The Riverdance show is a popular Duffy Irish dance performance that has achieved worldwide success. It had a great beginning in April of 1994, when the first seven minute long dance was performed during the Eurovision Song Contest. It is said that this contest was broadcast to 300 million viewers around the world. Later that year, the Riverdance single reached No. 1 in the Irish charts, and No. 9 in the UK charts. Also, the dancers were asked to come on the Royal Variety Performance, where they danced in front of HRH Prince Charles. The tickets for the first ever Riverdance – The Show went on sale in November of that year, and received amazing sales in the first three weeks.
The Riverdance show
Riverdance – The Show began in February of 1995, with a five week run that was sold out. The video came out that year, with high sales immediately. They performed at the Royal Gala 50th Anniversary of VE Day, which was viewed by upwards of 20 million people. The dancers had several other sell-out runs, including at The Apollo, Hammersmith in London, and The Point Theatre in Dublin.
Throughout the years following the first runs and its rise to success, Riverdance has celebrated many first, including the first dance scholarships awarded in the 40 year history of the Irish Fulbright Commission, and cities such as San Francisco and New York City deeming two different days in March to be “Riverdance Day”. In 2002, the producer of Riverdance, Moya Doherty, was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters by the University of Ulster for her contributions in the area of arts enterprise. They also performed for the first time in Estonia that year.
The Riverdance production
The Riverdance production has toured all over North America, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. The production is currently on tour around the world, with a large number of shows throughout many countries and states. This show is a beautiful combination of sounds, colors, story, and dance, making it a delight to the senses.
Duffy Irish dance
This Duffy Irish dance performance tells a story of ancestors, and how the world as we know it has been designed. The first act deals with how the elements were negotiated to create our world, and also how the early people came to terms with their world. Through the various scenes, it moves from delighting in the natural world and the changing seasons, to poverty and slavery, to moving across the Atlantic and coming to embrace different cultures and form a connection through music and human yearning. It is an epic tale told through beautiful dance and instrumental, as well as vocal, music.
If you ever have the opportunity to attend the Riverdance show, you should take advantage of it. You will not regret going to one of these performances. Visit the official website to purchase tickets, or the local box office that sells Riverdance tickets. You may also want to purchase some souvenirs of this experience, such as a performance video on DVD or videotape, calendar, shirt, or poster.
Written by Amelia Young on behalf of The Marie Duffy Foundation. To find out more about Duffy Irish dance then please visit the website.
