Photographs by Diane Fleischman
The evening started out with the students from O’Grady Quinlan Academy of Irish Dance performing in the Galleria. A group of family and friends gathered to watch, taking photos and videos. The youngest student appeared to be roughly three years old and performed right alongside the rest of the group. All the students carried out different step dances in unison with the music. The audience clapped and cheered the dancers on through the entire performance! Each year I look forward to Celtic Fest in Bethlehem and attend the events where the Academy of Irish Dance sets up to entertain all audiences of all ages! https://www.ogradyquinlan.com/.
I saw Lord of the Dance in the Lehigh Valley in the late 90’s and loved it! When I heard Riverdance was coming to the State Theatre in Easton on February 6th and 7th, I got tickets right away!
The first act was magical as a low fog bubbled up and cascaded down the center of the stage. Dancers appeared slowly out of the darkness from both sides and joined together to start the evening off. The night was filled with high spiritual energy, within every set, from Step Dancing to Soloists to Instrumentals! I loved seeing the animation within all the musicians, as they played, their body movements grooved with the music and they really got into it. Kudos to the drummer Mark Alfred for his solo performance towards the end of Act 2, playing the Bodhran! I experienced this instrument first hand at the Celtic Fest in King of Prussia, PA. several years ago and was drawn to it and ended up buying one. It is truly a unique sound. I could tell with each act the musicians truly loved their craft.
As the second act opened, a few cultural sets were performed. They started out as if a hometown hoedown was taking place. The backdrop and lighting set the stage as dancers tapped and swirled to the music. A New Orleans-style Jazz routine followed with a showdown between Step Dancers and Jazz Tappers. This routine had the entire crowd laughing and clapping along; they knew how to get audience participating! It continued with a traditional Russian Folk Dance (also known as Cossack Dancing) and followed by a solo Flamenco performance of Spain. The evening came to an end with as much energy as it started. The entire troupe came out and lined up for the finale as they continued step dancing and taking bows to the packed Theatre.
Each dance routine, musical score and even the backdrops and lighting told a short story. The performers were outstanding. Cast, crew, musicians, choreographers, set designers, costume designers and the entire troupe set the bar very high. These performers have been doing this show for 20 years flawlessly, and I know they will continue to do so going forward as they entertain audiences worldwide.
There’s something about Irish and Celtic music that gets into one’s soul; it is riveting. It was truly an amazing evening as all the performances are still reeling in my head as I write this. I could see Riverdance perform year after year after year!
Riverdance – The international Irish dance phenomenon. Experienced live by over 25 million people worldwide across six continents and boasting a worldwide television audience in excess of two billion people – Riverdance is a truly global phenomenon. An innovative and exciting fusion of Irish and international dance, Riverdance propels traditional dance and music into the present day, capturing the imagination of audiences across all ages and cultures.
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