Tagged Riverdance

Riverdance dress rehearsal: Sun 24th April at 2.00pm-3.30pm

Riverdance Hair and costume info

We’re all getting excited for our upcoming performance at The Opera House Theatre, Blackpool Winter Gardens on Saturday 30th April 2106.  As you’ll have seen in class, all our dancers have been working really hard and our Riverdance-inspired tap routine is really taking shape now.

A full dress rehearsal for ALL dancers taking part will be held on Sunday 24th April at Shevington Community Centre.  Everyone will need to arrive, dressed in full costume, ready for a 2.00pm start.  The rehearsal will last until 3.30pm. The fee for this session is £3, payable with your Saturday class fees on 23rd April.

We’d be really grateful if you’d make every effort to attend this rehearsal as it’s the final opportunity before the show for all dancers to work together.

It’s where we finalise spacing, and where we make sure that everyone knows their cues and places throughout the whole routine when all class groups dance at the same time.

It’s important that costumes are fully finished and worn by dancers throughout the duration of the rehearsal.  If there are any ‘wardobe malfunctions’ this is where they’ll be spotted so they can be fixed before the Opera House show!

We’ve put together a full checklist below which includes all the information you need to know about costumes and hair.  However if you have any questions at all, then don’t hesitate to ask us.

Costume for younger groups (11.30am class and younger):

  • Green velvet sequin-trimmed dress with white net underskirt
  • Plain white knickers (the high waisted ‘granny’ style with good coverage!)
  • White ballet socks
  • White tap shoes (tied with green ribbon – Susan to supply)
  • Stage make-up (blusher, blue eye shadow, red lips)
  • Hair “half up, half down” style as per image:
    • Front section secured with plain elastic bobble
    • Dressed with green ribbon (Susan to supply ribbon)
    • For April 30th show, please curl damp hair overnight with curly rags or similar
    • Neatly hairsprayed into place with plain bobby pins to secure

Costume for older groups (12.30pm class and older):

  • Green velvet sequin-trimmed dress with white net underskirt
  • Black opaque tights
  • Black tap shoes (tied with green ribbon – Susan to supply)
  • Black leather ballet shoes (those doing soft-shoe part of routine only)
  • Stage make-up (blusher, blue eye shadow, red lips)
  • Hair “half up, half down” style as detailed above and shown in image

Thank you for your continued support as we prepare for our Blackpool performance.  With so many dancers and parents in the building at the same time, we know it will be a little hectic at the dress rehearsal on Sunday 24th April, so we thank you in advance for your patience.  It’ll be worth it when your tap superstars make you so very proud on stage at the Opera House!

Click here for more information about tickets and other arrangements.

 

Our top 10 dancers of all time: #8 – Michael Flatley

Michael Flatley at Number 8 in SK Dance Studio Top 10 dancers of all time list

Thanks to a Eurovision win in 1993 by Niamh Kavanagh, Ireland got to play host to the famous song contest in 1994 and in line with tradition, was expected to put on the ‘half-time’ entertainment. Keen to impress, the organisers wanted to create a show that people would really remember, incorporating the very best of Ireland’s musical and cultural heritage.

Enter Michael Flatley. Although born and raised in Chicago, Flatley had already made a big name for himself in Irish Dance circles, having become the first non-European ever to win the Irish Dance World Championships in 1975. He even broke a Guinness World Record in 1989 having knocked out an incomprehensible 28 taps per second.

The seven minute Irish dance spectacular created for Eurovision was the catalyst to global success for Flatley, showcasing his undoubted talent as both a choreographer and dancer. Audiences simply couldn’t get enough and flocked in their droves to see the full length Riverdance show that spawned from the Eurovision number. Flatley went on to create and star in many other amazing shows including Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames. These shows were so big that in many cities, they played in arenas instead of theatres to meet the demand. All this made Flatley a multi-millionaire who reportedly insured his dancer’s legs for a whopping forty million dollars.

Flatley’s brilliance completely re-invented Irish dancing, taking it from the twee domain of mop-haired little girls, to the hottest, most exciting ticket in town.

Click here to watch Michael Flatley in the Riverdance Finale.

And for that, Michael Flatley well deserves his place in the SK Dance Studio Top 10 Dancers of All Time list.