娱乐英语新闻:"Riverdance" taps into town

BEIJING, Nov. 10 -- "RIVERDANCE," the most representative of Irish traditional dance, will appear in Shenzhen for the first time between Dec. 8 and 13.

A 46-member dance troupe will arrive accompanied by four 40-foot containers filled with lighting, sound equipment and special flooring made for the show. Heading the show in Shenzhen will be international tap dance champion Brendan Campell and Siobhan Manson, who performed briefly at the CCTV Spring Festival gala earlier this year.

    “In the past 15 years, dancers in the show have worn out 14,000 pairs of shoes,” said Campell. “I often throw away two pairs a year.” The shoes are mostly made of leather but have special parts on the tip and heel made of glass fiber, which creates the tapping sound on the floor.

    The dance king has been practicing for 15 years and he joined the company three years ago. "The first time I watched it on TV, I was impressed by the dancers. They were doing the same thing at exactly the same moment. I guess that's what impresses our audience."

    "Tap dance is an indispensable part of the Irish culture," said tour manager Ciaran Walsh. "Children begin to dance as early as (the ages of ) 3 or 4. People dance in large groups at social occasions, like at weddings, funerals or birthday parties."

    The first half of the show will be a vivid demonstration of Irish folk culture and the second will add elements from other cultures.

    “We will put in a little Chinese folk music to cheer local audiences,” he said.

    The producer revealed that during the past 15 years, 80 dancers had married after meeting each other in the company.

    The show was first performed for seven minutes during interval at the Eurovision Song Contest on April 30, 1994. It was an instant success and became popular as a TV program.

    Produced and directed by husband and wife team John McColgan and Moya Doherty, the first full-length performance of “Riverdance” opened at the Point Theater in Dublin in February 1995. The show ran for five weeks and was a sell-out.

    This time, the show will also tour 12 Chinese cities after their debut in Shenzhen. They've been to Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an in past years.