IT’S hard to believe that 30 years have passed since that seven-minute interlude in the Dublin-staged 1994 Eurovision Song Contest caught the public’s imagination to such an extent that within a year it had expanded into a full-length stage show, which in turn, with its mixture of Irish music, dance and folk lore, has attracted audiences worldwide ever since.

Producer Moya Doherty and director John McColgan, the lucky inheritors of that phenomenon, have had the task of assembling a company worthy to follow in the footsteps of the many outstanding performers who have brought Riverdance alive over those years, including Michael Flatly, one of the original choreographers and dancers. Along with Bill Whelan, who wrote the book, lyrics and composed the music, Flatly’s influence can still be clearly seen throughout the show.

But there is nothing copy-cat or stale about this production. Leading dancers Will Bryant and Keeva Corry, as bright as their illustrious predecessors, and the company, bring the freshness and exuberance of young dancers in full flight to their performances.

Interwoven into this hymn to Irish dance and song (some beautiful work from the singers), are three welcome dance interlopers – the passionate tones of the flamenco from Rocio Dusmet and her partners, eye boggling twirling and spinning from the Dervish Ensemble and memories of legendary tap dancers the Nicholas Brothers, Cipher Goings and Dharmesh Patel, from the new world, performed a dazzling dance battle with Will Bryant, plus two, representing the old world.

In support of the two contenders were two of the four live musicians, violinist Haley Richardson and saxophonist Emma McPhilemy, whose contribution to the production was as telling as any of the dancers. When Emma joined MD and drummer Mark Alfred for a wonderful demonstration of how to play the Bodhran drum. the audience was shouting for more. And when it came to creating a true Irish sound. Cathal Croke was on hand to produce the ideal sound with either the Uilleann pipes or whistles.

For all these lovely individual offerings, it is still those seven minuets of ankle-challenging Irish dancing that so captured the public’s imagination in 1994 that is still the heart and favourite part of a new metamorphosis of this show, and this New Generation did not disappoint the enthusiastic audience who had come to see either an old favourite, or have the thrill of seeing Riverdance for the first time.

If you miss Riverdance at the Bristol Hippodrome you can catch up with it this weekend, on 29th and 30th November in Bournemouth International Centre.

GRP