I realize users of this site seem to hold Riverdance in pretty low esteem.
I have no opinion one way or the other. I’ve been playing high and low whistle and a bit of flute for a year and a half and enjoying it immensely, playing almost every day. I’ve seem some well known groups, some local groups and enjoyed but not yet played in local seisiuns. Picked up many 2nd hand Altan, Lunasa cds etc.
Riverdance is coming to town in the Fall. I’m not particularly interested in dance. I can appreciate foolish spectacle and kitsch for it’s own sake if it’s outrageous enough.
So is it worth going? Does it have anything to do with traditional music?
In my opinion, Riverdance is still the best of all those “Celtic Dance Shows” around and beats the shit out of LOTD and the rest. Of course it is Las Vegas-like stuff and the “story” that links the different numbers is very thin. But who cares? The music is enjoyable (though nowhere near “trad”) and the female dancers, singers and musicians are allowed to wear velvet instead of high heels and black leather :roll:
I totally enjoyed Riverdance. The company that played in Savannah seemed to truly enjoy their work. I usher for alot of events at our Civic Center, so I have seen Riverdance at least 6 times. I have also seen Lord of the Dance and Spirit of the Dance. In my opinion neither can compare to Riverdance. Riverdance also travelled with their own musicians.
Seriously, it IS a good show. It’s just not an example of the tradition as it usually works; it’s more like a 'Vegas production, and that’s the objection people have to it.
I think I saw a bit of it on a video in a video store. I have always enjoyed dancing extravaganzas and this looked like that. I don’t know about the story. I don’t think I would pay a whole lot to see it (or any show, I am too cheap), but I might try to rent the video.
I saw it back in 2000, when it was in NYC. I enjoyed it tremendously. It’s a preformance I could see several times, as there was so much going on between the dance and the music. I closed my eyes a couple of times just to listen to the music. Sounds very different than listening to the tape or CD of the preformace.
Thanks for the mostly positive comments. No one’s ever acuused me of being a purist - about anything. I’m not seeing a down-side. We’ll probably give it a look.
Excuse me, but aside from a smartaleck comment all I did was point out the reasons for some people’s objections to the show. As it happens I actually answered the initial question. Reasonably, too, I assert.
You might recall that I said that it’s a good show.
As an Irish dancer of seven years (and a traditional one, we certainly do not do the things they do!), I would definately say go see it. It’s a great, great thing. It’s not the most traditional thing in the world, no. However, it is a great more traditional than Lord of the Dance/Feet of Flames. The dancing is spectacular, and the compositions are haunting and beautiful. It’s an excellent show, and it actually does have traditional elements (the “form”, for example, is exactly the same as it would be in traditional dancing, and many of the moves are as well). Also, all of the Irish dancers in Riverdance are champions (from the Worlds and so on) of the traditional variety, and so you’re not getting some show where the quality is suspect.
As with many people who took up the low whistle, I discovered it because I heard it on Riverdance.
EDIT:I would, however, like to point out that some of the music-based numbers in Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames do contain traditional music. In fact, alot of the music-only numbers (if not all of them) are traditional. Not sure about Riverdance, but I know the LotD and FoF ones are since I’ve heard them played by the older guys.
I’m not sure it is Riverdance that everyone has such a low opinion, I think it might be more a certain dancer from Boston who is(was) associated with it…
Has anyone seen Flatley’s (whatever else you say about the guy, he is a talented dancer) latest production - Celtic Tiger? It is in Ottawa in October and I am considering goign to it.
