Arts & Entertainment
On St. Patrick’s Day, ‘Riverdance’ Visits Chicago and Proves Irish Dance Isn’t for the Faint-Hearted
WTTW News arts reporter Marc Vitali, left, gives Irish dancing his best shot at the Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N. Knox Ave., on March 17, 2025. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
Irish dancing is craic (fun) but it’s also crua (tough).
This morning, I took my first-ever Irish dance lesson and got my butt kicked from here to Killarney.
At the Irish American Heritage Center, two “Riverdance” dancers led a workshop of 35 to 40 dancers of varying age and experience.
I soon discovered that I’m too aged and inexperienced.
First, they asked us to sign a waiver. If my heart gives out while writing this, they will not be liable. My foot is indeed a little bit sore, but there won’t be litigation.
Dancing is notoriously rough on the feet, so before the workshop I asked one of the dance teachers the status of her toes and heels.
“The feet are holding up!” said Samantha Felling. “We trained our whole life for this. It’s very tough, very intense, but we love it so much.”
“We take care of our bodies,” she added, “so we can continue to do this for as long as we possibly can.”
I made it almost 90 minutes.
Before starting, it was recommended that I change shoes — my wingtips wouldn’t fly, and I had a spare pair of gym shoes. My dress shirt was gone in 60 seconds.
We started up, and my two left feet began to cut and cross and point and switch and —
Actually, I didn’t learn much. Find an old dog and try to teach it to dance. You’ll get the picture. Or, look at the photo where every other student has their right foot forward, and I’m leading with my left.
WTTW News arts reporter Marc Vitali, left, puts the wrong foot forward while taking an Irish dancing lesson at the Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N. Knox Ave., on March 17, 2025. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
Seriously, I did learn an important lesson — Irish dancing is hard. These dancers are athletes. The Fighting Irish? The Dancing Irish could go the distance with them.
Another lesson: It’s always good to get a better appreciation of artistry of any kind — painting, acting, Irish dancing — by doing it. Comfort zone? Ha!
The dancers are in town in advance of “Riverdance 30 – The New Generation,” the touring company that leaps into Chicago next month at the Cadillac Palace Theatre from April 22-27.
“Riverdance” began as small part of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994. An instant hit, the show was expanded and has toured ever since. The musical score, by Bill Whelan, even won a Grammy Award.
You may know that one of the original stars, Michael Flatley, grew up in Chicago. After a contract dispute in 1995, Flatley departed and became “Lord of the Dance.”
The Riverdancers travel the world and bring trainers along for the ride.
“Irish dancing has gotten more athletic over the years,” said Felling. “On tour we have physical therapists and massage therapists who help us keep our bodies in top shape.”
Dancer Brianna Doran added: “You feel it in your body if you aren’t in shape. It makes it much easier if you’re fit, and everyone is. That’s one thing about ‘Riverdance 30, The New Generation’ — the athleticism is crazy.”
The show expands what an audience might expect from Irish dancing.
“There’s hard-shoe dancing, soft-shoe dancing. We have tap dancers and flamenco and East European folk dancers, so it’s such a celebration of culture and music,” she said.
After the lesson and cuirim allas (profuse sweating) I spoke with a pair of other workshoppers, both of whom had real experience with Irish dance.
Workshop student Kristin Rose said, “I’m currently competing, so I knew a lot of the stuff they taught today.”
I told her I didn’t know anything.
“It’s never too late to start,” she assured me.
I have instincts and an AARP card that tell me otherwise.
And Zeland Woods, one of the few guys in the class, said: “It was great to be out dancing again. I retired. Last year I went to the World Championship in Scotland. That was so exciting.”
Both fellow dancers have a smidge of Irish heritage, which is a smidge more than me. I’ve been told I’m more garlic than Gaelic.
Zeland continued, “It doesn’t matter your culture, heritage or age — you can Irish dance. The main thing that you want to do is just have fun.”
Yes, fun — craik. I had so much craik today, that I’m knackered (exhausted) and I might get absolutely langered (drunk) if I find out my foot is banjaxed (broken).
So take an Irish dance class — you couldn’t do worse than me — or watch the pros do it when “Riverdance 30 - The New Generation” comes to Chicago in April.
Dancers from “Riverdance 30 - The New Generation” lead an Irish dancing workshop at the Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N. Knox Ave., on March 17, 2025. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
Marc Vitali is the JCS Fund of the DuPage Foundation Arts Correspondent.
