The Stage

Magic of the Dance

Published Friday 22 April 2005 at 10:20 by Kevin Berry

There is excitement in Magic of the Dance, though it is sporadic. Mists swirl, Irish pipes and drums are heard, dancers enter and off we go. There is lots of intricate footwork, as is to be expected with step dancing, but disappointingly static lines of dancers.

Magic of the Dance has a narrative based on Irish history. Romantic leads John Carey and Collette Dunne cut rather ineffectual figures on stage, technically excellent dancers though they are. When evil spirits Ciaran Maguire and Suzanne Cleary appeared, the excitement and interest heightened considerably. Both have presence, both are thrilling dancers and Maguire is dynamic.

Further along in the narrative, when everyone is in New York, there is a dance duel between rival gang members - a good idea and wittily executed.

The show’s narrative choreography is often portentous and plodding, as is a recorded commentary from Christopher Lee. A voice on stage would be better and not neccessarily from a big name. The inclusion of one or two live musicians, working with a small group of dancers, would also be of benefit.

There is a packaged feel to this show. It lacks sufficient spirit and, despite incessant, self congratulatory high fives from the dancers, there is little joy.

The souvenir programme has no individual pictures and no cast list so this reviewer had to seek out a company member to check exactly who was who. What are members of the public supposed to do?