Lord of the Dance, not to be confused with, or associated with, the Christian hymn of the same name, is a dance show that was highly popular during the '90s and remains a top box office draw, with two troupes touring in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Created by Canadian Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance tells a traditional Irish story of good and evil in a somewhat interpretive use of Irish step dance.
Steps
Traditional Irish dance is characterized by the emphasis on the movement of feet and the stillness of the dancer's arms and upper body. It was the forerunner of American tap dance, where the arms are used much more than in Irish dance. In Irish dance, the feet are the focus, the arms held either loosely at the sides or rigidly with fists, and the back is rod-straight. Dance teachers often have students hold an unbent coat hanger behind them to keep their arms in proper position and their backs straight. The feet are used percussively to enhance the music and engage in high kicks and difficult en pointe maneuvers. Michael Flatley's stage show especially employs the trickiest of these steps, and the dancers often appear to float across the stage without ever touching it. Some forms of this dance are called jig, hornpipe, reel and slip jig.
Story
The steps in Lord of the Dance interpret, as does a ballet, a traditional Irish tale about the struggle between good and evil. In it, one of the wee folk, named Little Spirit, helps the Lord of the Dance protect his people from a dark lord named Dorcha. Other characters in the story include the goddesses Morrighan and Erin and Saoirse the Irish cailin.
History
The Lord of the Dance originated from a similar show, Riverdance, of which Flatley had been the director. In 1995 he left that production over creative differences and went on to create his own, more spectacular presentation that could play arenas rather than theaters. He wrote, directed and choreographed the show, and he was the lead dancer for many years.
The show has been immensely popular over the years, riding a surge of interest in Celtic culture worldwide. It spectacularly blends traditional culture with modern showmanship. Michael Flatley has demonstrated that one doesn't need to be Irish to excel at traditional culture.
Tags: Lord Dance, Irish dance, Michael Flatley, good evil, traditional culture