It’s official Dundee loves a bit of dancing. And how do we know this, you may ask?
A sold-out crowd at The Rep Theatre for the opening night of touring production Spirit Of The Dance is a pretty good indicator.
The show has been around since 1996, following the runaway success of Riverdance. While Spirit Of The Dance is undoubtedly based around this style, it also incorporates dance forms from around the world, including ballet, Highland and flamenco to tap, can-can and even urban street.
One minute, a ballerina is having a dance-off with an Irish dancer, while the next the audience is whisked to Latin America, then a Paris music hall.
The dancers encourage audience participation in an interesting but rather time-consuming clapping exercise, during which the crowd broke into nervous giggles while trying to create some rhythm.
Due to the number if years it has run, the production evolves as dance tastes change and there was an obvious inclination towards the urban street style with a particular nod in one piece to the popular show Stomp, which fuses energetic choreography with percussion.
The show is based on a love story, in which an ethereal spirit takes a journey through the world of dance in search of world peace and true love. It’s certainly a fast-paced cultural zip, bombarding the audience with fancy footwork, accelerated music and colourful costumes.
The second half saw an even more eclectic display, with cowboys and cowgirls in glittered costumes, jazz dancing and comedy.
What the dancers lacked in synchronicity during certain numbers, they made up for in passion. Shouts were audible from the stage as they got into the spirit and the crowd responded with cheers and rounds of applause after each piece.
Seen by more than 25 million people in 15 countries round the world, Spirit Of The Dance is one of the most successful shows ever to come out of Ireland. It must be doing something right.
The show runs at Dundee Rep until Sunday. Visit www.dundeereptheatre.co.uk for more information.