Two dancers touring the United States with Riverdance 30 – The New Generation spent a good part of their St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago at the Irish American Heritage Center teaching a workshop and promoting the show’s April 22 – 27 stop at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.
“The production has new costumes, updated lighting, a revamped score and retains its iconic choreography,” dancer Sam Felling said.
Produced by John McColgan and Moya Doherty, Riverdance entered the world as a 7-minute intermission piece at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, which was staged at Dublin’s Point Theatre that year. If you haven’t seen Eurovision, each competing nation is represented by one singer and one song. Eurovision’s most famous performers have been Abba in 1974 and Celine Dion in 1988.
A sensation in the making, next for Riverdance was a video, with the proceeds going to help famine-and-genocide ravaged Rwanda. The 2-hour theatrical version debuted in February 1995 at The Point.
Bill Whalen’s score took on a life of its own, too, with the titular number becoming one of the best-selling songs of all time in Ireland and the music winning a Grammy.
Riverdance also launched the career of Chicago’s dancing plumber, Michael Flatley. Flatley and the Riverdance producers parted ways. He went on to put together Lord of Dance, which premiered in 1996, and other shows.
Step forward to today.
Felling hails from St. Louis, where she took up Irish dancing at the age of six with The Clark Academy of Irish Dance. She’s performed in various Irish dance productions in more than 25 countries and first joined Riverdance in 2023.
After the workshop, Felling headed back to St. Louis to enjoy the rest of the holiday with her family. The Fellings frequently hit the Ancient Order of Hibernians St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the Dogtown neighborhood, she said.
Joining Felling to lead the workshop was Brianna Doran. Doran is from the Raleigh, NC area, and her father is from County Down. Doran and her family saw Riverdance when she was very young, and she was hooked.
Like Felling, Doran said she would be heading home after the workshop to her family. They’d be having the traditional American Irish corned beef and cabbage dinner. Back in North Carolina, Doran is an assistant teacher at the Triggle Academy of Irish Dance . She’s also a real estate agent.
As for the workshop, the two dancers said it was the first that they had done for Riverdance. While the Irish American Heritage Center has hosted workshops with Irish dance schools, staff said it was the first-of-its kind offering there, too.
Broadway in Chicago put together the gathering and promoted it on social media. It was open to dancers of all skill levels and drew about 30 participants.
Showing the continued appeal of Riverdance, the event also drew coverage from quite a few Chicago media outlets and even a crew from Korea.
Some reporters even took part. Not me. I get exhausted just watching Irish dancing. Plus, Conan O’Brien did this already.
Besides, in my oversized scally cap and tweed sport coat, I was dressed like John Wayne in The Quiet Man.
Braver than me and maybe around the same age, Amanda Robertson of Chicago was one of those who did join the workshop.
“I found out about it on Instagram and thought I would give it a try. I love Riverdance and watch it all the time. This is my first crack at it,” Robertson said.
During a break, Roberton said that the workout-like workshop was kicking her butt.
Even experienced dancer Brazhal Brewer of Chicago said her calves were burning by break time.
“I’ve done ballet, jazz and hip-hop and was excited to try Irish dancing,” Brewer said.
Brewer quickly learned how important breath control is for Irish dancing – along with great posture, working as a team and working on movements she found to be a bit robotic.
“I like to think I am in okay shape, but Irish dancing is quite athletic. You need strong legs and good balance,” said Eve Kotlarz of Niles. “Taking this workshop is giving me a renewed respect for the craft of Irish dancing.”
Past gathering intel, I tried to change into a kilt for the rest of my St. Patrick’s Day excursions in the city. Alas, a kilt strap buckle broke, leaving me in a precarious spot in the men’s bathroom, then fumbling to get back into my pants.
See, watching all that dancing made Best Fest Buddy Tom and I hungry. We headed to Manny’s for corned beef and pastrami, as planned. In his black kilt, cap, sweater and Vans, Tom blended in nicely with the deli’s decor.
Bellies filled, next we drove to Chief O’Neill’s for a taste of the early afternoon merriment there. Soon it was time to hit the congested Kennedy for the drive back to the northwest suburbs to meet friends at Rosie O’Hares.
Dancer Felling’s flight to St. Louis probably took less time than our drive home. Either way, once ensconced at Rosie’s, we caught bits of news pieces about the Riverdance workshop on the pub’s TVs, which brought the day full circle.
By the way, I changed into a different kilt for the occasion – and wound up posing with Tom and Dubliner/raconteur Shay Clarke as an impromptu human version of the Irish tricolor.
None of us can dance, but we do have a flair for fashion.
