Stage Talk with Rick Koster
Where every show has something to say.
Ever wonder what might be if St. Patrick had liked snakes?
If he hadn’t driven them out of Ireland?
We can only speculate.
St. Patrick probably wouldn’t have been canonized, then, so we wouldn’t drink green beer on March 17 because there would be no St. Patrick’s Day — which, for better or worse, is sort of the universal symbol for All Things Irish.
I’ll tell you what would still be here, though, and that’s a lot of snakes on the Emerald Isle.
Even more importantly — and speaking of All Things Irish — we’d still be able to enjoy the superb and intertwined traditions of Irish dance music. Few artistic disciplines on our planet combine melody, innovation, acrobatic choreography, history and sheer exultation in such indelible and exhilarating fashion.
In that happy spirit, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, the Garde welcomes the National Dance Company of Ireland and their sensational Rhythm of the Dance.
Conceived in 1998 for a one-time-only, three-week tour of the U.S., Rhythm of the Dance was an instant sensation and has performed to over seven-million fans in 50 countries across four continents. The energetic cast comprises the finest young singers, instrumentalists and dancers in Ireland, and the Rhythm of the Dance production continues to evolve with shared vision goal of keeping the show fresh and interesting. Audiences who see the show regularly — and there are a lot! — will always find some new and exciting elements within the program.
Whether it’s your first time of just the latest in many Rhythm of the Dance experiences, get ready for a full-throttle two-hour journey that explores and expands the boundaries of traditional Irish dance and music in astonishing ways.
Fasten your seatbelts.