The international Irish dance phenomenon Riverdance returns to the Performing Arts Center at 鶹ý - Tuscarawas for three performances February 28 – March 2.
Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show is Riverdance, as you’ve never seen it before! A powerful and stirring reinvention of this beloved favorite, celebrated the world over for its Grammy Award-winning score and the thrilling energy and passion of its Irish and international dance. Twenty-five years on, composer Bill Whelan has rerecorded his mesmerizing soundtrack while producer Moya Doherty and director John McColgan have completely reimagined the ground-breaking show with innovative and spectacular lighting, projection, stage and costume designs.
Immerse yourself in the extraordinary power and grace of its music and dance–beloved by fans of all ages. Fall in love with the magic of Riverdance all over again. The critically acclaimed 25th Anniversary North American Tour was shut down in March 2020 during a sold-out return engagement to New York City’s Radio City Music Hall due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Riverdance celebrated a return to the stage in the United Kingdom, where the iconic show played to sold out audiences in 27 cities across the country. Then followed its debut at Expo 2020 Dubai with a special production of Riverdance presenting a multi-cultural experience including artists from the Middle East region. A highlight of the four-week run was the Riverdance performance at the USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai for their Thanksgiving Day celebrations.
Riverdance began its journey as the interval act in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, produced for television by Moya Doherty. This electrifying and innovative seven-minute dance piece was then developed into a full-length stage show by Producer Moya Doherty, Composer Bill Whelan and Director John McColgan. With its fusion of Irish and International music and dance, the show broke all box office records during its world première run in Dublin in early 1995. When the show transferred to London the reaction was unprecedented. There followed a hugely successful tour starting in New York in March 1996, where 8 sold-out shows at Radio City Music Hall heralded the start of more than two decades of touring by Riverdance companies throughout North America. Since its inception, Riverdance has packed theatres throughout North America, Oceania, Asia, Europe, South Africa and South America.
The cast will include lead dancers Amy-Mae Dolan, Will Bryant, Maggie Darlington, Anna Mai Fitzpatrick, Fergus Fitzpatrick, James Greenan and Meadhbh Kennedy, troupe members Brandon Asazawa, Belle Brenton, Kieran Bryant, Morgan Bullock, Gerard Byrne, Keeva Correy, Matthew Gardiner, Michael Gardiner, Emma Mannion, Jordan McCormick, Faith Moore, Olivia Nactigal, Cian Porter, Dylan Scholls Zoe Talbot, Mairead Trainor and Elle-Mae Wheeler,
Russian dancers Ana Turcan, Eugeniu Turcan, Christine Lesnikova and Alexander Safonov, tappers Tyler Knowlin and Dharmesh Patel, and Flamenco dancer Rocio Dumset.
The company includes TikTok sensations Matthew and Michael Gardiner (@gardinerbrothers) and Morgan Bullock (@yourangleyuordevil), whose performance of Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage Remix” went viral on the platform in 2020 and will make her professional US stage debut in this production. The cast will also feature, for the first time, children of original Riverdance cast members, Cian Porter and Faith Moore.
Tickets for Riverdance start at $60 and are on sale now at the Performing Arts Center box office, 330-308-6400 or online at www.kent.edu/tuscpac. The box office is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Performing Arts Center’s 2022-2023 Season is sponsored by the Tuscarawas County Community Foundation.
Free and convenient parking is available for all shows. The Performing Arts Center is located on the campus of Kent State Tuscarawas at 330 University Dr. N.E. in New Philadelphia.
Photo credit: Jack Hartin