Drown the River Dancers!

This video reinforces my long held prejudice - They should have drowned the River Dancers!

My own Irish dancing career was noticeably unsuccessful – at the third class I attended I put a foot wrong, the large female teacher slapped me on the leg, I suggested (even as a six year old I had a poetic talent) she possessed a distinct bovine resemblance and I was banned from the class! This did not endear me to “Irish dancing” – in reality a Victorian contrivance by Taliban 19th Century Irish Clergy to stop “immoral dancing”, hence no touching and no upper body movement. The resurgent Catholic Church in Ireland after Catholic Emancipation in Ireland was in no doubt that syncopation leads to procreation!


Riverdance Troupe

Riverdance was first performed during the interval of the Eurovision Song Contest on April 30, 1994. It received a standing ovation as it was a brilliant and riveting interval piece. This first performance featured Irish Dancing Champions Jean Butler & Michael Flatley, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the Celtic choral group Anúna with a score written by Bill Whelan. Whelan had also composed "Timedance" — an early version of "Riverdance" — for the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest, performed by Planxty. Most of the show's choreography was created by Flatley who grew up in Chicago.


DayGlo dancers with inflammable wigs!

In 1998 I remember getting free tickets for it at the Hammersmith Palais and being bored senseless – Free was too expensive! The attempt to drag out an interval feature which had huge visual and aural impact due to the “thunderclap” where 100 dancers stop all together into a two hour “Story of the Dance” which would unify Mankind and with loads of cod-Celtic mythology thrown in was embarrassing. A couple of years ago whilst walking around Manchester’s wonderful Gothic Revival City Hall I realised to my horror that the “Cheshire Céilí” a major plastic paddy celebration in those parts was taking place. As I tried hard to ignore the proceedings wandering through this iconic building I was terrified by these young possessed kids “practicing” like Dervishes on speed coming towards you at high velocity decked out in “traditional” day-glo dresses (for television!) and with equally traditional fire risks on their heads of “beautiful curly hair” which had come from an oil refinery with the ringlets designed to bounce up and down with the steps.

Yesireee, this lot were doing “The Walls of Limerick” brick by brick! To paraphrase the immortal Jim Royle “Irish Dancing me A#se!”