Riverdance back with a bang as it lifts roof off Cork's Marquee
Conor, Saoirse, and Nyah Burns (front row) at Riverdance with Teresa and Declan Cullinane, and Stuart and Valerie Burns, all from Timoleague. Pictures: Jim Coughlan.
After seven years, Riverdance is back on Leeside with a bang — literally. There is just something about those thunderous vibrations that makes you want to don your tricolour and run up and down Patrick’s Hill. Even after the show’s hiatus, tonight was no different.
Since its creation, Riverdance has been performed more than 12,000 times and seen live by more than 27.5m people. This by far makes it one of the most notable cultural experiences in the world. However, as the sounds of young families, elderly couples, and groups of Irish dancing schools enter the big top, and children as young as six shuffle into their seats, it quickly dawns on me that these little kids have never seen the show in real life before. This will be their first experience.
After a quick, in-person introduction from director John McColgan, a historical highlight reel of Riverdancers and their musicians from the past quarter century plays, unleashing a wave of nostalgia. Suddenly the marquee chairs start jittering and the stalls begin to knock.
Bang, it’s back, its home, on Irish soil for the first time since before the pandemic. Just as it had when it filled the intermission slot at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, the Grammy-award winning music and thrilling energy had the audience in the palm of their hands.
The new costume designs and the digital set projections are modern updates but they don’t detract from the original choreography, performance, and spirit of the show. With two acts spilt into 18 scenes, the reimagined 25th anniversary show has something for everyone.
The first act depicts ancient Ireland and the power of the elements and the seasons, with the help of a fiery flamenco dancer. This culminated in the legendary line-up led by principal dancers for the evening, Fergus Fitzpatrick and Amy-Mae Dolan.
Principle roles are rotated during the run with Cork City’s very own John Longeran taking centre stage for Saturday’s matinee. The world champion Irish dancer opened the show’s very first marquee gig in 2015 and has since established his own Irish dancing school in Ballyphenane.
Young Cork Irish dance students watching their Corkonian Irish dance teacher lead Riverdance in Cork is a moment fit for the rebel history books.
The second act ups the ante, focusing on how famine and ambition drove the Irish overseas. Fiery Latin dance rhythms and high-energy American tappers matched the passion of the Irish dance troupe before the battle of the musicians began.
Bang, batter, hop, one, two, three, Riverdance successfully lifted the roof off Cork’s Marquee.
