Riverdance

Aanvil · Post by **Aanvil** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 7:17 pm

Thats what I need.

Not an other flute but leather pants.

Aanvil · Post by **Aanvil** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 7:19 pm

Thats what I need.

Not an other flute but leather pants.

IDAwHOa · Post by **IDAwHOa** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:25 pm

cowtime wrote:

and then there's .....

Nothing very trad about that, is there.....

Probably had trad dancers rolling in their graves.

matahari_1946 · Post by **matahari_1946** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:45 pm

cowtime wrote:

and then there's .....

and.....uh........

Don't forget these either:

Sheesh!

~Tiff

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 12:33 am

From the pictures it looks sort of campy.

awildman · Post by **awildman** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:05 am

Yes, the pictures do look a bit like romance novel covers or B movie VHS covers.

I've always found the closeness and the eye contact of the men a bit disturbing. Call me a homophobe if you will, but it's just not natural for guys merrily jigging about to stare into each other's eyes from an inch or two away.

The music compositions themselves are a mixed bag for me, but the actual performances seem to come out of a can. I much prefer the smaller, more intimate acoustic sessions. Or solos, duets, etc. I've got a mountain of other tunes to tackle before I would even consider Riverdance type material.

Björn · Post by **Björn** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 2:49 am

In all fairness, Ragús shouldn´t be lumped in with the other ones. It's not tacky or tasteless at all.

IDAwHOa · Post by **IDAwHOa** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:28 am

The problem I have is they try to come off as Traditional Irish Dance to the world and it is nothing more than glitzy showmanship. Almost like weightlifters creating all these different "wrestling" formats just to justify (and pay for) their weight training and inflated physiques.

crookedtune · Post by **crookedtune** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:43 am

You could call it traditional, I guess. It's pretty much the same tradition that reduced American mountain music to a gaggle of hillbilly jokes and smooth Nashville syrup. Or the tradition that slowly morphed American jazz into the pop stylings of Kenny G. Where there's a buyer, there's a product.

DreamOgreen · Post by **DreamOgreen** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 8:50 am

As long as this thread has allready 'wandered' off the original question....
I don't understand why people would be too hard on Riverdance or the later 'glitzier' versions of similar shows, for several reasons....

The shows are what they are... I've seen a couple of them, and was never under the impression that the shows were marketed as an example of "Trditional" anything, but mearly as entertainment in the generic "Celtic" style. Traditional music, weather it be Irish or otherwise is popular in some parts of the world and less known in others. It is great that musicians and dancers today are keeping the tradition alive but you can't blame the modern profit driven entertainment industry from using the popularity of a folk tradition to make a show which appeals to a wider audience. I happen to like the music of Enya and Loreena Mckennit. Their music is not what one would have found in a pub session fifty years ago, but does it really matter? Others are carrying on the more traditional style.

Shows like Riverdance and musicians like Enya do play a constructive role (imho) even to the fans of Traditional music. They introduce the entire genre of "Celtic" music to large numbers of people outside of the usual places and circles were ITRAD is allready popular. Some of those people might go on to develop a further interest in the more traditional styles. I myself saw the first version of Riverdance years ago and started off on a musical path which I would have never travelled had I not seen the show.
It is interesting that this thread came up. I was just thinking the other day that the "bounce" that "Celtic" music received after Riverdance might be wearing off in the wider world. I have noticed that the section of "Celtic" and other "World" music seems to be shrinking in music stores CD sections. I hope some other well made (maybe less glitzy) show comes around to spark the interest of a new generation of people.
DreamOgreen

evenstr · Post by **evenstr** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:15 pm

Going along with the OT branch...

What I can't understand is that so much Celtic music, at least where I live, is classified under "New Age". Grant it, some of the new "Celtic" stuff is, but I wouldn't put all Celtic music under that to save time, even if I wasn't obsessed with ITM

.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:33 pm

evenstr wrote:Going along with the OT branch...

What I can't understand is that so much Celtic music, at least where I live, is classified under "New Age". Grant it, some of the new "Celtic" stuff is, but I wouldn't put all Celtic music under that to save time, even if I wasn't obsessed with ITM .

It seems fair to put the ones that don't have an echo added in a separate category from "New Age."

Cubitt · Post by **Cubitt** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 2:00 pm

I saw Jean Butler and Colin Dunne in Riverdance, with Eileen Ivers playing fiddle. It doesn't get any better than that. Excellent music, excellent dancing. Excellent concept.

It always amuses me when people brand the show as "glitzy." The music stands on its own very well. As far as the staging and costumes are concerned, if you've ever seen what truly traditional dancers wear, and the silly little ringlet falls the girls have to have, you'd never again accuse Riverdance of being glitzy.

Now, Michael Flatley is another story. He made a substantial contribution to the show so far as the choreography is concerned, but the show gained a lot when he left it, simply because he comes across as very egocentric, even though he may actually be a fine fellow. I don't judge him; I just don't like his stage persona.

Also, it's worth noting that the show was substantially re-worked after Flatley left. The choir got the ax, as did the "Sophisticated Ladies" dance routine that seemed to have nothing in common with the rest of the show. The segments that replaced these less-than-stellar scenes became some of the best in the show, especially the "Shark and Jets"-style dance-off between three male Irish dancers and two male hip-hop/break dancers. Check out the Colin Dunne video of Riverdance for that performance; the touring companies' don't compare.

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 2:28 pm

I think the main objection, and it really isn't unreasonable, is that although entertaining, fun to watch, and taking a good bit of talent, it's a glitzy, flashy, glamourized view of Irish Traditional Music and Dance, and is not *really* Irish Traditional at all ... the wrestling analogy is apt... It's scripted, covered in make-up, outlandish, and commercial... it's definitely "Romance Novel 'Irish Traditional'".

Post by **Nanohedron** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 2:36 pm

If you look at it just so, they look like they're standing knock-kneed and have to go really bad.