Fildza | 10 Nov 2000

Riverdance - The Show opened in Singapore on the 2nd of November. Brought in by IMG International, the show is almost sold out for the entire duration!

Originated from Ireland, the dance depicts the celebration of the Irish traditional dance as an expression of togetherness.

It came to Singapore with many fanfares. During the press conference, Riverdance promised the audience a blast of a time. True to their words, they came to deliver.

Riverdance - The Show itself is high in energy. The dancers displayed tremendous amount of strength in their dance. Everybody was dancing in unison. No one took the limelight away from each other. The lead dancers too showed what it takes to be lead. Their high kicks and their poise outshone themselves from the rest.

The show showed the evolution of the Irish tap dance. As the show goes on, different influences came and somehow molded the present Irish tap dance.

I must admit that I'm not a fan of traditional dances. Their stiff upper bodies (it's rather awkward though since it's a dance) and happy faces somehow expressed that they are withstanding the pain that they have to endure throughout the dance. But I do admire their determination because it is definitely not easy to get all the steps and do it in sync with the others.

The music is played live and the singers sang live too. Everybody had a part to play. Each aspect of the show had their own significance. They were rightfully given their own set.

The highlight of the show would probably be the set with the African American tap dancers. They came and wooed the audience away. It was obvious that they had a natural flair for dancing. They danced with ease, a stark contrast from their Irish tap dancers counterparts. They did amazing summersaults and a bit of breakdancing too. They entertained the audience with their hilarious antics.

With an average age of 20-21 years for the dancers, the biggest emergency ever faced was to get everyone to move from one place to another. According to the stage manager, it was a nightmare moving 113 people (total number of people on the troupe) from one city to another.

Nightmare or not, Riverdance fascinated more than thousands of people in many different countries already!

Behind the show