river dance.docx

river dance.docx

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riverdance

DancingonDangerousGround

IrishDancerJeanButler

byShaneMcGinley

June2005

In1994IrelandhadwontheannualEurovisionSongContestinwhatwastobearunoffourvictoriesoverfiveyears.Howeverthiswasnoordinaryyear.Duringtheintervalwhenthevoteswerebeingcountedandcommunicationlinkswerebeingchecked,theaudiencewashardlysurprisedwhentheorganiserschosetobringonsomeIrishdancers.Whenthe10-minutepieceendedtheaudiencerosetotheirseatsand300millionviewersweremesmerised.Overtenyearslatertheintervalacthasbeentransformedintoamulti-milliondollarstageshowwiththreetroupesplayingtostandingovationsacrosstheworld.

ThenowgloballyfamousMichaelFlatleywastheoriginalmaledancer,butthenewfemale,andverybeautiful,faceofIrishdancingwasfellowAmericanJeanButler.Accordingtoherfansite,Jeanlovessushi,swimming,spendingSundaysreading,hasadognamedFreddie,herfavouritedancerisSylviaGuillemandshewouldlovetoonedayworkwithPinaBauschandMatthewBourne.Butwhoistheravenheadedbeautifuldancerwhohelpedtransformaoncedyingartformintoaglobalbrand?

ShaneMcGinleycaughtupwiththedancertofindout.

JeanButlerwasbornandraisedinNewYorkandhermotherwasoriginallyfromCo.MayointheWestofIreland.IntrueIrishAmericantraditionhermotherstartedherinIrishdanceclassesattheageoffour.“Itwasyourtypicalstory,Mamwantedtokeepalittlebitoftraditioninthefamilyandlittledidweknowatthetimeitwouldcompletelytakeoverourlives,whichiswhatitdid.”

ThiswasverydifferentfromthesituationinIrelandatthetimewhereIrishdancingwasseenasoldfashionedanduninterestingtothegeneralpublic.“FromwhatIgatherfrompeoplewhogrewupdancinginIrelandwhoareIrishitwassomethingthatwasverymuchshunneduponandsweptunderthedoororkeptinthecloset,nobodywouldreallyadmittheywereanIrishdancer,”saysJean.“IthinkinAmericathereisaslightlymoreopenconnectednesstothefactthatweweresecondorfirstgenerationIrishwhoweredoingsomethinginadifferentcountrythatkeptthemrootedinthecountrywheretheirparentswereborn.”

“TherewasacertaintypeofpridethatwecouldIrishdanceandhadn’treallycomeacrossanyprejudiceagainstit.Americanswouldn’tbeveryshyeither.ThereisacertainamountofstagecultureandconfidencethatcomeswithbeingbornandbredinanAmericanculture.”

Thoughtrainedinballetandtap,IrishdancingbecameJean’sspecialityandshewentontoconsecutiveregional,nationalandworldchampionships.Attheageof17,onSt.Patrick'sDay,shedebutedwithrenownedIrishgroup‘TheChieftains’.Asuccessfulrelationshipbeganthatlastedseveralyears,touringextensivelythroughoutAmerica,Canada,EuropeandJapan.Jeanappearedontheirvideo'TheChieftains–LiveFromBelfast,'withRogerDaltryandNanciGriffithandhertapscanalsobeheardontheiralbum,'TheLongBlackVeil'withMickJaggerandTheRollingStones.

WhilststudyingdramaattheUniversityofBirmingham,intheUK,JeanreceivedaninvitationfromproducersMoyaDohertyandJohnMcColgantostarinaten-minutestageproductioncalled"Riverdance"and,astheysay,therestishistory!

“WhenRiverdancehappenedbutitwasn’tsimplyjustanotherdancingjob,”recallsJean,“itwasthestartofsomethingexcitinganditwasgreattobepartofthatcreativeteamtorepresentthenewimageofIrishdancingbutitwasalsoterrificallyexcitingandfun.”

While"Riverdance"representedthenewimageofIrishdancingandseemedmuchmoredramaticfromthetraditionalconceptJeandoesn’tbelievethedancefundamentallychangedtoomuch.“Idon’treallyseeanychangeinstyle,whatIseeisachangeinpresentation,”believesJean.“Therewereafewmovementchanges,whichweretherebecausewewereputtingthedanceintoastageandtheatresettingandhadanaudience.Certainthingschangedinordertoreachthebackofthetheatrebuttheformofthedancehasremainedthesame.”

Themainobservabledifferencein"Riverdance"isthatthedancersmovetheirhands,anadvancementthatwasquitedramatic.“InthecompetitiveworldofIrishdancingtherearestillnohandswhatsoeversoobviouslywhenyouaretakingatraditionalformandputtingitinapublicarenacertainmodificationsorextensionswillhappentoallowthatdancetobeslightlymorecommercial.”

“Ithinkitisdowntotheindividualperformer,thecompetitionworldwillalwaysremainwhereitisatthemomentandstaytruetothetraditionalstyleoftheartform,whichisnonuseoftheupperbodybutwhenyoumoveontothestagetheboundariesaremuchwiderandthefreedomofexpressionisgreatersoyoucanplaywiththedanceanddon’tnecessarilyhavetoholdontoholdontoallthetraditions.ButIthinkit’simportanttosaythatitisdowntotheindividualartist.”

