘Riverdance family’ and when they're on the road, when there are some ups and downs and people get depressed or need looking after, they really look out for each other,” he said.
“Nobody's abandoned and they are really kind to each other. There's such a family atmosphere and there’s so much love of the work and love of each other.” Mr McColgan says today would-be members audition for Riverdance online but some, such as Morgan Bullock, catch their eye through social media.
In summer 2020, Ms Bullock shared a video of herself on TikTok performing Irish dancing to Megan The Stallion's ‘Savage Remix’. The video went viral and received a phenomenal response all over the globe. Today, she is part of the Riverdance company touring the UK.
“She put her video up online without any encouragement from anybody. She is in an Irish dance school in Virginia and she put a video of herself up doing an Irish dance with a hip hop influence. It got a huge reaction,” Mr McColgan said.
“We saw it and my director and producer Padraic Moyles contacted her and said that he would like her to join the company. That was how it started. She's now in the company that's touring in the United Kingdom. And Ruth Charles [a black member who will be performing at Live at the Marquee], this is her first tour with us. She’s going to Dubai.”
Mr McColgan paused before adding how since the beginning, he wanted Riverdance to be a home for all nationalities and has always welcomed good dancers to the stage. “It was always very important to me that the show be multicultural, even from the very beginning before it was as ‘fashionable’ as it is now.
"We had Spanish dancers, Russian dancers, African American dancers. Over the years, who would have thought that black kids would be in the show? I’m very proud of that. The multicultural aspect of it is really important. I think without saying anything, it says something.”
In addition, Mr McColgan says Riverdance has a certain something that appeals to audiences of all languages. “It's whatever the show has, it strikes a chord. You don’t have to be Irish, there's no language barrier, the emotion...
"I say to the kids, if you all have the same thought in your head and you look out at these audiences, you don't need to speak, they can read your emotions and they know what you’re feeling, and that actually works.”
The ‘Riverdance family’ sentiment described by McColgan was echoed at the launch at the River Lee Hotel by Cork member John Lonergan from Ballyphehane who has been in the company for a decade.
“Typically the people who've been around since I began 10 years ago have stayed the same. It is like a family so it's very hard to leave, and they always say that even when you do, you never really leave it you're always around the place anyway.” Mr Lonergan describes being in Riverdance as a dream come true.
“In recent years it’s been one of those goals accomplished, a tick off the list. It has been brilliant,” he said.
“I learned Irish dancing through primary school. I went to Gaelscoil an Teaghlaigh Naofa on Tory Top Road and they had a curriculum where you had to do Irish dancing once a week. I remember turning to the teacher one day, saying I loved it. She said to come to private classes. That was the start of it.
“Riverdance was one of those dreams that was always there. My era would have grown up with Jean Butler and Michael Flatley on VHS and rewinding it. I remember always trying to do the steps and copy what they were doing.
"Fast forward 15 or 16 years later to actually be in Riverdance, you're just thinking, ‘Oh my god, this is actually crazy’.” Mr Lonergan, who now runs his own Irish dancing school, says he is looking forward to catching up with his own family thanks to the time they will spend in Cork.
“Typically when on tour, we would be based in Dublin,” he said.
“I’m living in Cork at the moment. It's nice to be back with my family, it's brilliant. When you're touring for eight or nine years, you miss a lot of family events, so to be able to make that time up with your family is great.”
Riverdance: The New 25th Anniversary Show runs at Live at the Marquee from June 2 to 5, 2022. Tickets are on sale now.
