The Best Of Riverdance (DVD)

.../> Our story begins with the Eurovision Song Contest 1994, which was being held in Ireland after something like their 250th consecutive win. Somehow, I had made it through the usual mediocre, bad and downright dreadful entries that Eurovision is famous for and was now facing the tedium of the interval show.

While many people went off to make a cup of tea, two unknown dancers, Jean Butler and Michael Flatley, took to the stage and ...
...around the arena. Little did anybody realise that one of the best acts ever to come out of Eurovision was unfolding before our eyes!

For seven glorious minutes, the audience and viewers were dazzled - held captivated and spell-bound by the spectacle of Irish dance. There was a moment of stunned silence at the end of the performance and then spontaneous applause erupted, followed by a standing ovation. Riverdance had arrived. I can't ... more

Hello all! I'm back with my next review - hope it's useful :)

Our story begins with the Eurovision Song Contest 1994, which was being held in Ireland after something like their 250th consecutive win. Somehow, I had made it through the usual mediocre, bad and downright dreadful entries that Eurovision is famous for and was now facing the tedium of the interval show.

While many people went off to make a cup of tea, two unknown dancers, Jean Butler and Michael Flatley, took to the stage and then an incredible haunting melody (composed by Bill Whelan) wafted around the arena. Little did anybody realise that one of the best acts ever to come out of Eurovision was unfolding before our eyes!

For seven glorious minutes, the audience and viewers were dazzled - held captivated and spell-bound by the spectacle of Irish dance. There was a moment of stunned silence at the end of the performance and then spontaneous applause erupted, followed by a standing ovation. Riverdance had arrived. I can't remember who actually won the contest that night, but there was no doubt which performance stole the show. It captured the imagination of millions.

After the popularity at Eurovision, producer Moya Doherty commissioned Bill Whelan to compose more music and together with director John McColgan, a masterpiece was created. 11 years on and Riverdance has become a two hour dance extravaganza, touring 205 cities in 30 countries on 4 continents. They celebrated their 10th anniversary as a full show at the end of 2005 and this DVD is a compilation of the best parts of that show.

The starting menu has four options: Play All, Scene Selection, Bonus Features and Audio Options.

Here is what you can expect from clicking on the 'Play All' section. I will only give a brief description of my fave scenes because I don't want to ruin too much of it for anyone!

Opening sequence montage

Interval act from Riverdance performance at Eurovision 1994

Introduction by Jean Butler

ACT ONE

1. Reel around the sun - A beautifully choreographed piece rooted in mythology led by Michael Flatley (or Flatfeet as he is comically known!) in praise of the sun.

2. Heart's cry - This is sung by the Riverdance chamber choir and is a nod to the mystical Celtic religion.

3. Countess Cathleen - A story of a mythical queen.

4. Caoineadh Chu Chulainn

5. Thunderstorm - This is a ridiculously difficult routine where a group of male dancers dance a-cappella using only the beat of their own tapping to keep time.

6. Shivna - A dance based on a mythical story about a cursed cheiftain who is possessed by a moon goddess.

7. Firedance - The similarity between Spanish Flamenco and Irish dancing is quite remarkable and is demonstrated perfectly in this duet between our hero Flatfeet and Spanish legend Maria Pages.

8. Slip into spring

9. Riverdance - An extended version of the original Riverdance. The woman represents the river, the man represents the soil.

ACT TWO

1. American wake - This tells the story of the Irish immigration to America.

2. Lift the wings

3. Heal their Hearts/ Freedom

4. Trading taps - A brilliantly choreographed 'dance-off' between American tap and the Irish jig symbolising the clash of the two cultures (if only they had tried this in Gangs of New York, it would have been far less bloody!).

5. The Russian Dervish

6. Ri Ra

7. Slow airs and tunes

8. Home and the heartland

9. 'Heartland' at the point - A really strong and fierce dance about the return of the children of the immigrants to their real home.

10. Finale

I have never seen the show live and I must admit that I was just expecting a little bit of Irish dancing in the same vein as Eurovision. I was wrong! It really is much more than dancing - I'd say the show is a celebration of Ireland's rich cultural heritage. Obviously the dancing is a central part, but it also involves Celtic chants, choir singing, Irish bands using traditional instruments and an education in Celtic folklore. Act one explores the roots of Irish culture, home and elemental forces, whilst Act two follows the story of Irish immigration to a new world, so it is a bit of a history lesson too!

I really was hugely impressed by the show. The music is fantastic and the performances are flawless. It is a very passionate form of dance and there is something almost magical about it. It makes your spine tingle! Emotive dance at its best. The scenery is brilliant too because it captures the mood of the pieces.

The 'Scene Selection' option lets you choose which dance you want to go to and the 'Audio Options' are just a choice between Dolby digital stereo or Dolby digital 5.1.

The 'Bonus Features' section is really good because you get a 63 minute documentary charting the rise and rise of the show. It has interviews with all the principal cast members as well as the director and producer and tells the story of how Riverdance has become such a phenomenon. It also covers the sudden departure of Michael Flatley, who left before the show had even started touring. I found this to be an extremely interesting and informative documentary. I had no idea that Riverdance had become such a part of popular culture.

As if that wasn't enough, there is also a recording of the Riverdance performance at the opening of the 2003 Special Olympics and a 'behind the scenes' look at how the backstage crew put everything together.

The DVD box itself is an attractive purple with pictures on the front of all the best lead dancers over the years. Inside, there is a leaflet with the running order.

In my opinion, this DVD is excellent value for money. It was actually bought for me as a present for £12.99, but I see that some of the links from Ciao are selling it for less than £7, which is even better. You really are getting alot of high quality viewing for a very reasonable sum. Of course, it is an acquired taste I suppose. I have long since been a fan of artists like Enya and Clannad, so I like a bit of Celtic, but I understand it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. However, I don't think anybody could deny the skill of these dancers and how much work has gone into the show. Riverdance has taken a traditional dance and made it cool.

One thing that is certain is that the DVD is cheaper than going to see the show live, although it has encouraged me to do that too! Let's face it, that was probably one of the functions of the DVD anyway.

Right, I'm going to jig down to the shops now. I may be some time :) Bye bye for now x

 

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