Dancing back into our hearts
ADRIAN Espulso is embracing his Celtic heritage in a new stage show taking Irish dancing into the 21st century.
The X Factor and I Will Survive alumni stars in the new rock show Eireborne alongside legendary Irish dancer and former Riverdance member Peta Anderson.
As the singing and dancing barman at O’Hennessy’s Pub, Espulso welcomes the audience to a traditional ceili night where his rocking band perform both traditional and modern world-wide hits as dancers kick up their heels to traditional and modern Irish music.
“The start is more like an intro to Ireland,” he says. “We sing some folk songs and then by the end of the first half we get to the history of Irish dance. I think that’s really cool for a lot of people to see considering there’s so much Irish heritage here. Then by the second half we get into the rock side of things and add Irish dance to those songs.”
The new touring show features songs by U2, The Cranberries, Van Morrison, Hozier, The Script, Ronan Keating, Enya and Bob Geldoff.
“You get to see me try an Irish dance, but as the barman it’s more singing and having fun with the crowd,” Espulso says.
“When I sing Gloria by Van Morrison and I get to the ‘G’ everyone’s faces light up. That would have to be my all-time favourite song in the show.
“We have a live band, so being able to sing in front of that and have a guitarist, pianist, drummer and fiddler is awesome.”
Espulso looked to his family members when it came to inspiration for his Irish barman character.
“My mother is half Irish so it was great to work on my accent with her,” he says.
“I based my accent off one of my uncles. They’re all from Kilkenny.”
Espulso says Eireborne will have audiences looking at the traditional style of dance in a new way.
“This shows why these people are doing what they do and how you can do a lot more with it,” he says.
“As choreographer and co-creator, Peta breaks the boundary of what people think Irish dance is.
“It’s all about how jovial Ireland is. It’s one of the best shows I’ve ever been in.”