Riverdance, the original 7 minute performance as the Interval Act of Eurovision Song Contest 1994.
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- Опубліковано 24 кві 2024
- On 30th April 1994, Riverdance, the original seven-minute performance was the interval act at the Eurovision Song Contest at The Point Theatre, Dublin (now the 3Arena) and was broadcast to an estimated 300 million viewers worldwide.
As votes were being counted around Europe, Riverdance burst onto the stage and took the audience by complete surprise. From the haunting vocals of Anúna, the graceful elegance of Jean Butler, the explosive arrival of Michael Flatley and culminating in a long line of Irish dancers beating the stage in perfect heart-stopping harmony, a whole new genre of entertainment was born.
30 years on with over 30 million audience members later and a worldwide viewership of 3.5 billion, Riverdance continues to astonish audiences globally.
“The phenomenon rolls on!… There will always be a Riverdance!” THE NEW YORK TIMES - Розваги
I remember being blown away by this on the night. For my money, it's still the single greatest ever performance at ANY Eurovision, and that includes the songs!
Yes I remember seeing this on the night. It was stunning and mind blowing never having ever seen Irish Dancing before even this was on a new level.
The bar is a bit low though isn’t it?
Can YOU do it?
I saw Riverdance in New York City some 25 years ago - and I agree: it was mesmerizing! One of the vocalists had such an ethereally beautiful voice - and she was just the understudy! It really was an assemblage of amazingly talented performers. 🤩
Agree with you.
I remember watching it live and being blown away. The whole country was infatuated with it. Nobody can remember the Eurovision itself but everybody remembers Riverdance.
well i don’t know what country your on about but the trainers / dance teachers wasn’t in Ireland
@@paulcrawley5687 Never said they were. Think you must have commented on someone else's comment. I can only assume
When the world knew Ireland for the Troubles and U2 this largely forgotten ancient Irish subculture hit the whole world like a glorious happy hammer. 👍👍
Still get chills 30 years later watching this performance.
When Riverdance was airing on PBS I was getting off work at midnight. I stumbled on to it with my conventional TV. I'd watch it for a while captivated but annoyed that I was not seeing it from the beginning and moved to something else. It was not until sometime later that I got to see it start to finish. My take: the finale by itself is worth the price of admission and then there was Jean Butler. I was in my early 40s by then and one never given to celebrity crushes but I had stars in my eyes for several years over her.
in tears here. Way better than the shit we'e got going forward today -
A moment in time that still has the same impact years later
Magical, beautiful and everlasting
I remember seeing both these two dancing as I was in the front row with my aunt who is now 93 years old and I still visit her every week to shop for her. Afterwards we got to meet him in person. I had a camera with a setting for long horizontal which I'd turn 90 degrees to get the full length of a body. I got one of me holding my arm around Michael Flatley's shoulders and he's quite small and about as wet as a man getting out of a swimming pool after all that dancing. He was surprised for the picture, but it was a great shot of the full length of both of us.
I think asked my aunt who was in her 60s if she wanted a picture with him and she said, "When he smells like that? Hell, no" and Michael Flatley just busted up laughing.
I'm a black woman living in Philadelphia and I, along with some friends, have tickets for the show next April. Already excited... 1 year ahead of time !!!! ❤❤❤🥰
Hi I’m from S Jersey.. and I’ve been following river dance since 1995.. I first saw them while I was at work and fell in love.. I’ve never been able to go see them. I’d be excited too.. are they at the convention center again? I hope it’s a nice day and your heart filled with joy..God bless
@@katieks48 Hi. They are going to be at the Kimmel Center. That's on the campus at Temple University.
Hi Jocelyn,
If you’re a black woman…you’re honorary Irish !
🥰
@@davidhryan thank you for that compliment !!! 🤗 My dad was in the Air Force in the 1950's and he was stationed in England where my older sister was born. So even though she's not Irish, she came close !!! Lol !!! Ironically she is a professional dancer. ( Ballet). I turned her onto Riverdance and Lord of the Dance and she loooves it !!! I found out last year, watching videos of competitions, that there are Irish dance troupes for people over 50.. I'm looking to see if they have classes. I'm 59 and may be too old for the jumps and kicks but I love a challenge and it would be fun to try !!! 😃
What relevance is your colour?
