30 years ago, dancer Lorcan Murphy became a part of Irish history when he signed up for the interval act at the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin's Point Depot. Three decades on, he revisits the dawn of Riverdance...
Everyone remembers the night they saw Riverdance. Thank you Niamh Kavanagh!
Dublin, 1994: After the audition process, we began two weeks of grueling rehearsals for 10 hours every day. Learning a new style of dance to a rhythm of music none of us had ever encountered, I remember my jaw dropping when Jean Butler danced her solo, and Michael Flatley bursting across the Diggs Lane rehearsal room in ripped jeans. I finally understood the true meaning of charisma.
Two weeks of exhaustion, new pressures, new choreographers, television producers and directors, I had no idea what was coming our way. But I knew we had something special.
Studio rehearsals finished and the day finally came when we were going to move into The Point Depot.
We entered the front of the building and there was a sense of anticipation.
Our first "wow" moment, of many to come, greeted us as we entered the arena. The set and stage was so vast in scale. A cityscape backdrop none of us had ever seen before. Electricity oozed. There was no time to stand and stare. We had costume fittings and rehearsal slots to attend. We shared a dressing room with the choir, Anuna and very quickly and easily, friendships were made. The Green Room was next to us, where we mingled with all the acts from different countries.
We had three days of dress and technical rehearsals. The first hurdle to navigate - and the most important one to a dancer - was the stage. This was like an ice rink, and there was very little spring for our ankles and knees. A fear had set in: falling live in front of a global audience was a real possibility for any of us dancers. But this is what rehearsals were for.
"From the top!" "Sharper!" "Again!" "Bigger smiles!" "You have to move faster!
This was an opportunity. Our opportunity. We knew we had something special.
Show day... Pat Kenny on the radio had warned everyone not to miss the interval act. Don't make a cup of tea. A real treat was in store. I told my mum and dad that "We really have something here, we know it and we feel it".
Then 25 acts performed, starting with Sweden and finishing with France. It was our turn. We were so nervous, excited, giddy and far too chatty for the stage crews' liking. Cynthia Ni Mhurchu and the late Gerry Ryan gave us a dramatic introduction. Anuna sang the Cloud Song to set the mood, which than linked seamlessly to Jean Butler's soft shoe slip jig. A haunting and balletic grace we had never heard or seen before, Jean had broken new ground in Irish dancing. And then... lift off.
Michael Flatley had exploded onto the stage, and you could hear the crowd begin to roar. This was it. We were ready. Our hearts were pumping. The "B6" entered and all of a sudden, the crowd became raucous. The rest of us were waiting our turn, dying to get out and experience what was already taking place. This was our time to show what Irish dancing was all about.
And on we marched.
I didn’t see 200 million people watching on TV but I saw every one of the 3,500 people come to their feet in the arena. In the middle of the chaos, directly in front of me, having snuck out from the Green Room sitting on the stairs, I spotted the Icelandic entry, watching us in awe.
And than the roar.
30 years on, I still hear it. It was instant, and it still hasn’t stopped
Everyone remembers the night they saw Riverdance.
Riverdance will return to the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, from 5 June - 8 September 2024 - find out more here.
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