The charm of "Riverdance" lies not only in the excellence of the dance itself but also in the profound cultural heritage it embodies. Although "Riverdance" has toured the world, including China, watching it in a theater in Dublin is an entirely different experience.
Coming to Ireland and strolling along the beautiful River Liffey, feeling the surging passion of this great river that flows through Dublin, you may understand why this nation remains so passionate about music and dance despite experiencing the vicissitudes of history, and you will not be surprised why "Riverdance" became a global phenomenon in just a few years. The creation of "Riverdance" has a legendary quality. Its creator, Michael Flatley, was originally invited to create a piece that was only 7 minutes long, objectively intended only to fill a gap in a competition. Unexpectedly, with the immense power of mass media, it created an overnight contemporary legend and spread Irish tap dance, along with the entire Irish national culture, across Europe and the world.
The concept of "Riverdance" is both simple and requires skillful execution: on stage, a stone-like background, with various colored projections surrounding it to change the shape of the stone, accompanied by constant Irish music and a large amount of Irish dance. The tremendous success of this performance is partly due to the ingenious creation of Moya Doherty—blending all the music and dance segments together with stunning drama—and the fast and skillful direction of John McColgan. His performance is as precise as a computer, yet he still manages to infuse the dance with an unexpectedly simple charm.
If you truly want to experience authentic Irish dance and appreciate "Riverdance," always choose the original production, because only in the theaters of Ireland, the birthplace of great playwrights like George Bernard Shaw and Samuel Beckett, can you feel the magical momentum and passionate vitality of "Riverdance."
It can be said that "Riverdance" dances out the soul of the Irish nation and also encompasses the temperament of this beautiful country, Ireland.