By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
The famous dance performance ``Riverdance'' from Ireland is more than just a show, but a form of national pride.
The 15-year-old show is here in Korea for the first time, and the troupe indeed made a lasting impression on the local audience Friday night at a packed Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.
``Riverdance'' is a theatrical spectacle where dancers perform traditional Irish step dancing, famous for its rapid and energetic leg movements, while the upper body and arms are kept still.
The music for the show has also been a huge hit around the world, topping Irish music charts and even winning a Grammy.
Foreign reviews have pointed out that the repertoire could use some revisions, but nevertheless, it was exhilarating to watch the passionate show for the first time here.
Divided into two acts, ``Riverdance'' interprets life, the environment and feelings through the movements and music.
The dance is primarily what people come for, and it was indeed a treat to watch the 20 dancers tapping along the stage in perfect harmony. According to the performers, Irish dance is taught at school at an early age.
The lead dancers, Brendan Dorris and Deirdre Hamilton, showed what the famous dance form was all about: Not just rapidly scissoring your feet to music, but communicating with it and also connecting with the spectators every now and then between moves.
The Korean audience was poised and calm as usual despite the powerful moves the dancers were presenting on stage. It was not until the second act when it finally started to open up. When tap dancers Junior Laniyan and Toby Harris took the stage for a showdown with Dorris and other Irish dancers, the crowd couldn't help but laugh and the excitement continued with them clapping to the footwork, bravo-ing every now and then and nodding their heads to the Irish tunes on the fiddle.
The main repertoire is Irish, but ``Riverdance'' incorporates other cultural elements considering the different elements melted within society due to a long period of emigration.
``Firedance,'' for instance, featured flamenco dancer Carmen Armengou dressed in red, representing fire. Four dancers moved swiftly, circling around the ``fire,'' mesmerized by the heat and power, unable to touch but moving cautiously around her. Armengou was a favorite with the audience, mesmerizing them with her charismatic moves, which, surprisingly, worked perfectly with Celtic tunes mixed with the fiery Spanish flamenco melodies.
The final number, in which the dancers donned black and red outfits and danced in a straight line was an impressive finish, and the crowd joined in, clapping and whistling.
The secret to the ``surround sound'' tapping? Each dancer has a wireless microphone attached on their shoes, which makes it impossible not to hear the sharp, rhythmic taps.
The musicians had a charmingly impish vibe, and it was a delight to hear them working together and also as soloists throughout the show. Produced by Bill Whelan, the Celtic music was a breath of fresh air, yet the tunes of the fiddle and whistles managed to bring a sense of nostalgia.
Matt Bashford's uilleann pipes had the audience shaking their heads in wonder and awe as they heard the tunes Ireland live up close on the stage.
Fiddler Breandan O'Sullivan, saxophonist Paul Booth and musical director and drummer Guy Rickarby were also excellent in getting the audience excited and it was a great chance for local music fans to listen to the tunes up close and personal.
As Julian Erskine, the senior executive producer of the show, told reporters a few days before the run, ``Riverdance (is) original.''
In a sense, it resembles Korea's ``samulnori,'' the traditional percussion quartet, in that the two traditional performances offer energy, music and exhilarating moments that makes you tap your feet to the rhythm and shout out.
``In Dublin, where `Riverdance' was born, the river is important, as it is here,'' Erskine said. ``We consider this small Irish dance as our own little miracle of the Han.''
The original music from the show is also available on CD in local stores. The compilation album features 15 eclectic Celtic tunes that were written, arranged and produced by Whelan. The album topped the Irish music charts for 18 weeks and won a Grammy Award in 1997. It has sold 3 million copies worldwide. The version available in stores is the latest recording, from 2005.
``Riverdance'' continues through March 14 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets cost from 50,000 won to 120,000 won. For more information, visit www.interpark.co.kr.