This will never age. It still gets the spirits soaring and it brought Irish dance to the world. The singing at the beginning it magical. Superb
totaly agree I also love the drums has well the whole peformance was spellbinding
Magic, best ever, music, dancing just outstanding
You can keep the music and the dancing thanks
Irish dancing kept pretty quiet for 100s of years then BOOM! 👍👍
Our youngest daughter started Irish Dancing in 1997 and qualified for the World Championships with her team in 1999. They eventually went to two World's competitions, first in 2002 and again in 2005. She danced for a total of 12 years and her mom andI enjoyed all of it, especially the travel to cities where she competed and met some real nice folks.
That is really cool! Such an astounding dance.
Wow❤🎉😮
No one cares
@@MB-tr5sz I wouldn't be so sure ...
Irish dance is incredibly athletic. It takes talent and hard work to get to Worlds!
2024 and I'm still so amazed by this unbelievable performance 👏👏👏👏👌
This never gets old! 2024 I still get the chills watching it.
Absolutely, remember it so well. I live in Zimbabwe and flew to Johannesburg as the show brought out with Michael Flatley sensational.
@@normacoope8239 superb indeed
The two best things to come out of Eurovision, Riverdance and ABBA!
Celine Dion might want a word with you (but otherwise I agree).
Unbelievable to think this is 30 years old today. As electrifying now as it was then.
After all these years it is still spine tingling!
I swear in my memory there were about a thousand dancers on the stage that night! 😆 That’s the impact they all had, sounding like an army! Bravo.
I remember it the same way! At the age of 6, I couldn't believe that so many thousand people knew how to move their legs that fast!
Same thing here . Watching it now I go like “where are ethe other thousand dancers I saw that night” brilliant
Even after all these years it still hasn’t diminished its appeal.
The first time I saw this - I thought it was the best thing I had ever seen. It still makes me feel good
It is the best thing I have ever seen
Jean Butler looked gorgeous. Michael Flatley's mullet....nil points!
Of all the wonderful female dancers that partnered Michael Flatley over the decades, Jean Butler was the best. ❤
And Michael was better than them all
@@Jesakin-rl7zq Absolutely.....Michael was a supreme showman on top of his dancing genius. The only dancers I see even coming close are the Gardiner Brothers. Unfortunately, since Michael.retired, Irish dancing has slipped in general public attention which means many people have not heard of the Gardiner Brothers. 😔
@snowysnowyriver I have been seeing them on video, in USA, especially when Beyoncé's Texas Hold'em first came out and everybody was dancing to it. I might be Australian but Ireland is my spiritual home.
@@kalayne6713 It's excellent if they are getting a wider audience. They deserve it! 👍
Jean Butler & Michael Flatley were incredible in the beginning years -- 30 years ago the Irish Step-Dancing they epitomized here started a true phenomenon which is RiverDance! ☆☆☆☆☆ ♡♡
Couldn’t believe what we watched. We were a group of 6 watching the esc that night which wasn’t very good that year and then this happened and we were just lost for words. Remember all 6 of us going wtf was that. Brilliant
Michael Flatley - the master of The Dance.
After all these years, still absolutely amazing!!
The first time I saw Riverdance was on a PBS special presentation of the first full show. I and my two roommates were so astonished that we sat through the whole show with our mouths hanging open, not speaking a word. I took my mother to the live show on tour in San Francisco in 1998. I was even more mesmerized, as was my mother. The best show ever.
I totally agree
This still brings a tear to the eye 30 years later. Because of Michael Flatley, The dam broke and the floods of Irish dancing and Irish music raged throughout the World. It is because of him, millions, billions of people were introduced to the Irish dancing world. How many VHS cassettes were purchased of the show and so many now wanted to be a Irish dancer just like the Riverdance show! I hope Ireland thanked him for this emotional breathtaking performance and how so many Irish dancing schools opened up around the World! Thank you Mr. Michael Flatley~ 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀
let include jean butler in the homage
@@eightieslivenow7579Absolutely!
I remember watching this in the Beachcomber pub in Killester and thinking it was extraordinary and also that Jean Butler was an absolute fox.
This was on my 9th birthday and as an Irish person it still gives me a lump in my throat to this day especially since it was performed on home soil. Simply breathtaking ❤
A mere interval act changed the dance world. 💪
I saw Riverdance when it first appeared in London many years ago. Its still one of the best shows I've ever seen. Amazing talent and great entertainment.
One of the most exciting dance performances I have ever seen. That was electric!
