I didn’t know it until recently, but I have a thing for…I don’t know the name for it, but the music that plays during Irish Step Dancing. I’m sure if you heard it, you’d know exactly what I’m talking about. The kind of exciting, peppy, energetic stuff that feels almost like it’s competing against the tapping of the dancers’ feet for dominance.
Well, thanks to Groupon, I was able to see this kind of stuff live on stage for the first time.
I loved it.
I discovered this kind of music thanks to Pandora. I listen to Pandora all the time at work, because I have trouble focusing when I can hear conversations around me. But, if the songs Pandora plays have words in them, I get too distracted. So, I have a Pandora station just for work called “New Age Instrumental” which is essentially “new” classical music. And occasionally, though more frequently now, it starts to play Irish music.
I found myself really liking it. So, when given the chance to see this kind of music performed live, I leapt at it. I convinced my little brother to accompany me (he’ll do anything if I agree to pay) and we were off.
The show we went to see was called Heartbeat of Home, from the producers of Riverdance. It’s a high energy show that showcases all kinds of dance from all kinds of nations. I expected it to primarily Irish Step Dancing, but was pleasantly surprised to see that the show had a great amount of variety. One moment, the dancers are stomping their feet to simulate a thunderstorm (complete with lightning flashes) and the next, two dancers are doing a tango. I never knew what to expect, and while not acts were equal, it was exciting to see something new after every dance.
I know next to nothing about music. I can’t sing, I can’t dance (I make Elaine look good), and I sure as hell can’t play complicated songs. But, even with that handicap, I found myself getting lost in what what was on stage. There were almost too many dancers to keep track of, and their blindingly quick movements (especially during the step dancing) was all but impossible to understand.
And yet, it was beautiful to behold. I showed the video above to one of my friends, and he just looked at it, wide-eyed, and asked “How do they do that?”
I don’t know. I don’t think I want to. Like a magician making things disappear, part of the fun is not knowing how it’s done. And just enjoying the final result.
I hope more of these shows spring up and come my way. I definitely want to expand my horizons and see more of what’s out there.
—
Have you ever seen a show like this? What did you think?
Derek Pietras 