To celebrate Lord Of The Dance’s 25th anniversary and its return to Aberdeen, we caught up with the show’s dancer Cathal Keaney who’s marking a special milestone himself.
Since its premiere, Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance has broken countless box office records, visited more than 1,000 venues worldwide and has been seen by approximately 60 million people in 60 different countries on every continent.
The show’s creator Michael promises the 2022 UK tour will bring a fresh new look to the classic favourite.
He said: “I have the greatest team of dancers. They are excited to be part of Lord Of The Dance and every single one of them is trained to the highest standards of dance, athleticism and precision. I’m so proud of them.”
Talented performers are behind Lord Of The Dance success
One of the gifted dancers is Cathal Keaney who is celebrating a decade of touring with the showpiece extravaganza.
He said: “The show has travelled the world. We’ve been to China, all of Europe, and South America – countries that speak different languages – but it’s so successful because people can just watch the show and understand the story because we’re not speaking in the show at all, the story is explained through dance.
“Also, every number is high energy which I think helps to sell the show.”
Lord Of The Dance is incredibly fact-paced – it features more than 150,000 taps per performance as it transports the audience to a mythical time and place.
2022 twist on original show
While the show’s been modernised for its 2022 run, it continues to capture theatre-goers’ hearts in a swirl of movement, precision dancing and artistic lighting.
Dancer Cathal told the P&J entertainment team which changes Michael and his team decided to make to give Lord Of The Dance an updated look.
He said: “We got new costumes, some new music and dance numbers.
“But we kept some of the original numbers – we just revamped them a little bit.
“There’s something for everyone. If you’ve seen the show before, you’ll enjoy the little twists that we’ve taken from the old numbers as well as the new numbers.”
From not liking Irish dancing to being part of Lord Of The Dance for a decade
While he really enjoys being part of Lord Of The Dance, Cathal, who started dancing when he was 5, didn’t always loves Irish stepdance.
“Originally, I actually hated Irish dancing – believe it or not,” said Cathal.
“I was a typical little boy being like ‘Dancing is for girls’ and I didn’t want to do it.
“But it was actually because of Lord Of The Dance (that I got into dancing).
“I used to watch it on VHS tapes – I’m showing my age a little bit – and I though Michael Flatley actually made dancing cool.
“I didn’t ever think that I would get into the show but it was my dream to do something like that!”
Travelling the world
Fast forward 15 years later, Cathal joined the cast of Lord Of The Dance and has now been part of the touring production for a decade.
So what’s the best thing about Lord Of The Dance?
“Travelling the world with your best mates,” says Cathal.
“We have about 35 dancers, we are all really close.
“We live together, work together, travel around the world together. So it’s only natural you form a really close bond with these people.
“We’ve been to countries most of us would never get to with any other job.”
The talented dancer is looking forward to bringing the new version of the popular dance show to the Granite City.
“I have to say we get some of the best audiences in the UK,” said Cathal who performed in Aberdeen before.
“I think it was in 2015 when I was in Aberdeen last – a long time ago, so I’m really looking forward to coming back.”
How to book tickets to see Lord Of The Dance in Aberdeen
Lord Of The Dance is at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen from Monday July 4 to Thursday July 7. Click here if you wish to book tickets.
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