When Michael Flatley unleashed Riverdance and The Lord of the Dance in the mid-’90s no one could have predicted the frenzy which was created by the part-tap dance, part-modern dance version of the traditional Irish dance form.
Scott Doherty, principal dancer for An Irish Christmas, is grateful to have worked in both of those groundbreaking shows. “A dream-come-true for me,” Doherty says. “I grew up watching [Flatley] dance. He’s why I wanted to become a dancer – and he’s singlehandedly responsible for the world knowing anything about Irish dance. It was life-changing sharing the stage with him.”
Margaret O’Carroll, creator of the show, pays homage as well.
“Riverdance showed the brilliance of traditional Irish dance,” she says, “along with showcasing the incredible physical stamina of the dancers. But our show is folk theater. There’s dance, yes, but there’s also storytelling and traditional costuming. It is of the people. I love to draw from that.”
Doherty, a 2009 Irish Dance World Champion, leads a dance troupe backed by a traditional Irish folk band, who hammer bodhran drums, blow whistles and flutes and strum fiddles, banjo, guitars and a bouzouki, together with three vocalists. And he’s excited about his co-star Tyler Schwartz.
“Tyler is a fellow world champion dancer,” Doherty says. “It’s great having a talent like that. Dancing the two of us alone is some of the most fun I’ve ever had on stage.”
The show expresses village traditions of yore like butter churning and chasing the wren for St. Stephen’s Day, along with more familiar fare “Silent Night,” “Little Drummer Boy” and “Carol of the Bells.”
“There’s more than just the dancing,” Doherty says. “Some numbers tell stories of traditions in Ireland and old Ireland. If you know about those traditions it will bring you home. If you don’t, you can learn about what Christmas traditions in Ireland used to be like.”
“We are the interpreters, we are the storytellers,” O’Carroll says. “The ancestral line is articulated this way.”
AN IRISH CHRISTMAS 8pm Wednesday, Nov. 29. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $27-$53. 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com
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