In 1997, "Riverdance" won the Grammy Award for Best Music Show Album, setting off a tap dance trend. When talking about "River Dance", we cannot fail to mention the tap dance king Michael Flatley.
When he was 17 years old, he won the Irish World Dance Championship and became the first It was the first time that a non-European (Michael was an American) won the championship. Later, he won the Irish dance championship in 13 countries. The National Geographic Society of the United States even called Michael a "Living Treasure". Michael is not only a successful tap dancer, he also holds titles such as boxing champion, chess master, and All-Ireland flute player champion. His tap dancing speed is 28 beats per second (some say it is 35 beats), and he is still the Guinness World Record holder. Since the beginning of Riverdance, his versatility has allowed him to choreograph popular dance dramas.
In 1996, Michael left "Riverdance" and launched his own new Riverdance drama - "Lord of Dance" in Dublin. The King of Dance is presented in a way that is full of power and beauty, whether in terms of choreography, performance or stage decoration. This dance drama has received an extremely enthusiastic response from the audience, and there are still three troupes performing around the world. After "Lord of the Dance", Michael launched "Feet of Flames", which is well known to the audience. From the perspective of entertainment effect, "Feet of Flames" is Michael's most mature work and one of Michael's works. The most touching one. Now in his forties, Michael has hung up his dancing shoes and no longer participates in commercial performances.
As famous as "Riverdance" and "Lord of Dance" is another world-class Irish dance, "Spirit of the Dance". In "Soul of Dance", the artists of the dance company use their superb and eye-popping skills to embody Ireland's most traditional music, the most ethnically styled dances, costumes, and unique dance techniques, creating an amazing performance. Dazzling live audio-visual effects.
"Soul of Dance" has been performed simultaneously every night in 6-8 cities around the world. Every night's performance always makes the audience burst into tears, stand up for a long time, and win applause. The dance movements, full of power and beauty, symbolize the irresistible destiny of the Gaeltic people. Dozens of pairs of slender and strong legs, at an extraordinary speed, beat out a rhythm that shocks the soul and makes the audience's blood boil, like thousands of horses galloping. But uniform. This Irish dance drama with a rich plot has all the elements that a successful dance drama should have - anger, love, desire, jealousy, passion, temptation, sadness, music, plus many young dancers who have won professional awards, it can definitely be Take the audience's breath away and keep you breathlessly watching the entire show. As critic Linda Bloom wrote in "Entertainment Newsletter": It's like a storm on the stage, full of youthful power and charisma. You can't believe your eyes, and it's right there in your eyes. before!
“Lord of Dance”, “Spirit of the Dance”, and “Riverdance” are all wonderful performances that Irish tap dance fans must watch. I love them. Dance fans should not miss it!
Note: Irish tap dance performed "Riverdance" (clip) at the 2009 Chinese New Year Gala, and was warmly welcomed by the Chinese audience.
"Riverdance" has come to China for the fifth time. The China tour starting in Beijing at the end of 2012 will be the final tour of the Irish dance company "Riverdance".
Since its premiere in Dublin in 1995, Riverdance has:
performed more than 12,000 times worldwide.
(The musical "Cats" took 21 years to perform 7,000 times)
Performed in more than 2,000 theaters in 32 countries and regions around the world
More than 25 million viewers watched "The Great River" live Dance performances
Has a global television audience of 2.7 billion
The tour has covered more than 563,000 miles, equivalent to the distance from the Earth to the moon and back
Won a Grammy Best Musical Award and sold 10 million DVDs of Riverdance worldwide.
***1,200 dancers have joined the troupe, used 12,000 pairs of dance shoes, worn 9,000 costumes, and drank 150,000 gallons of mineral water.
15,500 guitar, bass and violin strings were consumed.
The dancers of "Riverdance" have been learning tap dance for a cumulative 17,500 years.
38,400 rolls of elastic bandages have been used in the physical therapy room.
The tour rehearsal time has reached 12,000 hours.
There is only one music of "Riverdance" that shocked the world
The melodious and desolate Irish bagpipes continue the ancient feelings, and the exciting violin stirs every sensitive heartstring. In this way, I was once again moved by the culture and history of Ireland, making people irresistibly submerged in the Irish sentimentality and throbbing. Here, the art renders a background with a great sense of depth. The perfect combination of instrumental music and vocals gave birth to a new soul in the traditional Irish music melody. There is also the flowing human voice, like the sound of nature, just like the cool air in the cold spring morning, which can wash away all the clutter and troubles of the world.
