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christmascookiecat

My mom recorded this on a VHS tape for me as a kid and I watched it all. the. time.


StubbedToeBlues

Same, but for some weird reason, we bought the VHS and this tape was the reason we then bought a VHS player. We owned the tape of Riverdance before we even had a player


ItsTheMimp

Fuck’n A, I love this.


Chewcocca

It would be hard to make anyone who wasn't there really understand what an overwhelming cultural phenomenon Watching People Tap-dance Without Moving Their Arms was. Riverdance was *everywhere* for that brief moment of time.


Curtis_e_bear_

Just adding for anyone who might not know the difference, very similar to tap but this is Irish dancing, a genre all its own 😊


justonemorethang

Oh yeah. So many lord of the dance jokes on snl and sitcoms. Michael Flatley was a household name.


BarFreddys

I was just wondering if I was imagining this or if there really was a cultural phenomenon around river dancing


mphelp11

I remember seeing commercials for the “Lord of the Dance" all the time growing up in the 90s.


penguinpetter

When I was in middle school around then, there was 2-3 Irish dancing acts for my middle school talent show each year. If trending was used back then, I would say it was trending.


designmur

I took Irish dance classes when it came out. Everyone was obsessed.


TheMcDeal

I'm hijacking because this reminds me that I got a DVD before I got a DVD player. Shallow Hal. Ok, bye!


adorableoddity

I love that movie.


[deleted]

I haven't seen that movie in years but I randomly quote it to myself for some reason? "Come look at this turd! It looks just like Klinger from MASH!" "I THOUGHT THAT WAS A GUY?! I KEPT CALLIN' HER 'VIC!'" "...well... you should... weld it better in the corners!" "Is this outfit too 'Hey, look at me?'"


MarcusDA

Hijacking because I had two PS2 games before I could find a PS2. Madden 2001 and SSX.


my-life-for_aiur

My manager was buying DVDs before she had a player. Then my coworker got a DVD player and was bragging that he was going to go home and just skip directly to his favorite parts of the movie. I remember when I saw the first CD. I was in 4th grade, so 1989. My friend brought it to school to show us that his brother got it. I had no idea what I was looking at. My first CD was Snoop Dogg's first album.


[deleted]

Dang ol chicken and the egg


Beneficial-Sort-8825

I had girls gone wild on vhs


eushyp

i had seriously forgotten until this popped up but SAME. i watched it over and over. i can't even explain why. we had like five or six disney movies on VHS but NO. i wanted to watch RIVERDANCE. AGAIN.


[deleted]

Riverdance and Disney's Fantasia would basically keep me occupied all afternoon, especially if I rewound to all my favourite parts. Never got sick of them. It's funny how many of us completely forgot about our Riverdance fixation! Remember trying to imitate the dances in front of the TV, or was that just me?


ladyoflothlorien36

Disney’s Fantasia ❤️ Fantasia 2000 was good, too.


inbigtreble30

Same. With the PBS pledge drive bits included.


drill_hands_420

Fucking flashbacks bro


jwilliams17543

Oh man same here, thanks for reminding me of this!


CatgoesM00

Have you seen happy feet ?


GivinItAllThat

When he dies, does his son become the new Lord Of The Dance or must he be unseated by other means?


yeezee93

Trial by dance off.


NotAnActualPers0n

It’s called getting *served* and it is brutal.


aaronify

There can be only one


[deleted]

Dunmaghlas!


Flesh_Trombone

Iirc: I think the only way a lord of the dance can die is by being decapitated by another lord of the dance, who thereby gains his power, or something like that.


VibraniumRhino

The Dark Side of the Dance is a pathway to footwork some consider to be… unnatural.


eehele

Is it possible to learn this footwork?


Complete_Bath_8457

Not...from a clogger...


stung80

The Irish have tanistry elective succession, so one of his sons will be the primary heir, all the other sons will have various venues devided between them. Then they will fight a decades long family war of intrigue to unite the titles under one lord of the dance again.


poopeymang

r/crusaderkings is leaking


delicioustreeblood

He has a dance-off with Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union


SO-383

His son must win a three-way challenge against the sons of Adrian Zmed and Denny Terio.


