Riverdance: The Show (1995)
Riverdance--The Show is a cultural phenomenon that defies criticism for the enthusiastic and leaves everyone else scratching their heads. The wonderfully talented cast, headed by the Riverdance Irish Dance Company, bewitchingly spins (and stomps) its Celtic folk choreography featuring numerous breathless solos by Michael Flatley (since departed) and Jean Butler. The mellifluous Riverdance Orchestra boasts Davy Spillane, who coaxes plaintive lamentations out of a peculiar instrument that resembles a bagpipe in a metal leg brace. For Enya fans, there is the sound-alike choral group Anuna, who casts a similarly New Age-style vocal spell. Also thrown into the mix are such disparate folk traditions as American gospel and Spanish flamenco. Though it's only 70 minutes long, Riverdance is repetitive by half. But judging from the ecstatic audience ovations and the continued foot-stomping during and after the curtain calls, too much is still not enough. --Richard Natale
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Sorry, this movie sucks
Instant Favorite.
A brilliant film that helped define a genre
After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.
I've been an Irish dancer, on and off, for several years, but what got me started in the first place, as it did all over the world to budding Irish dancers, was THIS show. The overall efforts of the Dancing troupe, Maria Pages (the fiery flamenco dancer), Bill Whelan (composer)and Michael Flatley and Jean Butler are amazing. The music is at times very fast paced, and you can barely catch all that's happening in stage, let alone wonder how they do it, and other times it's incredibly sad and haunting (Davy Spillane, Irish bagpipe player, who coaxes breathtaking laments out of a very complex instrument to play). And the dancing is a whirlwind of shoe tapping, perfect synchronous and well-timed. Not to mention...SO COOL!The Moscow Ballet Troupe is so acrobatic, and fun- and the singing really is heavenly (thanks to the choral sensation 'Anuna'). The American Tap Group was a blend of the comical and the captivating, all wonderfully talented, and the two lead dancers, Michael and Jean, are the greatest presences on stage EVER. Despite the many productions that followed, no-one could manage the 'show' character to be able to fill up a stage like those pair! (Or an audience.) And Maria Page defines the word 'graceful' with her Firedance- my favourite couple dance in the world, is the one between her and Michael. Riverdance is an amazing and brilliant first step onto the wider world stage, for both Irish dancing and its rich tapestry of history and folklore. Anyone who hasn't seen this is missing out!
It is because of the movie "Billy Elliot" that I wanted to watch "Riverdance"; I just needed some more of that folk dance foot-stomping energy that Billy would use at the beginning of his dances and I figured that Riverdance would have it. And boy does it have it, and then some! I have never seen and hardly dared imagine anything like this before. And never again can anybody say, "white folk don't have rhythm"--you can hardly be more "white" than the Irish, nor hardly more rhythmic than what was displayed here!Michael Flatley, the composer, and his spectacular companies of dancers and musicians have created and performed a phenomenally inspiring and soul-stirring exhibition of pride, power, and beauty. I've heard of ballet dancers who leap and then seem to hang in the air in violation of the dictates of gravity. Well, the same is true with these dancers, who, with the complicated patterns of leg kicks interspersed with their powerful tap dancing seem to be as immune from gravity as winged unicorns.Historically, the Irish have had a hard time of it (Angela's Ashes and all that), but listening to music like this where the human spirit infinitely yearns and the body prevails against any obstacle, I can feel the mystical, eternal strength of ancient Celtic and Druidic roots that predated Roman and Christian invasions. I'm not really sure of the meaning of the title, "Riverdance", but I believe it has something to do with leprechaun-like water spirits; there is an emotional element of fairyland magic or the revelation of a mystical dimension that is somehow inside the world we normally inhabit. The Irish are true survivors and now, finally, their country is emerging as one of the most successful economic powerhouses in the new Europe--they have amply shown that they have the strength, magic, and spirit to prevail; may they long and abundantly prosper.Beyond the spiritual and physical dimensions of these performances, there was a great intellectualism, too, a mathematics and spacial relations in the dance routines that was an amazement and a delight to the mind as well as to the eye. What a joy it all was to behold: such smiling stamina, such expressive integration with the rhythms and the emotions of the music, what beautiful and humorous people who seemed to be having as much fun exploding their controlled energy on stage as it was for the ecstatic audience to watch them.And finally, Michael Flatley, obviously the star of the show, never quite lorded over everybody else or succumbed to what might be a justifiable arrogance, but freely expressed through winks, smiles, and various pats on the arm signs of warmth, appreciation, and love for his fellow dancers, which was a great pleasure to see.I happily wear green on St. Patrick's Day and my roots are from somewhere on the British Isles, but now that I've seen "Riverdance", I really wish that I were Irish!
I bought both videos and the CD after seeing the live performance at Wolf Trap Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, VA. It still takes my breath away when I watch the video. I am 41 years old, and only two things have ever taken my breath away like that. One was flying over the Big Island of Hawai'i in a helicopter, and the other was seeing Riverdance. If you can possibly see the live performance, do so. Otherwise, see the video.
Just because she got to work with Michael Flatley....anyway, I want to say that I've seen this video so many times it's not even funny. I love it! the dancing's great, but what I really love is the music..I mean how can you NOT love the music? :)