The last dance for legendary 'Riverdance'

An inspiring gift from Ireland that transcends cultural boundaries

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The word “Riverdance” isn’t in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, but surely it should be.  The closest you get to Riverdance is Riverton, which the dictionary tells us is a town south of Salt Lake City in Utah, with a population of just over 25,000.

No offense to Riverton, but Riverdance is a far more worthy entrant. How would Webster define the international phenomenon that is Riverdance?  Much space would be needed.  

The show that started out as a seven minute intermission filler at the 1994 Eurovision song contest in Dublin has since blossomed into one of the most amazing success stories ever to come out of Ireland, a full-length celebration of Irish heritage and music and dance with a modern twist that is beloved by audiences the world over.

The statistics that Riverdance has piled up since its beginnings are simply staggering – the show has played nearly 10,000 performances in 40 countries, and more than 22 million people have seen it live in four continents.  The show also enjoyed a prosperous run on Broadway for 18 months.

Composer Bill Whelan’s soundtrack has sold more than three million copies, and he won a Grammy Award in 1997 for Best Musical Show Album.  Various Riverdance DVDs have been scooped up by more than 10 million fans, making it one of the most popular entertainment offerings in the world.  

And the show is still setting records no matter where it travels.  Riverdance just finished a 12-city tour of China, playing to more than 150,000 fans in the process. The tour marked the first time a western show has staged such a popular run in China, and plans are afoot to build on that success with another engagement later this year.

But in the meantime, there’s a special series of shows coming up next week for the St. Patrick’s season at Radio City Music Hall in New York, the home away from home for Riverdance.  

Radio City is, in many ways, where the show’s global seeds of success were planted.  It was first introduced to American audiences there in March of 1996, after it was expanded into a full-length music and dance extravaganza that earned raves during a run in London.

The reception on this side of the pond was even more ecstatic.  Fans – not just Irish ones – clamored for the completely unique show that offered something for everyone – flamenco dance, tap, vibrant music – all stitched together with a connection to Ireland that no one had ever before tapped into.

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Nster.com