ButwilltheadvancesontheworldstageinfluencethetraditionalformofIrishdancing?

“ThereisacommissionthatrunsthecompetitiveworldofdancingandthereisabitofastirringgoingonintheworldbutIdon’tthinkit’sgoingtohappeninthenextfivetotenyears,”believesJean.“AlsosomethinglikeIrishdancing,thanksto"Riverdance",isnowacceptedonaglobalscaleassomethingworthyandentertaining.”

WithsuchadvancesitwouldbelogicaltoconcludethatthetraditionalistsintheIrishdancingcommunitywouldberesistanttochangesintheartform.“Ididn’tcomeacrossanypersonallyanditalsocomesdowntothepointwhere"Riverdance"isagreatemployer,whichhasaknockoneffecttoyourlocalteacherwhowasinundatedwithpeopleafterwardssothereisnowaysheisgoingtosayanythingbadabout"Riverdance"ifallofasuddenhersalaryistripledbecauseofit.”

"Riverdance"certainlybecameaglobalcottageindustrywithmanyimitatorsfollowinginitswake.“Ithingpeoplerespondtotrueexpression.PeoplecanseeifsomethingiscomingfromagoodplaceorafalseplaceandanyoneworkingwithintheIrishdancemediumatthemomentcommerciallyyoucanpickwhatplacepeoplearecomingfrom.ButIthinkthereisaresponsibilitythatIthinkhastobelookedatverycarefully.”

In1996afterperformingforPopes,Presidents,KingsandQueens,Jeanleft"Riverdance"topursueothersoloprojects.In1999sheteamedupwithColinDunne,whohadreplacedMichaelFlatleyin"Riverdance",andtogetherlaunchedashowcalled‘DancingonDangerousGround’.ChoreographedwithDunnetheshowwasbasedonanancientIrishmyththattellsthetaleofthelovebetweenawarriorandaprincess.The£2millionshowopenedinLondonandhadanelementnotusuallyassociatedwiththeworldofIrishdance-sex.ThepostersshowedJeannakedfromthewaitupinapassionateclinchwithDunne,whosearmsreachedacrossherbreasts.

Theshow’stitlewastoberatherunfortunatelyironicandwhileitreceivedgreatreviewswhenittransferredtoNewYorkissoonclosedandwasnotthefinancialsuccessanyonehadhopedfor.“Ithinkitwasatimingthingandanexecutionthing,”saysJean.“Otherthanthebusinesssideofthings,whichwereneverrocksolid,Ithinkwhatweweretryingtodowiththedanceanaudiencewasn’treallyreadyfor,itwasadeparturefrom"Riverdance"and"LordoftheDance"andtodepartfromsomethingsowellestablishedandnotexecuteitabsolutelyflawlesslyisdangerous.”

In2001Jeangotmarriedandbeganembarkingonseveraldifferentprojects,includingreturningtoherrootsindrama.Sheappearedin‘TheRevengers’withDr.WhostarChristopherEccelsonandcomicEddieIzzard,aswellasthequirkyIrishindiefilm‘GoldfishMemory’andasonehalfofadysfunctionalmarriagein‘OldFriends’.WhilethefilmsdidnotmakeforinternationalhitsafewyearslaterJeanappearedtobeabouttogetherglobalbigbreakwhenBond,JamesBondcameacalling.“Igotbacktothethirdauditionandtherewasmeandtwootherpeople.ItwastherolethatMadonnagotattheendoftheday.Shewasn’tevenauditioningforitattheendofthedayandasfarasIunderstanditwaslike‘willyoudothesoundtrack’andIguessshewantedabitpartsotheygaveittoher,soitwasslightlyirritating.”

ReturningtocollegeJeanwastheArtistinResidencefortheIrishWorldMusicCentreattheUniversityofLimerickandhasjustcompletedaMastersDegreeinContemporaryDance.“ItwasbasicallytocontinuetheexplorationofthedanceandwhatImightdowithit.Ialsowantedtobeastudent.FortenyearsIwasinthepositionofteacherwhereIachoreographerorstaringinsomething,whichisahugeresponsibilityandwhenyouareinthatplaceitcantakecareofalotofthingsexceptforyourownselfsoIwantedtolookatmyowndancingtenyearslater.”

JeanhasalsokeptbusywithacolumninaDublinmagazineandanewDVDcalled‘JeanButler’sIrishDanceMasterclass’whichwasnumberoneintheIrishDVDcharts.ShehasalsobeenmadetheGoodwillAmbassadorforForgottenChildrenandrecentlymadeaharrowingfactfindingmissiontoRwandaandTheCongotohighlighttheproblemsintheregion.IntrueshowbizstyletherewasalsoanIrishurbanlegendthatstillcirculatesthatJean’sfabulousphysiqueandbeautyhadgracedthecoversofPlayboy,butthatthemythicalcopyhadneverappearedinIreland.“That’shilarious,it’snotabadurbanmythtohaveoutthere,”laughsJeanwithsomedelightwhenitwasbroughttoherattention.

JeanButlerwillirretrievablyalwaysbeconnectedtothephenomenonthatis"Riverdance",whichlaunchedherontotheworldstage.Nearlyadecadeaftershelefttheshowherpopularityisstillasstron