The international Irish dance phenomenon is back by popular demand in “Riverdance – The 20th Anniversary World Tour” at 7:30 p.m. March 15, 16 and 17 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, 301 N. 12th St.
Tickets are available here, by phone at 402-472-4747 or at the box office. Tickets are available to students at a 50 percent discount with a valid NCard.
After a sold-out run across Europe and Asia, the tour is making stops in more than 60 North American cities during the 2015-16 season. The tour features new costumes, lighting and projections and a new number, “Anna Livia,” featuring the female members of the troupe in an a cappella hard-shoe performance.
“The success of Riverdance across the whole world has gone beyond our wildest dreams,” producer Moya Doherty said. “The fact that the show continues to draw and excite audiences is a tribute to every dancer, singer, musician, staff and 11 crew members who have dedicated themselves to the show. This 20th anniversary tour is a thank-you to our audiences and a celebration of what has been an incredible journey across two decades.”
The tour is an innovative and exciting blend of dance and music. Drawing on Irish traditions, the performers propel Irish dancing and music into the present day, capturing the imagination of audiences across all ages and cultures.
Riverdance began as the interval act in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, produced for television by Doherty. The seven-minute dance piece was then developed into a full-length stage show by Doherty, composer Bill Whelan and director John McColgan. With its fusion of Irish and international music and dance, the show broke numerous box-office records during its world-premiere run in Dublin in early 1995.
When the show transferred to London, the reaction was unprecedented. There followed a successful tour starting in New York in March 1996, where eight sold-out shows at Radio City Music Hall led to 16 years of non-stop touring by Riverdance companies throughout North America. Since its inception, Riverdance has packed theaters throughout North America, South America, Oceania, Asia and Europe.
