Leigh Ann Mckenna, right and Damien Doherty, star in "The
Lord of the Dance." |
Feet flying and hearts racing, the step dancing craze has been growing
dramatically in China's capital city since the news broke that the Irish wonder
"Riverdance" was coming to Beijing in early 2003.And although postponed by the
SARS outbreak for several months, the eight sold-out shows at the Great Hall of
the People in October proved that people's fascination did not fade.
Late last year, another Irish dance group "The Spirit of Dance" again
thrilled local audiences when they performed at the Beijing Exhibition Hall
Theatre.
Meanwhile, TV shows focusing on Irish step dancing have become popular and
many parents send their kids to the Beijing-based Yan Ling Dance School to learn
the style of dance.
Yan, director of the school, teaches the young dancers by watching
"Riverdance" and "Lord of the Dance" videos.
Obviously, the attraction of Irish dance is still powerful for Chinese
audiences. And it's the right time for Michael Flatley and his "Lord of the
Dance" to tour Beijing.
Enchanting tours
To the many millions of his fans in all corners of the world, Michael
Flatley's name is synonymous with the wave of Celtic dance mania.
His swaggering, muscular style, uncompromising precision and spectacular
speed - 35 taps per second according to the Guinness Book of World Records -
brought the mesmerizing magic of Irish dance to the international arena in 1994,
at the Eurovision Song Contest held in Dublin and broadcast it to a global TV
audience.
Flatley's 7-minute solo performance during the intermission of the contest
catapult Irish dancing into the global spotlight and it was later turned into
the world sensation "Riverdance."
In 1996, Flatley left "Riverdance" and produced "Lord of the Dance", a show
featuring more than 40 dancers who deliver an eloquent and stunning
interpretation of a classic tale of good vs evil based on old Irish folklore as
Don Dorcha, the Dark Lord, challenges the Lord of the Dance.
Comprised of 21 scenes, it is also a passionate love story expressed through
dance numbers that transport audiences into a mystical and exhilarating world of
intense passion.
Following 18 sold-out shows in Taiwan, Flatley will bring the production to
the Chinese mainland for five shows at the Beijing Exhibition Hall Theatre from
November 17 to 21.
Prior to the shows, Leigh Ann Mckenna and Damien Doherty, the two leading
dancers, visited Yan Ling Dance School and met some Chinese tap dancers at a
club late last month.
"It is so exciting to see them all performing Flatley's style," said Mckenna,
who plays the role of Morriane, the evil beauty who seduces the lord, after
seeing the students performing.
"We feel no pressure to perform here, because wherever we tour we have so
many loyal fans. We promise to bring the best to Beijing's audience and the
entertainment will not be a tiny bit less than our shows elsewhere," adds her
partner Damien Doherty who has toured with "Lord of the Dance" for six years.
Flatley also expressed his expectation to visit Beijing through a message to
the Beijing tour promoter company Cangming Culture.
"There's nothing more exciting than to visit a new place for the first time -
to savour your wide and diverse culture, to meet and enjoy new people."
Premiered at the Point Theatre in Dublin on July 2, 1996, "Lord of the
Dance," which is unique for the choreographed precision-dancers, the set design
and the visual complexity, has been seen by over 50 million people in 45
different countries on each of the five continents.
In April, 1997, Flatley and his troupe made a scintillating appearance at the
71st Academy Awards Ceremony in Hollywood, Los Angeles before a global
television audience estimated at over 2.5 billion.
The next year, Flatley and 120 dancers drove an audience of 25,000 in
London's Hyde Park crazy with the ground breaking production. It then packed out
London's Wembley Stadium for 21 consecutive nights.
Flatley himself headlined this record-making show for over two years.
"`Lord of the Dance' is so close to my heart. I love Irish dance and it's the
right time to let the whole world enjoy it," says the Chicago-born artist.
Born in 1958, the youngest son of Irish parents who immigrated to the United
States after World War II, Flatley spent much of his childhood in their native
Ireland, where he developed an affinity for the traditional form of Celtic
dance. He started dancing at 4, beginning dancing with a Catholic church groups
at 11, and at 17 he became the first American to win the World Irish Dancing
Championships.
After his final performance at Dublin's RDS Arena on June 28, 1998, Flatley
retired from the stage and works as the artistic director of "Lord of the
Dance," continuing to keep a very watchful eye on his brainchild and sees it
grow into an outstanding successful production with four simultaneous troupes
breaking box-office records all over the world. The troupe coming to Beijing is
Troupe One.
Continuous creation
Flatley admits that no show can ever rest on the laurels of former glories
and become complacent if it is ever to continue to be successful. For that
reason he is constantly coming up with new ideas, new techniques and new
approaches, with which to spice up each part, to keep it fresh, exciting and
original.
He collaborates with a team of professionals including set designers, costume
designers, lighting and sound experts, and choreographers to ensure its high
standards.
He also regularly tours around the world to hold auditions to find new talent
for the show. In Moscow and Budapest, Flatley has set up academies to train
young dancers. And during his visit to Beijing, Flatley will discuss with Yan
about opening such an academy in China.
The "Lord of the Dance" troupe features Irish dance champions from around the
world, with an average age of 22.
Mckenna, from Scotland but of Irish descent, started dancing when she was 9
and joined "Lord of the Dance" in 1997.
"I loved it at the very beginning, that was seven years ago and I am still
here and still love it!" she says.
"As soon as the music starts, the inspiration is there - especially if the
crowd is appreciative. This just lifts your spirits and you dance as well as you
possibly can!
"I have achieved my dream of dancing on stage with Michael Flatley. I have
benefited from being taught by Marie Duffy."
Marie Duffy is Flatley's major choreographer of the show.
Duffy's dance experience spans from the age of six as a pupil of the Inis
Ealga Academy in Dublin, of which she went on to become co-director.
In 1988, Duffy formed her own dance studio in Dublin and then closed it in
1996 when Flatley approached her with his idea of creating a different, more
spectacular dance show - "Lord of the Dance."
"In our show, the dance still has all the traditional basics in footwork, but
Flatley introduced upper body awareness. He puts in body movements and facial
expressions and created a new style," she says.
"Choreographing the show is an ongoing challenge. We go from show to show and
continuously change and move on with the choreography so dancers don't become
set in their ways," she says.
"It's a way to keep them motivated." The thousands who have seen the wonder
would agree.