Riverdance is rooted in a three-part suite of baroque-influenced traditional music calledTimedance. The suite was composed, recorded and performed for the interval act of theEurovision Song Contest 1981, thirteen years prior to the famous 1994 Eurovision interval act.[1] For the 1981 performance,Bill Whelan andDónal Lunny composed the music alongside Irish folk bandPlanxty, with accompanying dancers from Dublin City Ballet.[2] It was later released as a Planxty single.[1] When describing the origin of the name "Riverdance", Whelan said: "It was no mistake of mine to call it Riverdance because it connected absolutely to Timedance".[3]
"Riverdance: The Show", February 1995. Singers left to right are: Richard Boyle, Tara O'Beirne, Emer Lang, Tony Davoren, David Clark, Katie McMahon, Peter Harney, Máire Lang, Paddy Connolly, Miriam Blennerhasset
After witnessing the initial enthusiasm for the interval act performance in Ireland, husband and wife production team John McColgan andMoya Doherty invested over $1 million into producing a full-length show.[6] Tickets for the show were released for a five-week run and sold out within three days of going on sale.[7]
"Riverdance: The Show" opened at the Point Theatre in Dublin on 9 February 1995.[20] The show starred lead dancersMichael Flatley andJean Butler. The video of the show topped the Irish and UK charts in 1995.[20]
The show moved to London in June 1995, where it had a sell-out four-week run atThe Apollo.[21] During its time in London, Riverdance performed at the Royal Gala 50th Anniversary ofVE Day celebrations at the invitation of Prince Charles[22] and at theRoyal College of Music in the presence ofQueen Elizabeth II.[21]
The show returned to the Point Theatre in July 1995 for a sell-out six-week run.[21]
The show's growing success coincided with lead dancer Michael Flatley clashing with the producers over salary and royalty fees.[23] By early October 1995, a contract dispute over creative control led to Riverdance parting ways with Flatley on the eve of reopening for a second sell-out run at The Apollo.[24] He was replaced byColin Dunne.[25] At the same time, female lead Jean Butler was unable to perform due to an injury. As a result, Dunne paired up with Eileen Martin for the opening night.[26][27] The initial six weeks at The Apollo was extended twice.[21] During this extended period, Riverdance returned to the Royal Variety Performance at Dominion Theatre.[28]
Riverdance travelled to the United States for the first time in March 1996.[29] On 13 March, the show opened atRadio City Music Hall inNew York City for the first of eight sold-out performances over five days. Costing about $2 million to bring the show from Ireland, Riverdance broke even in its first New York outing.[30]
Upon returning from New York, Riverdance went on to have another notable extended run at The Apollo between May 1996 and January 1997.[31][32] By late 1996, Riverdance had created separate companies in order to tour multiple cities at the same time. The Lee company began a U.S. tour in October 1996.[30][31][32] Riverdance toured Australia for the first time in 1997.[33][34]
In 1997, Bill Whelan received a Best Musical Show AlbumGrammy Award for his recording of 'Riverdance'.[35]
A number of notable cast departures occurred around this time, with Anúna leaving in September 1996;[36] Butler leaving in January 1997;[26][37] and Dunne leaving in June 1998.[38]
In 2020, Riverdance's 25th Anniversary show began touring.[33] As of 2023, Riverdance has played more than 15,000 performances across 49 countries and six continents. The show has been seen live by more than 30 million people.[33]
Riverdance at the Eurovision Song Contest 30 April 1994, Dublin
