Nobody involved in Riverdance was prepared for “the explosion” of success that came after it was first performed, according to the show’s composer.
On The Hard Shoulder today, Bill Whelan said the show is as popular as ever, 30 years on from when it was first performed during the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest interval.
It’s believed to have been performed 11,000 times since then, grossing over $1bn in the process.
Mr Whelehan said Riverdance may have appeared as being an overnight success, but the work on it had begun over a decade earlier.
“It began about 12 years beforehand when Donal Lunny and I did a piece for the centre of Eurovision called Timedance,” he said.
“It led to a number of years of me working with traditional Irish musicians and trying to mell than into an orchestral setting, to work with different rhythms and styles of music.”
☘️ It's 30 years ago today since the first electrifying performance of Riverdance. Can you remember where you watched it? Lorcan Murphy was one of the dancers on the night, and he describes the excitement behind the scenes, on @PatKennyNT. pic.twitter.com/q0pSyjepD7
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) April 30, 2024
Mr Whelan said Riverdance sought to tell the story of a river.
“I tried to look at it theatrically,” he said.
“It was going to tell the story of the life of a river – that was the inspiration.
“The inspiration was we would start quietly with Anúna, the choir as if it’s the source of the river.
“As the river goes through the land and it gathers speed towards the sea – I tried to mirror that in arranging the piece as I did.”
'Personal enjoyment'
The composer said Riverdance took Irish dance to a place it had never been before.
“It was a deliberate attempt to present Irish dance, for the first time ever, as a theatrical piece,” he said.
“Before that, it had really been in competition culture and kitchens.
“When we learned Irish dancing, it wasn’t a piece of theatre, it was for personal enjoyment.”
30 years on from winning Eurovision, Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan reunited for a special live performance of Rock'n'Roll Kids@PatKennyNT pic.twitter.com/NEGOok1emM
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) April 30, 2024
Mr Whelan said the success of the performance shocked those involved.
“Nothing prepared us for the explosion that happened,” he said.
“I remember turning around and seeing the entire Point Theatre on its feet, including the president and all the other delegates in attendance - it was an immense moment for all of us.
“We knew at that stage we had something that was exciting, but we didn’t think it would get the response it did.”
Live show
Mr Whelan said the show was live and anything could have happened.
“Somebody could have easily slipped,” he said.
“As Michael [Flatley] used to say said himself, ‘I’m going to go out and I’m going to go – bam’.
“But he easily could have done a different ‘bam’ and it wouldn’t have been so great.”
The composer said Riverdance is still as popular as ever.
“We just finished a tour and we’re going again until the end of 2025,” he said.
“These kids involved weren’t even alive when I was writing Riverdance – it’s amazing to think.”
You can listen back here:
Main image: Riverdance in London, 2014. Image: Nick Savage / Alamy Stock Photo
