“Lord of the Dance” mesmerized and enchanted its audience Sunday night in Eisenhower Auditorium.
The cultural phenomenon that is “Lord of the Dance” is a critically-acclaimed dance show that is inspired by Irish folklore. In its 17-year run, the show has been seen by more than 60 million people around the globe—making it, according to the show’s website, “the No.1 dance spectacular” worldwide .
“Lord of the Dance” was created, produced and directed by Michael Flatley . The show takes its audiences on an epic story of the classic tale of good versus evil, as the Lord of Darkness challenges and attempts to overthrow the Lord of the Dance, according to the website.
The show blends traditional and modern Irish dance as way to express the story to the audience in a language everyone can understand.
From the moment the dancers took the stage to the final encore, the audience was captivated by the flashy, whimsical costume design and intricately stunning choreography. The expertise of the dancers was evident to everyone in the audience.
“It leaves you completely speechless,” Ashley Bowes , audience member, said.
This was the second time Bowes had seen the dance and said it’s worth it every time.
The music of the show matched the intensity of the choreography and set the mood for each scene. The state of the art lighting, also, helped to establish the tone and create a scenery that left the audience in awe.
Even with all of pizzazz on stage, nothing could top the dancers’ performances.
“The dancers were excellent,” Ute Rich , audience member, said. “The male part was very strong.”
The male dancers’ performance took on a whole other level when the element of sound was added with the help of the traditional Irish dance hard shoe. The impressive movement of the dancers resonated throughout the auditorium and was apparent to everyone. Even those who did not have a good view of the dancers’ feet could at least hear the loud clacking of the heel to the stage.
“I enjoyed the precision of the men,” said Chuck Bierlien , another member of the audience. “They had a mechanical type movement to them.”
The female dancers gave a remarkable performance, as well. Enthusiastic applause filled the auditorium after each dance ended and a standing ovation was given to the dancers before and after the encore. As everyone began to exit the auditorium, the audience had nothing but praise for the performance.