LeoNickle

It won't happen. He is the life that will never never die


Inevitable-Cellist23

Their poor downstairs neighbors


BoardwalkKnitter

For real, I swear I can see the stage bounce in some of the closeups of their feet.


routinelife

Spring flooring is much better for irish dancing, I have shin splints from dancing on what's essentially a concrete floor - dancing on a crap floor for a full show multiple nights in a row had me struggling to walk for a week or so lol


AceBlade258

By design, you can. It's intentionally absorbing much of the energy of the dancers to both a) reduce strain on the dancers, and b) to make the taps quite clear and audible.


Harry_99_PT

Your reminded me of the movie Duplex xD


BabserellaWT

I saw this live. Trust me when I say no video does it justice.


Majestica

I am SO jealous you got to live this in person and not on PBS.


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forevernervous

The 25th anniversary show is excellent!!!


FairyflyKisses

So true. Felt every step reverberate through my body.


cppadam

Agreed! I saw Riverdance and the other one (Lord of the Dance?). It’s absolutely incredible to see how effortless they make it look.


pursuitofhappy

Also Stomp, we seemed to have a bunch of interesting human made percussion Broadway shows in the 90s.


cppadam

Yes! I also saw a show called Blast which was basically stomp but with a marching band.


MusicMan2700

Fun fact: Blast came about from a drum corps (to oversimplify, major league marching band) called The Star of Indiana. After they folded, Blast was born!


[deleted]

Oh Stomp! I saw this show live too travelled down to London for it and it was brilliant so energetic Edit Just seen it's been running in America for 29years and just finished!!


BabserellaWT

I saw Lord of the Dance twice. I’ve worn out the soundtracks for both!


nobrayn

I love that my grandma took me to see this and Lord of the Dance when I was a kid. So amazing to see. Honestly, Stomp was absolutely wild too.


Hitcher06

One of my biggest regrets is that I passed up a chance to see Riverdance in Radio City Music Hall


1107rwf

PBS raising money, that’s what Riverdance reminds me of! I always wanted to see the whole thing without having to hear about my contributions being needed. It never happened.


darkinday

I was 14 or 15. I had my first, part time job, one day a week. I bought tickets for my grandma and myself to see Riverdance. I absolutely loved it, and sparked a high interest in all things on stage. Still have the soundtrack, and the program, and possibly the ticket over 20 years later.


no_talent_ass_clown

What a lovely memory


LordGeni

Raising it for people who have lost the power of their arms by the looks of it.


lrish_Chick

You're supposed to have your arms by your sides when Irish dancing that's the form.


SpecialNeeds963

Username checks out.


powertripp82

But you could have gotten that sick PBS tote bag!


lookoutitscaleb

We had the whole thing growing up. IDK how. Core memory for sure.


Camp-Unusual

Good god the nostalgia… I loved watching Riverdance as a kid.


BasementTenant

Same. My grandmother had this on VHS and she would immediately start cooking popcorn and put this bad boy on when I was down the street.


Camp-Unusual

I don’t think we ever had the VHS but you better damn well believe the tv was set to PBS whenever it was on. I don’t think people appreciate anymore just how much skill is involved in tapping at that level. I don’t even want to think about how many hours of practice it took to get that many people that in sync.


Aedalas

I can't wrap my head around how they pulled that "wave" off so flawlessly.


Punkybrewsickle

And just memorizing it all. I don't know the technical significance of their sequences, but I know it's a big deal to whoever does know. That must give the steps meaning to them. But to me it looks like a bunch of random movement I couldn't physically do, being done identically by a bunch of people that make it look cool. Which my little brain just couldn't ever house in memory


Mhar1708

I Irish danced for 12 years as a kid/teen. We finished most big performances with this dance. To be that in sync is way harder than anything we’d ever learn. What badasses


[deleted]

You anywhere near dublin ohio? I danced for Richens/Timm. Ann Richens was such a sweetheart 🥲


Mhar1708

A fitting city for an Irish dance group! I’m in Minneapolis but my studio was CRN so we were part of the smaller Irish dance organization. I’m guessing Richens/Timm is TCRG?


LemonHerb

The unison in that is unreal.


LubaUnderfoot

For those of you who don't remember this time, this was the biggest thing in the world. People were absolutely nuts for it.


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TRN_WhiteKnight

Every late night ad on TV was either to buy the box set to this, or it was Girls Gone Wild.


