The producer of RIVERDANCE, Moya Doherty, has announced that the United States touring production will play its final performance on Sunday, June 17, 2012 at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts in Vienna, VA.

“When we opened RIVERDANCE in New York in March 1996, we never thought for one minute that our show would still be running 15 years later,” said Moya Doherty.

“Three years ago we embarked on our farewell tour, saying good-bye to every city in North America we have ever played in over the years, and next June 17th in our 16th year this current production of RIVERDANCE will end and  we will say our final good-bye.  It has been a source of immense pride for me as Producer that America took RIVERDANCE to its heart to such an amazing extent and I would like to pay tribute to every dancer, musician, singer and all the crew and staff who served RIVERDANCE so well over the years."

RIVERDANCE, has been performing in the United States since March, 1996 when it had its U.S. premiere at Radio CityMusic Hall in New York. Since then, the show has tapped its way onto the world stage thrilling millions of people around the globe. World tours will continue but not in America.

Composed by Bill Whelan, produced by Moya Doherty and directed by John McColgan, to date, RIVERDANCE  has played over 10,000 performances, been seen live by more than 22 million people in over 350 venues throughout 40 countries across 4 continents.

READ MORE:

Irish culture, Irish dance and 'Riverdance' embraced in Israeli - VIDEO

Robert Ballagh donates Israeli 'Riverdance' profits to Gaza flotilla

‘Riverdance’ composer Bill Whelan to unveil new music

They have traveled well over 600,000 miles (or to the moon and back!), played to a worldwide television audience of 2 billion; sold over 3 million copies of the Grammy Award-winning CD (certified Platinum in the US) and over 10 million videos, making it one of the best-selling entertainment videos in the world!

RIVERDANCE had its world premiere at the Point Theatre, Dublin, in February 1995, where it opened to unanimous critical acclaim.

What began as a seven-minute dance segment on the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest (televised to over 300 million people throughout Europe) and then quickly turned into a full-scale production has become much more than an international theatrical success.