Riverdance

Last night my wonderful Grandma took me and a friend to see Riverdance at the Mayflower theatre in Southampton.
For those that don't know me, this is HUGE for me! I was an Irish dancer for many years and this was the show that launched us on the world and
said "hey, look what we can do" and suddenly everyone wanted you to come to their birthday party just so you could do a jig to bewitched.

It was the 20th anniversary of the show and I have been waiting 20 years to see it and oh my gosh it did not disappoint! Dancers from all over the world had auditioned and clearly it was the best of the best performing. Their footwork was fast, furious and right on form, the costumes were stunning, the musicians were fantastic and the whole show was absolutely breath taking. As in the original show they had other styles of dance,  tap, Spanish and Russian. It was spectacular and I must shamefully admit that I did a little cry, right after I almost wet myself with excitement! Nice, enjoy that thought!

My biggest fear was what the cast had to live up to. When Riverdance first came out, people went nuts! Michael Flatley practically became a rockstar overnight and he was, well, he was the Lord of the Dance. I was very apprehensive about the show for this reason, not because I didn't have faith in the performers, but because a show of that calibre has to be carried perfectly. I was definitely not disappointed. 
The whole cast were fantastic and I held my breath as the principal dancers took to the stage and they absolutely blew me away!

Stephen Brennan was phenomenal! He commanded the stage and had the audience captivated from the moment he stepped out. His footwork was exquisite and he did not miss a beat. His performance was strong, powerful and in my personal opinion he was on par if not better than Flatley.

As for Alana Mallon she was beautiful, graceful and so unbelievably strong in her performance. Everything from her footwork, to her arm lines to the tips of her fingers, was so magical and she absolutely captivated the audience. She is a very beautiful dancer and quite frankly I could watch the pair of them for hours.

The rest of the cast, including the other dancers, singers, musicians and, well, the entire crew, were fantastic.
To my knowledge the show went off without a hitch (but from my backstage experience that may not be so haha). It was just fantastic and I left feeling extremely overwhelmed, emotional and bursting with pride.

It has foremost inspired me to go back to dancing........I will drag this "voluptuous" 30 year old ass back down to the Irish Centre whether it likes it or not. Secondly it brought back so many fond memories of my life as an Irish dancer. All the fantastic people I have met, experiences and achievements such as representing England for the 50th Anniversary of the European Union, meeting the Queen at St James Palace, competing all over the country in Feis'. Spending hours, ripping tights up for my Gran to tie my hair in rags so I had those beautiful,  perfect ringlets (I was still around when the wigs and hair pieces came in, what a life saver) and doing Irish dancing at basically every opportunity I got, like the school talent show.
Best of all, getting out of school every year on St Patricks day, just to give the mayor a pot of shamrock hahaha.

I still dance but different styles, such as freestyle and contemporary,  but I do miss the Irish dancing. It was such a sense of community as well, a massive family.

In conclusion, I recommend anyone who hasn't seen Riverdance, try your very best to go, I can guarantee you won't regret it. If you are unfortunate in this endeavour and can't get to see it, get the DVD, it'll warm the cockles of your heart, put a great big smile on your face and leave you absolutely breathless shouting at the person next to you "how the hell do they move their feet that fast".

To the cast and crew of Riverdance (and my wonderful Grandma) thank you for simply one of the best nights of my life and thank you for reigniting that flame. I forgot how much joy it brought to my life and I hope to share that some day with my beautiful daughter. She can start at 2 right?!

To the Boyle O'Dowda school of Irish Dance..........please take me back and whip this butt into shape!

And finally to any of you who fancy a new challenge, find a dance school and get involved. It's so rewarding and just the most amazing experience! Even if irish dancing isn't your thing, to have that community, friendship and family, to be part of a team whilst keeping fit, healthy and probably most importantly, having fun......to have all this in your life is so uplifting and gives you such a sense of achievement and positivity. After all, DANCE IS THE LANGUAGE OF THE SOUL xXx