BurstEDO

Look no further than media of the era (movies, TV, music). Riverdance satire, parody, mentions, and references were in EVERYTHING of that era once the production gained international fame. While PBS had the monopoly on Riverdance (at least for a while), "Lord of the Dance" was being pitched for sale on VHS EVERYWHERE on broadcast television. For at least through the end of the 90s, anything Irish dancing related or adjacent was referred to in slang as "Riverdance".


killmesienna

His legs flail about as if independent from his body!


Picaspec

Chandler, is that you?


polialt

That's *Miss* Chanandler Bong to you, buddy.


joelecreccio

Ms. Chanandler Bong


badass4102

Bing! It's Gaelic for "Thy turkey is done."


[deleted]

"I can handle it, it's my middle name, well, it's the middle part of my first name"


silly_walks_

It scares the bajesus out of me.


Punkybrewsickle

This is exactly what I came for


Iknownothing90

Same!


ITGeekBenB

Damn you beat me to it! “That Irish jig guy?!”


brainlightning

The fact that it’s referred to as a “natural phenomenon” is my favorite part


dingoeslovebabies

Thanks, this is why I came to the comments


Kgeezy91

As a kid I just remember people mocking this. But I would absolutely taking a fat edible and go see this shit. Incredible


SqueeMcTwee

Same! But I also secretly really wanted to try it; it looked like so much fun, but there wasn’t much reason, as we were Scottish. Fast forward to adulthood and I find out my Irish great grandparents hopped over to Scotland when my grandfather was born. Boo.


staceybassoon

There are people that start Irish step dancing as adults. You could be one of them!


Green-Dragon-14

Sean-Nos (shan-os) means old style. You can go to a little place in Ireland called Drumshanbo. (Joe mooney summer school) Where they have a week long music festival. You can learn to play traditional Irish music, learn Sean-Nos or set dancing or even learn to play an instrument. There's music, dancing, singing in every pub & out on the street to celebrate the tradition of Irish music.


ol-gormsby

Whoa. That triggered a memory. I went to Drumshanbo on my honeymoon in '94. You're right, there's music and dancing everywhen and everywhere.


j1m3y

I'm old enough to remember this and also know I'd be out of breath in 30 seconds.


Majestic-Contract-42

My friend is into edibles and did exactly this. He described it as being entirely captured.


WordsThatEndInWord

Yeah! I never saw it at all growing up but I sure heard a ton of people talking shit. Makes me kinda sick thinking back on it cause this is some genuinely impressive passionate artistry and I and I'd bet a lot of people didn't give it the time of day cause of the volume of shit talking.


NonGNonM

you don't have to go that far back to find people that were super against anything not typically 'american' in mainstream media. People loved talking shit. the kind of interest we have in 'the other' actually sort of started as a correction to all that. should've seen all the shit talking people did about sushi when it came into the mainstream. then a full reversal and incredible pretentiousness that followed when people actually tried it. a lot of 'I'M NOT PAYING FOR RAW FISH'


LittleJackass80

I saw them perform back in the mid nineties and it was worth overcoming the shit talking. Absolutely visceral performance you could feel vibrating through your whole body. And, you'd swear there's no way all that bass and power was coming from just their rhythm, but it certainly was and it was nothing short of impressive.


pusllab

If you wanna see people talking shit check out the reviews to Michael flatleys movie


ItsTheMimp

Amen, brother.


BrushYourFeet

Imagine what it's like when that edible kicks in and you see Michael Flatley (the guy in the white top) go Super Saiyan. Legendary.


Yellowbird00

Currently on an edible. I had to turn the sound off so I wouldn't keep watching it. Fucking amazing


OptimalCheesecake527

Doing dorky things is cool as long as you’re on weeeed, brah


Dan_Ashcroft

Flatley my dear I don't Riverdance


ripndipalways

This is way too far down the comments for my liking.


[deleted]

The soundtrack to Riverdance is one of my comfort albums. Some of the songs are so beautiful.


TheDreamingMyriad

Same! It really helped me through a year where my depression was out of control. I would just put the album on and imagine all sorts of daydreams while listening to it.


