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Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
THE CREATION of Moya Doherty, what was originally a seven-minute
interval for the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, became an overnight
sensation. It was, of course, Riverdance and
it's been delighting audiences ever since.
But next year, on the tenth anniversary of its first full-length
stage show, the Irish dance phenomenon will begin a two-month
tour of the UK - stopping, for just one week, April 4 - 9, at
the Apollo Hammersmith - in what is being billed as 'its last
ever UK dates'.
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Still one of the biggest dance shows
in the world, its statistics are impressive. To date, Riverdance
has been seen by over 18 million people worldwide. There have
been over 8,000 performances, in 30 countries, across four continents
and at a total of 250 venues.
Not forgetting, of course, television audiences, which number
in excess of 1.5 billion people. And, in 1997, it won a Grammy
Award for Best Musical Show Album.
Although the cast of 80 is predominately Irish, Russian folk
dancers, American tappers and Spanish flamenco artists are also
featured.
The Apollo Hammersmith is a fitting final London venue for a
show that thrilled a record-breaking, one million ticket holders
when it first ran there, ten years ago.
In fact, the theatre is often regarded within the company as
its second spiritual home, after the Point Theatre in Dublin.
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