By Lucille Davie
GOING on the desperate cries for more at the end of the Lord of the Dance show on Wednesday night at the Civic Theatre, the show is bound to be a knockout success around the country.
Michael Flatley's Irish dance show is back in town with its stunning costumes, accomplished dancing, creative choreography and catchy Irish tunes and fiddles, and Joburgers like it . . . a lot.
The show, originally conceived by Flatley and first performed to huge acclaim in Ireland in 1996, toured South Africa in 2000 to an equally excited reception. It's back for eight weeks, three of those in Johannesburg.
Since 1996 it's gone on to perform at sell-out shows around the world, with sales of over 10 million CDs and to date has been seen by over 50 million people, and grossed over $400-million in ticket sales worldwide. At present there're four Lord of the Dance troupes touring the world.
The show focuses on an adapted 19th century Shaker tune entitled Lord of the Dance with the refrain (from the website):
Dance, then, wherever you may be; I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.
And dance that troupe of around 20 dancers did. At times it looked like their feet would fall off their ankles the way they twisted and turned them, almost tapping holes in the stage. In fact the tapping itself added a percussion dimension to the music, heralding the power and magic of the Lord of the Dance and his troupe, coming to the rescue against the forces of evil.
Marie Duffy, dance director, says this about Irish dancing on the Lord of the Dance: "Technically, it's about the placement of the feet, the flexibility of the ankles, and the timing and rhythm. Once they have that we can develop their style and body movements further."
Flatley himself is an extraordinary dancer - he holds the Guinness Book of World Records' record for the most number of taps per second: in 1998 at the age of 39 he recorded 35 taps per second.
In Lord of the Dance Flatley has interpreted the Irish myth of Don Dorcha, the dark lord, challenging the Lord of the Dance, through 1 000-year-old Irish dance traditions in spectacular style with a bunch of very talented dancers. The simple stage setting, the unusual lighting, the mostly wonderful costumes, and a dash of pyrotechnics, are captivating. Put this to traditional and modern Celtic music, and it makes for an entertaining night.
What really gets the audience on their feet is when the troupe stretch across the stage, moving those feet, smiling happily and dancing perfectly in sync. This is interspersed with some great fiddle playing by a talented pair, and some Irish songs, sung in a clear, beautiful voice.
Flatley retired from touring in July 2001, but is still directly involved in every show as creative director. The present show's principal dancers change every night, but Corna Smith moved his feet like lightning on Wednesday, dashing across the stage in stunning staccato movements.
Flatley's philosophy makes it easy to understand why he has achieved his extraordinary success: "Everyone in the world will tell you: 'No, it can't be done.' Every time I hear that, I know I'm close to success."
Fifty million people can't be wrong.
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