Riverdance will celebrate its 30th anniversary at Hancher from May 9 to 11. A two-hour theater production, Riverdance blends traditional Irish dancing with other cultural dances such as flamenco and tap dancing.
“There’s no feeling like being on stage,” Riverdance’s lead dancer Maggie Darlington said. “There’s a real give-and-take between the audience and performer you can’t really replicate in any other scenario.”
In honor of the production’s 30th year, Darlington said they plan to celebrate all the past performances with a video showcasing its history.
“We’re keeping up with the times,” Darlington said. “The music is a little fresher and a little brighter.”
Darlington hopes the music will capture the audience as it has in past performances. With a brighter tone, the dancers hope to bring the audience the same joy they feel while performing.
“It’s always exciting to see the little kids jumping out of the seats and dancing in the aisles,” Darlington said.
Growing up in the Irish dancing community, Darlington started dancing at three years old and has had the same dance teacher ever since.
“I haven’t known my life without Irish dancing, because my older sisters started before I was even born,” Darlington said. “It was my place to go to reflect and express myself.”
As one of the oldest troupe members, she was five years old when Riverdance debuted in 1995. She recalled her audition process and when she officially joined the troupe in 2011.
RELATED: Tyler, the Creator, Kacey Musgraves, Lana Del Rey to headline Hinterland’s 10th anniversary festival
Darlington is from California, but Riverdance held yearly auditions in Dublin during the summer. Luckily, the organization set up an audition for her in 2011 when they were performing in California.
To Darlington, some key characteristics of Irish music include its use of the fiddle, whistle and pipes. Additionally, Irish dancing involves a lot of quick, coordinated footwork.
“We almost match every note, so we’re in a way performing the music with our feet,” Darlington said.
Darlington explained that a trademark of Irish dancing is how dancers keep their arms by their sides while quickly moving their feet.
“We cross our feet over so there’s almost a little diamond between your ankles,” Darlington said. “It’s a lot of cardio.”
Having performed with Riverdance for 14 years, Darlington always has something to look forward to with each show.
“Sometimes, we can do up to five cities in a week,” Darlington said. “We’re just really excited to get off the bus and dance. I just hope people come and enjoy and have a smile on their face.”