If you haven’t heard, the larger than life spectacle Riverdance is coming to Huntsville, and while I have heard so many good things about this worldwide phenomenon, I have never seen it.
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Now’s my (and your) chance. Riverdance will play the Von Braun Center, February 10 – 12.
From very humble beginnings as a single performance act during the 1994 Eurovision contest, Riverdance has grown to become one of the world’s most successful dance productions.
The success of the 1994 contest prompted the producers, John McColgan and Moya Doherty, to turn the act into a stage show which opened in Dublin, Ireland in 1995.
The show draws on Irish traditions, combining the talents of the performers to propel Irish dancing and music into the present day.
The show has captured the imagination of audiences across all ages and cultures in an innovative and exciting blend of dance, music, and song that is well known throughout the world.
So before it plays here in Huntsville, I thought I would share some fun facts from the show.
Since Riverdance began performances in Dublin 1995, the show has…
- Played 11,000 performances
- Seen live by over 25 million people in over 467 venues worldwide, throughout 46 countries across 6 continents
- Traveled 700,000 miles (or to the moon and back and back again!)
- Played to a global television audience of 3 billion people
- Sold over 3 million copies of the Grammy Award-winning CD
- Sold 10 million Riverdance videos & DVDs
- Riverdance holds the Guinness World Record for the ‘Longest River- dance Line: 1693 participants took part from all over the world.
- 2,000 Irish Dancers
- 20,000 Dance shoes used
- 15,000 Costumes worn
- 400,000 Gallons of water consumed
- 75,000 Gallons of Gatorade consumed
- 2,000,000 Show programs sold
- 1,750 Flight cases used
- 14,000 Stage lighting bulbs used
- 45,000 Boxes of tissue used
- 16,250 Guitar, bass and fiddle strings replaced
- 300,000 T-shirts sold
- 60 Marriages between company members
- 88 Riverdance babies born with more on the way
- 26,000 Cumulative years of in step-dancing by Irish Dancers
- 50,000 rolls of self-grip tape used by company physiotherapists
- 17,500 Hours of rehearsals on tour
- 6,000,000 Pounds of dry ice used on stage
- 70,000 Pounds of chocolate consumed (for energy!) by the cast.
More Information: Riverdance – The 20th Anniversary World Tour
When: February 10 – 12, 5 showtimes
Where: Mark C. Smith Concert Hall
How Much: Tickets start at $29
Get Tickets: You can visit the BTL office or find tickets here – http://bit.ly/river17
Editor’s Note: Why do I like Riverdance even more now that I know they eat chocolate for energy. That’s something we can get behind!
Wil Elrick hails from Guntersville, Alabama where at an early age he developed a love for both trivia and history. He has spent the last 20 odd years, fine tuning the art of communication while working in law enforcement, writing, television media, historical research, and public speaking. He lives in North Alabama with his two boys, and a neurotic German Shepherd Dog. He one day hopes that Bigfoot is proven real. Wil’s new book Alabama Scoundrels is available from History Press.
