Irish dance company kicks off spirited dance

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

"Hey, it's like the Saman dance from Aceh," one member of the audience whispered excitedly to their friend as they watched the performance of Irish group Spirit of the Dance last weekend at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC).

Some 20 dancers were seated on the edge of the stage, clapping and waving their hands while they moved their heads and torsos. But instead of wearing the traditional Acehnese costume, the dancers wore a black-and-white ensemble, complete with a black derby.

Although it was unclear what the main influence of it was, the clapping dance, which wrapped up the entire performance from the Spirit of the Dance, was entertaining. However, the two-hour show was not as breathtaking, spectacular and theatrical as it was billed to be, given its dry plot and lack of surprise. But on the whole, it was appealing.

The Spirit of the Dance was created six years ago by the group's producer/composer David King, following the success of a music and dance performance called Riverdance, created by fellow Irishman Michael Flatley.

To distinguish it from Riverdance, which focuses on Irish folk dance, Spirit mixes its performances with flamenco, ballet, ballroom, tap, jazz and other modern and folk dances. It also includes songs and live music performances, although the core of the show is still the Irish folk dance.

The Spirit of the Dance's first gig at the Hippodrome Theatre in Bristol was so successful that King was convinced their style could lure larger audiences. Throughout the last seven years, the group has been touring 15 countries all over the world, including the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and South Africa, performing to audiences totaling more than 20 million.

Starting out with only 30 dancers, the troupe has expanded to include 250 dancers, who are often divided to perform in different countries.

The group intended to perform two shows last weekend, but the promoter canceled the second one.

"Apparently, most people prefer to watch the performance on Saturday, so we decided to call off Sunday's show," promoter Adrie Subono from Java Musikindo told a media conference two days prior to the show.

Performing to an audience of 8,000, the group kicked off its performance by forming a circle onstage, with a man wearing a robe entering its center, as if they were reenacting some Celtic ritual. They then danced and sang about the spirit of the dance, before disappearing backstage.

Fifteen female dancers dressed in glittery microminis came out next and formed a line, before breaking out in the Irish folk dance. Six male dancers joined them, and all 21 of them formed a windmill and moved in a sweeping circle as they kept up their stomping.

The next number featured a sword fight. In between the dance numbers, a violinist playing an Irish-inflected tune or a couple of singers singing (corny) love songs would appear to entertain the audience.

As mentioned earlier, the group performed a flamenco dance in which female dancers dressed in bright red dresses tapped their feet energetically. Other numbers featured the Highland fling, a lively Scottish folk dance complete with bagpipes, but combined with elements of ballroom dance, modern dance and even disco, with the troupe members decked out in various glitzy costumes. Modern dance is not their strong point, though, as their movements were a bit out-of-date.

Dancer and choreographer Rudy Wowor said that the group's show was of very good quality and the members had good technique.

"They succeeded in adapting folk art into commercial performing arts. They performed different kinds of tap dances, which was appealing," he said.

"The foot stomping is another kind of tap dance, but it's pretty difficult because the dancer can only move their body from the waist down, and they have to jump constantly. That can only be accomplished by hard work."

At the media conference earlier, one of the dancers said that they toured a full three months out of the year while the rest of the time was spent rehearsing six days a week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

"Most of us started in our very early teens. It's a very tight competition entering the group. And once we joined in, it's very stressful because of the tight schedule," said dancer Michael Byrne.

But their hard work has paid off, as the dancers' technique is nearly flawless. The downside of the show was that it lacked an element of surprise. The costumes were not extravagant either.

And while it was promoted as being a theatrical show, it lacked a gripping drama to hold it together. Many of the numbers performed after the 20-minute break were only repetitions from the show's first half. Fortunately, it wrapped up nicely with the jazz dance number and the clapping dance, which was very dynamic and lively.

Nevertheless, the show gave the audience the option of seeing a live performing arts show in this country. Perhaps the next one will be a musical? Keep your fingers crossed.