20 years later, ‘Riverdance’ is still true to its Irish roots
More than 20 years on, those “Riverdance” performers still aren’t moving their arms.
It sounds like a cheap shot, but it’s actually a compliment that most readers will know what that means: If you’ve reached parody level for mainstream America, than you’ve made it big. And even the show itself can’t resist a joke or two at the expense of the traditional Irish dancing posture.
The celebratory 20th-anniversary tour of the worldwide phenomenon — which has been on the road since 2015 — is in town at Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts through today.
The dancers get most of the attention, but at Friday night’s show I was struck by the musicianship. The four band members drive the emotions of the show as much as their limber colleagues. Musical director Patrick Mangan turns up the heat with his fiddling, Tara Howley finds nuances in the sound of the Uilleann Pipes, a form of bagpipes.
A lovely chorus of company members, even through amplification, creates a rich, warm sound — with lush harmonies. Floating over the top of them is perhaps the sweetest soprano voice I have ever heard. Crystal clear without even a hint of shrillness, this is the voice you think of when you imagine what an angel sounds like. (Unfortunately, she is not credited in the playbill — a true unsung hero.)
The dancing remains first rate. The level of precision still astounds, even as the stagecraft sometimes gets carried away — a fog machine works overtime, and the recorded narration still strikes me as overblown.
The second act, which feels a bit padded, introduces the fiercest dance-off since the Jets and Sharks fought over the streets of New York. Tap dancers DeWitt Fleming Jr. and Tyler Knowling add some funk to the proceedings as they good-naturedly compete for audience affection with traditional Irish dancers. The number does show vividly — without a word being spoken – how different cultures might have more in common than they realize.
Fleming also performs as a vocal soloist on “Heal Their Hearts — Freedom.” However, that number doesn’t stylistically mesh well with the rest of the show and its emphasis on movement.
It’s not just the quickstepping Irish movements that merit applause. Rocio Montoya brings Spanish pizazz to a pair of flamenco numbers, and a Russian ensemble displays strength and grace as its members combine ballet, contemporary and traditional moves for a thrilling performance.
Perhaps the most important legacy of “Riverdance” is not so much its emphasis on Irish culture, but rather that it reminds us all of the joy to be found in dance.