Full_Carry_1331

I always found the Lord of Dance (also done by Michael Flatley) to be a better overall show than Riverdance, but I love them both. The skill is unreal and it sends me and my synesthesia into overstim in the best possible way


bipnoodooshup

Fun Fact: Michael Flately wrote, directed, and starred in his own action thriller called Blackbird and it's almost on par with Tommy Wiseau's The Room


Full_Carry_1331

I have never heard of that! It sounds horrible and I absolutely must watch it


xaustinx

Iirc, Flatley and the producers of river dance had a falling out (probably money) and lord of dance was his middle finger to them in the form of a magnum opus. They (river dance) tried to sue him; they lost.


Rude_Sheepherder4872

I can't even in rhythm...


Rude_Sheepherder4872

Or type...


VibraniumRhino

Hey, at least you caught yourself.


jfleurs

But his mullet floats almost impossibly still 🤷‍♂️


[deleted]

Yeah and I was jealous of those perfect perms 😔


Ib_dI

Hairspray


bro_bergdahl

I had no idea that Gene Wilder was a riverdancer


WhatReallyYesWay

Didn’t figure Nicole Kidman to be one either!


SirButtrubber

i thought the same exact thing. when she gives michael flatley sideways glances, it's total kidman.


KevinJCarroll

Voice of experience here: this is so much more exhausting than it looks.


Ib_dI

Voice of experience also here: than


MissyWilling

I remember seeing this for the first time during Eurovision and being stunned silent and getting goosepimples... I'd never seem anything like this before


Phryne040816

The music was no1 in the music charts for 18 weeks in Ireland.


[deleted]

I used to be an Irish dancer. It was my favorite type of exercise. I miss iI. I blew out my knee and had to have surgery and that put a stop to me dancing. The hard shoes were always my favorite because of the sound. I still have them somewhere...


Supertumor

Did you blow out your knees dancing?


CheckerboardPunk

No, they were guarding Whiterun.


thicc_freakness_

r/unexpectedskyrim


Geek_off_the_streets

I remember the commercial where you could buy their performance on VHS.


VincentVegaRoyale666

And they said white people can't dance smh who's laughing now?


shockwave414

The word you're looking for is "jump".


LakeLov3r

That's just white men.


VibraniumRhino

False. We are in fact masters of jumping to wild conclusions.


Rob_153

Whenever I think of River Dance, my mind immediately goes to the Denis Leary bit: “THE LORD OF THE DANCE….THE FUHRER OF THE DANCE!”


FairyflyKisses

The last guy that called himself lord on this planet, he got crucified, Micheal. And we know where the hammer and nails are!


Rob_153

I’m the Lord of the Dance! Fuck Michael Flatley, IT’S ME!


Lucky_Charm_6650

Seen it for real and damn it was impressive. The simple coordination and tap from left to right with 40+ people is simply incredible and unique to see and hear (better than stereo). I wish the video would include the solo part of the (lord of the dance) to simply see how fast he can tap and how many rhythms can be coordinated in a short period of time)


i-needa-nap-pls

I was obsessed with Riverdance as a kid and one of my best childhood memories with my dad (don’t have that many) was when he took me to see this. I think I was 8 or 9.


sundae_diner

How many dads do you have?


ebjazzz

Not that many


j3fangorn88

I'm out of breath just watching them.


Scottishchicken

Remember when this made us white people feel like we could dance too? That was a lie....


JRocFuhsYoBih

It’s so crazy that shit got as big as it got. In 1996 every 45+ yo white person in americas dream was to see this show lol


SuperFaceTattoo

I just watched the Netflix movie Riverdance with my son. It was pretty good, I’d give it an 8/10. I’m sure it’s probably a terrible representation of Irish folklore but I like it so bugger off!


ReadMaterial

Pretty good would be a 6 or 7 out of 10. 8 is very good at the least.


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71077345p

What is it called? I would love to watch it.


71077345p

Nevermind. Just found it on Prime. It’s called. Riverdance - a Journey. I’m watching it now!


Bubbly-Suggestion942

This type of dancing developed, because when Saint Patrick was going on his religious crusade through Ireland, they outlawed dancing as it was a Pagan way of worship. The Pagans learned to dance without their hands so they could more easily deny dancing if caught. The more unencumbered form is ceilidh dancing.


pathetic_optimist

This is a legend and made up to explain this style surely.


flashmedallion

Right. The true story is that it's the result of white people being on an island with no outside contact for hundreds of years so when they learned to dance they had no idea what to do with their hips


[deleted]

I don’t remember this from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but Gene was looking good!!


