Lord of the Dance at the Alexandra Theatre was a phenomenal show that left me with a deep admiration of Irish dance
(Image: Lord of the Dance)
The thing with seeing a show older than you is that it comes with a reputation.
Lord of the Dance is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The global phenomenon that redefined Irish dance is determined to celebrate its past but also ‘leap into the future’, and shows no sign of slowing down
I will admit I went in with no idea of what I was about to witness. My only knowledge of Lord of the Dance was a vague memory of an appearance on TV around Christmas many years ago.
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I sat and got comfortable, took a look around to establish the atmosphere and was taken aback by the energy of the audience – clearly excited. I also spotted a nun sitting a few rows over from me – a new definition of fun for all!
(Image: Lord of the Dance)
The intro began, and I was on the edge of my seat. There was a video of the show’s architect, Michael Flatley. That jump started my history lesson in this prestigious show.
Soft flute renditions of the famous hymn played as the dancers took to their places, clad in long dark cloaks – I thought Celeb Traitors had come early.
(Image: Lord of the Dance)
I am all for building suspense, but this whole video, followed by the long musical intro, was a little long for my taste.
With the show finally underway, I couldn’t stop myself from grinning like a Cheshire cat. This is not just Lord of the Dance, it’s Lord of the singing, jigging and fiddle-ing- but I guess that’s a less catchy title.
This is more than a dance show, it’s a beautiful tribute to the years of culture and artistic expression that preceded it.
There were surprises along the way – least of all for our Sister in Christ, whom I couldn’t help but steal a glance at when some of the male dancers whipped off their tops.
The glitter, glam and giant hairdos were all part of the experience of this show, it’s a transformative world of its own!
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Over the show, I felt the audience unravel their inhibitions and join in with the yelling and whooping.
The finale descended into a beautiful whirlwind of dance, music and singing and standing ovations.
Even the nun was loving it – Lord of the Dance’s 30th anniversary show is at the Birmingham Alexandra until October 4.
