Is there any good reason to see Riverdance?

OnTheMoor · Post by **OnTheMoor** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 3:05 pm

I'm not sure it is Riverdance that everyone has such a low opinion, I think it might be more a certain dancer from Boston who is(was) associated with it...

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 3:12 pm

If this is cheesecake it ain't my flavor. I might have to put this guy in my Gunther file.

OnTheMoor · Post by **OnTheMoor** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 3:23 pm

Awww, c'mon, he's the Celtic Tiger!

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 3:46 pm

I prefer the Irish Wolfhound. There is a noble creature.

WhistlingGypsy · Post by **WhistlingGypsy** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 6:09 am

Has anyone seen Flatley's (whatever else you say about the guy, he is a talented dancer) latest production - Celtic Tiger? It is in Ottawa in October and I am considering goign to it.

Pat Cannady · Post by **Pat Cannady** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 8:20 am

A) He's from Chicago.

B) I don't give a rat's arse about Riverdance, LOTD, or Celtic Tiger. I wouldn't take $100 to sit through any of them. Maybe $1000. Each.

C) That said, the older people who knew him when he was young and taught him how to dance and play the flute still respect him, are amused and sometimes puzzled by his antics, even miss him despite the grandstanding, showbiz trip he's been on the last 10-15 years.

D) He's very much a self-made man. If nothing else I respect his ability to bring his dreams to reality. While some of us may quibble with his decisions (myself included), how many of us ever achieve that?

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 9:31 am

Well, I would probably take $1000 to go to the shows, but not $100 I don't think. Although I do like dance extravaganzas, so I might rent the videos.

I'm sure this fellow has put in a lot of hard work. And I agree than many of us would be discouraged before we finished the job.

I'm just not too keen on the beefcake thing in any fellow---I find it unattractive. I think that too is part of his promotional job and it is meant to appeal to women, many of whom I'm sure it does. I prefer an unposed fully clothed cowboy myself.

dwinterfield · Post by **dwinterfield** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 12:02 pm

WhistlingGypsy wrote:Has anyone seen Flatley's (whatever else you say about the guy, he is a talented dancer) latest production - Celtic Tiger? It is in Ottawa in October and I am considering goign to it.

Just came back from the health club and the mid day news had repeated adds for this show. What got my attention was the last second in which a young woman rips open her shirt to display and American flag design bra underneath.

Is shirt ripping an Irish traditional thing?

OnTheMoor · Post by **OnTheMoor** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 6:50 pm

Pat Cannady wrote:A) He's from Chicago.

B) I don't give a rat's arse about Riverdance, LOTD, or Celtic Tiger. I wouldn't take $100 to sit through any of them. Maybe $1000. Each.

C) That said, the older people who knew him when he was young and taught him how to dance and play the flute still respect him, are amused and sometimes puzzled by his antics, even miss him despite the grandstanding, showbiz trip he's been on the last 10-15 years.

D) He's very much a self-made man. If nothing else I respect his ability to bring his dreams to reality. While some of us may quibble with his decisions (myself included), how many of us ever achieve that?

Apologies, I'm sure you are all very proud of him.

I don't quibble with his decisions, I just think he's a goof.

Henke · Post by **Henke** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 7:06 pm

dwinterfield wrote:
WhistlingGypsy wrote:Has anyone seen Flatley's (whatever else you say about the guy, he is a talented dancer) latest production - Celtic Tiger? It is in Ottawa in October and I am considering goign to it.
Just came back from the health club and the mid day news had repeated adds for this show. What got my attention was the last second in which a young woman rips open her shirt to display and American flag design bra underneath.

Is shirt ripping an Irish traditional thing?

I must say that I almost puked at the tv when I saw Flatley's American/Irish flag jacket in FOF. I myself enjoy a good show as long as it's entertaining. I can see plenty of value in watching a show like LOTD, Riverdance or FOF: good dancing, gorgeous women, good music and spectacles. But sometimes it's just over the top.
That beeing said, I think Riverdance is the best show of them all, because it sort of reaches the limit of what I can stand and never exceeds it. I don't puke my guts out over what is trad and what is not. This is nothing like trad, even if it would give the impression of being trad to an untrained eye, but I don't really care. A show is a show. People will watch something because they find it entertaining, not because their ancestors did the same stuff 200 years ago. Some people do enjoy stuff because their ancestors did, 200 years ago, and that is a blessing. But it's not the point...

Edited to say that only the first sentance was a responce to what you said, all the rest was just letting out what I feel about this.

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Sat Aug 13, 2005 9:04 pm

Well worth seeing. As others have said, though, not a "traditional" piece.. though, it seems to be setting its own .. since it has been quite popular for some number of years now.

Farrell · Post by **Farrell** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 4:44 pm

WhistlingGypsy wrote:Has anyone seen Flatley's (whatever else you say about the guy, he is a talented dancer) latest production - Celtic Tiger? It is in Ottawa in October and I am considering goign to it.

He adulterates traditional Irish anything in this show. There are traditional elements to all of the other shows, but Celtic Tiger is by far the least traditional thing that I can think of. It's all about glitz. FoF was too, but at least FoF had elements from LotD which were traditional.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 5:32 am

Celtic Tiger is by far the best Irish Dance show EVER! Riverdance has gone to crap..they have sucessfully turned wine into water, however Lord of the Dance is still as sharp and entertaining as always. Celtic Tiger is more a Las Vegas show then a traditional show but it has the worlds best Irish dancers out of any irish show on this earth..and the steps are the hardest yet. Celtic Tiger pisses all over Riverdance. If you get the chance..GO SEE IT!

indestructibleman · Post by **indestructibleman** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 7:25 am

the best celtic dancing i've ever seen was with The Chieftains.

they had a couple with them who did traditional step dancing in the irish style (looked like Riverdance to my uneducated eyes), they also brought up a troop of girls from a local celtic dance school, which was nice.

but the best thing was these two members of the band that were brothers (with the last name Polanski or something like that) and they did what they called Ottawa Valley dancing. it was somewhere between irish step dancing and american tap and it's one of the most amazing performances i've ever seen.

colomon · Post by **colomon** » Sun Sep 18, 2005 9:48 am

indestructibleman wrote:but the best thing was these two members of the band that were brothers (with the last name Polanski or something like that) and they did what they called Ottawa Valley dancing. it was somewhere between irish step dancing and american tap and it's one of the most amazing performances i've ever seen.

That's Pilatzke. Just watching (actually mostly listening) to one of them (John?) on DVD the other night. They've played with whistler Loretto Reid's family band and Chanda Gibson's group Pulse as well as the Chieftains -- actually, I think I've seen them live with all three groups.