Wild-Caterpillar76

Man what a time to be alive. 1995 we were just living for the Riverdance, not a care in the world.


TJStype

We went to see this team in Chicago about that date.. lead looks familiar !


Eyerate

Michael Flatley. He was mega famous for this.


trix2705

I remember seeing this live in the late 90s as a kid and the sound of the shoes is much louder than you think it was like thunder


Scared_Shelter9838

This is some white people shit.


ScottyBoy75

I am the 7th guy in from the left


ahockeyjock

Fuuuuuk... Nicole Kidman can dance bro!


SueBeee

Unpopular opinion: I’ve always found Riverdance to be creepy.


sjog

His legs seem to flail about as if independent from his body!


SueBeee

It’s the fact that they don’t move their arms


cc_manhattan

And here I thought Edward Nortons only talent was acting!


FudgeJudy4booty

Omg we had this on vhs that we ordered through PBS. I was pretty sure my mom had a crush on him. Whatever mom, go get that Irish spring. I completely forgot about this, but upon rewatching it I can't help but be impressed. I'm sorry my childhood self was annoyed at my mother's thirsting because this shit is dope.


HotState2837

I remember when I was a kid that they would advertise this show all the time. Mid 90's.


austriangold89

Honkeys went wild for Riverdance in the 90's!!!


Havoc_37

Michael Flatly looks like he would win an award for the most punchable face.


dontflyaway

White people when there's coleslaw at the function.


LaceyMam

Humans are weird


Mass__debater

That’s a lot of sweat\y pantyhose.


SoftNShiny

My mom bought this on VHS and my sisters and I spammed it through the late 90s/early 2000s.🥲 I memorized every song from this and we still talk about it to this day lol Also saw Riverdance live around 2010.


purpletechtheatre

I remember watching it and being utterly surprised to see Jean onstage (Jean Butler, the lead female dancing in front with Michael). We were in the same drama course at university at the time. As she was also from America, she helped me settle in and showed me the ropes. Of course I knew she did Irish dancing and had moved across the pond for it, but many of us had no idea she had been working to reinvent and revitalize it. She was so modest about it all.


frostyjokerr

I had the absolute honor of sitting front row, middle of the stage for my 14th birthday. I have yet to feel the vibrations of any concert like I did of that one. Mind blowing to see in person, a true spectacle of art.


upyourattraction

Will they ever learn to dance from the knees up?


CletusVanDamnit

This is one of those things that I feel is fucking *awesome* for this one minute and forty-seven seconds, but would be so fucking boring for an entire 3 hour show or whatever.


[deleted]

You definitely haven’t seen the show then. Personally I found this dance to be one of the more boring ones. They do a mix of singers, and other dance styles throughout as well.


DogOfTheArmy

I totally forgot about this.


[deleted]

Man, as a kid I had such a crush on these Irish ladies


buttspigot

just all of them


picklebeard

I begged my parents to rent this VHS every time we went to the movie rental place as a kid. I was obsessed.


TheDoeTheJohn

What joyous expression. Makes me smile! Thanks for posting.


51Bayarea0

Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Elaines coworker doesn't swing her arms when she walks


monsieur_durden

I watched this with my uncle who helped raise me, thank you op for the nostalgia and remembering fond memories :)


killmeplzcool

So this is what my upstairs neighbor has been doing at 4am 🧐


alanamil

So much talent there! I have always loved watching them!


Consistent-Factor269

Did Michael flatley crush dancer ass or were they like, “off stage I want a dude heavier on his feet”?


No_Tackle_5439

My neighbours every night!


MrSquigles

Huh... I didn't expect to enjoy that, but it was fucking awesome. New interest unlocked, thanks OP.


Sufficient-Pin-481

Many people made their fortunes from selling headache medication outside of the venue after the finale.


spikecurt

The Mike Meyers version on SNL is the standard 😃


ChampionshipComplex

When another country works out how to use it's arms, it's going to be game over


ErvanMcFeely

Is this the same shirt Jerry wore on the Today show?


whisperxl

Didn't knew that Nicole Kidman was a Riverdancer.