I'd seen clips of the original, but this is the first time I'd seen it all the way through. I now understand why it was such a phenomenon! IMHO Jean Butler deserved way more credit for her part.
They were truly phenomenal dancers.
THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!! Julie Gill, Glasgow, Scotland.
I remember watching this at home with my mam and being utterly blown away by what we had just watched. I had never seen anything like this before in my life. Just magical. Brings tears to my eyes still 🇮🇪
Me too. It was one of the last things I saw with my mum, so very special memories. We just had the TV on in the background and were blown away when this came on. I've seen a version in Canberra, Australia some years ago
One of the best interval acts at Eurovision I've ever seen. From the choir to the dancers and music everything came together for 7 minutes and transported people away from the 1994 contest for a second.
The man hours it took to rehearse this making sure everyone tapped in sync must be commended.
This made Irish Dancing more mainstream making everyone in the world notice than just people in Ireland who already knew about it and certainly eclipsed every else that night as often has been stated.
As Sir Terry Wogan said, "You didn't need to be Irish to like that." which I completely agree with been accessible to anyone whatever country they're from and having loved the show myself ever since and seen live for their 20th anniversary and will see again next year for their 30th then.
No other country will EVER beat this. I can't even remember who won but will never forget this. From the sublime voice to the dancers was perfection. I have since seen the actual show 3 times. As good as they all have been no one can equal Michael and Jean
Saw this in Birmingham all those years ago and I still get goosebumps when I see and hear it,it was in the week before Princess Diana's funeral which made I'd even more poignant they had a 2 minute silence for her and you could have heard a pin drop so emotional and so wonderful 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊❤❤❤❤
Incredible when you realise that the dancers touring with this show today weren't even alive in 1994!
I was 12 years old watching this at home in Ireland with my family when it aired.. We were all gobsmacked and now 30 years later it's still just as spectacular now. Seen the live show in person last December.
I was 14. It was one of those tv moments you don’t forget. People talk about the dancing of course but the singers and drummers and musicians were all brilliant too.
I was 12 too and remember this as truly magical!
I remember watching it in 1994 (I don't watch the Eurovision Song Contest any more!) and being just as gobsmacked as the live audience there clearly were! It's still magical, such precision.
The first time I saw them on TV was unlike anything I've ever seen before. It tugged at me on the deepest level of my soul, stirring something primal in me. It was almost as if I could see my Viking ancestors in my mind.
I have watched the original performance hundreds of times, and it still gives me goosebumps at the end! When Jean and Michael look at each other, you know they're so proud of what they have done.
I remember this well, probably the finest interval performance in Euro history. Watching it back again it’s interesting to hear the half hearted audience applause before, and then the bedlam and standing ovation afterwards. 😊
❤ Greetings from coastal Mississippi. I have witnessed Riverdance many times. Have even been privileged to meet the cast❤
Even after over thirty years still as incredible as it was that first night.
The Night we irish showed the World that we are amazing people.
Still absolutely breathtaking 😍
Best EVER!!!! I will never, ever forget seeing it the 1st time
saw it live in melbourne a couple weeks ago, it was breathtaking
Yep, still gets me... Remember when I saw it on telly, true shock and amazement :)
So proud to be Irish. They know how to put on a great show ❤
You should be proud. Riverdance was the show that got me hooked on Irish music. I saw it and Celtic Woman in person several times when these shows toured America. I never tire of this dance and music. Some of my ancestry is Irish and Scottish and maybe that's why I got hooked on it, a racial memory maybe?
Wife and I took our children to Riverdance a few times when it was touring. Always a fantastic experience! Many evenings, we'd watch variations of the performance on our VCR too. Great memories.
Hard to believe that it is 30 years ago tonight that this performance was first performed. Excellent performance by all concerned.
Still get goosebumps..so unexpected. Who knew this would be such an International sensation..and still going ❤
Ye brings tears to your eyes, what passion and bloody natural pride, 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪☘️☘️☘️👏👏👏👏👏👏
this is my favourite piece of Eurovision ever
I've seen this perform live n it was the best thing ever
A great memory
From the moment I was first introduced to this I loved it. I would have loved being able to learn this dancing as a child.
I remember watching this and falling in love with step dancing and thsingers. Magical.
This is still thrilling 30 years later. Incredible
Jean Butler was absolutely gorgeous!
A sparkling diamond amidst the dross that is Eurovision.