There is only one charming dance in "Riverdance"
The dance in "Riverdance" inherits the essence of Irish folk dance, with strong national characteristics. At the same time, it also embraces all genres of tap dance, forming a unique event of tap dance performances. The Irish tap with a straight upper body is more solemn and solemn. The casual and irreverent humor of African American tap dance is perfectly integrated with the Broadway tap dance that also exudes confidence and ease. All tap dances in "Riverdance" also demonstrate equally complex percussion techniques. The uniform large group dances are as powerful as a rainbow, impacting your sight and heart like a tide. It should be said that the dance in "Riverdance" does not lack superb skills, but it gets rid of the superficiality of completely showing off skills and integrates into the rich culture of Ireland. It is also another sublimation of dance being perceived and understood through appreciation. In such simple dance and rhythm, you will suddenly feel like a child returning to nature, lost in a primitive and true initial emotion.
There is only one incomparable lighting of "Riverdance". "Riverdance" is unique in its lighting treatment. The entire performance is based on blue lighting with different shades of light, which is soft yet elegant, giving the audience a feeling of being in the sky or the embrace of the sea, which is not only intimate but also comfortable. Then supplemented by various lights such as red, yellow, gray, etc., there is a sense of jumping of life. For example, in the "Fire Dance" in the seventh act of the first scene of the play, the lights gradually brightened, and the stage was in a burning fire, as if countless lives were beating. At this moment, a red and black shadow flashed out, performing the rhythm of life. No, that's not just a shadow, that's the spirit of fire. Slowly, the fire elf walked out of the sea of ????fire, and at this time, the fire also slowly passed away, leaving only the elf dancing coquettishly. And this strong visual contrast and impact also made the audience's hearts flutter.
Introduction to related dance shoes
The "iron piece" at the bottom of professional Irish tap dance shoes is made of fiberglass. Viewed from a cross section, the fiberglass part is U-shaped and about 3 meters thick. -4cm, which is very different from ordinary tap dance shoes. Because the sides of the shoes are made of fiberglass, your feet can hit the ground at various angles when your body dances, making pleasant sounds.
There will be a "empty" in the middle of the U-shaped fiberglass heel. Professional actors will put microphones in the U-shaped space, so that the audience can more clearly hear the rhythm of different steps, as if the heel is tapping. In your ear. However, this kind of shoes is not yet available in China, and the market valuation is difficult to predict.
Beginners can choose this kind of ordinary patent leather tap dance shoes. The market price is about 200 yuan. The styles include loops, laces, patent leather and pigskin.
DIY Tips for Dance Shoes
Go to a dance supply store to buy a pair of iron plates. Of course they are not ordinary shoe soles, but special tap dance shoe iron plates, and then find a pair Durable mid-heeled leather shoes can be nailed by a shoe repairman. The price of a pair of iron plates is about 60 yuan.
How to choose good dance shoes
1. Fabric: Cowhide made with a special process, moderately soft and hard, shiny and with good elasticity and toughness. Various indicators prove that the fabric used is very suitable for tap dancing. Its fatigue resistance is far better than that of artificial leather, and it is more comfortable to wear. .
2. Style: In terms of style, the internationally leading full-wrap design is used to fit the foot better, which is more conducive to the foot's control of the shoe, and truly feels the harmony between people and dance shoes.
3. Kick pedals: Most of the main materials are zinc alloy, which has high hardness and does not deform, ensuring long-term use. The electroplated kick shoes should be as bright as a mirror.
4. The soft sole design in the middle allows dancers to make novel movements and tap more freely. It can also perform pointe dancing and movements that reflect the dancer's personality, helping you become the best among masters.
5. The tap pieces of ordinary tap dance shoes are flat, and the contact surface with the ground is large when kicking, and the sound effect is not good. If the tap pieces are designed with a bulge in the middle, the pressure on the ground will be increased during kicking, and the sound effect will be better. It is better and more durable than the flat type and not easy to break.
6. Cost-effectiveness: The high price of tap shoes has always been unacceptable to many enthusiasts. Although the price of tap shoes made of artificial leather is lower, the wearing comfort and durability are far less than those made of cowhide.