When I first saw Riverdance on PBS it floored me. I managed to see it twice in person and I also saw Feet of Flames. I did not see Flatley and Butler in person though. I am also a huge fan of Celtic Woman and have seen it in person several times. I love this stuff.
This made my little girl want to learn Irish Dance. 28 trophies and many feis later, my daughter was fantastic and it was worth every minute!
it still makes the hairs on the back of the neck stand up. just goosebumps
The original and best!! 💖💎🌹💖
I truly love this performance.
In my opinion this is art
It was the first time in my life I could say I was proud to be Irish
This will never get old. Alongside a few others this is one of handful of moments in the history of the Eurovision song contest that people call a 'Eurovision moment'.
Oh who won in 1994 by the way?. If you said riverdance, you'll be spot on correct.
Imagine the rehearsal time and energy that had to go into this ! ❤️
I was due to give birth to my youngest son any day and I can remember watching this and my son was kicking like crazy during the whole thing.
I was only 5 month's old at the time but as a huge fan of Eurovision ive watched this so much over the years as a child growing up makes me so proud to be irish that a 7 minute interval act went onto become one of the grestest stage shows of all time riverdance is truly iconic and has stood the test of time and to top it of it was our 3rd year in a row winning Eurovision with rock and roll kids one of my all time favourite irish winning entry 🇮🇪🇮🇪
The original version of Riverdance was phenomenal!! I remember working at a retail video store at the time and we could not keep the VHS in stock! We played the store copy all the time! Saw the first tour when it came to Boston and it was just fantastic!!
Never ceases to amaze me the timing of the taps w/the music. One of my favorite videos to watch.
Still blown away and still wonderful.
The amazing part is... This show never gets old. Same explosive wonderful energy. Pure joy
One of the few good things to come from eurovision . This was amazing .
Jean Butler is a smokeshow. Fabulous.
Still after all these years it brings a tear to my eye ..The ..no THE !! finest ever interval performance ever and I doubt it will ever be topped.. To be honest I still think the primary dancer. She is one of the most naturally beautiful women I have ever seen..
Wow wow wow!!! Still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up...👏👏👏 Went to see River Dance in The Point. Amazing!!! And of course the fabulous Gerry Ryan ❤❤❤
That audience reaction said it all. That was the effect it had on me (was it really) forty years ago. Electric.
Michael Flatley thank you for this perfection of The soul of Ireland ❤
What a wonderful performance celebrating the beauty of the culture and traditions of Ireland! It's inspiring to watch and to listen to these energetic and proud performers. It's also inspiring to see the reaction of the audience as well as the dignity of their dress for the occasion. What has happened to the way that people dress now?
Brilliant & beautiful ☘️🇮🇪
Still have the VHS tape of this show! Still love it after all these years.
I still get goosebumps from watching this.
Tears of joy stream from myself as I watch, not only the amazing dancers but also the wonderful , clear beautiful singers , slainte Eire xxxx
Saw Riverdance and Lord of the Dance many times in Palm Beach and Ft. Lauderdale. Michael and cast were phenomenal! Some of the best performances I've ever witnessed.
Nothing had been seen like it before. Nothing has been seen like it since. Mind-blowing and so beautiful!! Those where the days!
Saw it live in Chicago - 1998 I think. Brought home a VHS for my then 3 y/o daughter and she was hooked. We watched it constantly and she would try to dance along - often making me (mom) dance with her!! Best show ever!!!!
As Eurovision closes in on 70 years, only two good things have come from it - musically, ABBA, and, for dancing, this. It has inspired young people the world over to take up Irish Dancing. Truly inspirational.
Has it been 30 years? How time flies. I remember this awesome introduction to the wonderful world of Irish dance, featuring two of the best dancers ever. Became a loyal fan after this, especially of Michael's.
Manly men, feminine women, dancing their sensual hearts out. Spectacular!
Oh my gosh. I am brought to tears...this is so excellent to see even after all these years.
Just amazing - no wonder this went on to be world wide success performance. Fills your heart with pure joy!
Absolutely stunning.
Made my day. Still riveting!!!
I had the soundtrack on cassette tape and listened to it religiously. Obsessed!
Still gives me goosebumps watching this after all these years.
Thirty years ago! I remember watching this with my mum and we knew we swere watching something astounding. I can still tear up at the sheer beauty of it.
It never gets old.
I saw River dance in Dublin, best thing I have ever seen, spine tingling