Fire of Dance

The Irish Dance Company, The Sydney Tap Flames and
The New York Musical Theatre

present

FIRE OF DANCE

starring JOEL HANNA
plus other world-class tap-dancing soloists:
GUILLEM ALONSO
ROSER FONT
STEVE GREENWOOD

The best highlights and adaptations from
world-famous tap and dance shows:
RIVERDANCE -- TAP DOGS -- WEST SIDE STORY -- FAME
LORD OF THE DANCE -- STOMP -- GREASE -- A CHORUS LINE

PROGRAMME

Part I
TAP DOGS -- Adaptations
FAME -- Hard Work - Maybles Prayer - Fame - Body Electric
LORD OF THE DANCE -- Cry of the Celts - Lord of the Dance - Victory
GREASE -- Sandy - Summer Nights - Greased Lightnin' - You're the One that I want

Intermission

Part II
A CHORUS LINE -- A Chorus Line - Tits and Ass - One Singular Sensation
STOMP -- Adaptations
WEST SIDE STORY -- Maria - Ouverture - Cool- America
FINALE-MEDLEY

CONTENTS

TAP DOGS
The dancers deliberately avoid soft sounds and lyrical images. The Tap Dogs like to do things with a bang, in a celebration of pure tap dance. Sometimes light-footed and sometimes stamping powerfully, the dancers jump, run and slide across the stage, with their metal-tipped boots rapping out ever-changing, cascading rhythms into the room. In contrast to the usual ap‚éro-ambiance, this rocky renaissance of tap dance creates a wild, loud and, above all, body-oriented party atmosphere.

FAME
Musical based on the Oscar-nominated film of 1980 Music: Steve Margoshes, texts: Jacques Levy By taking the example of a group of students from the New York High School for the Performing Arts, Fame illustrates the arduous path and relentless striving for fame. Although the characters of the students are all very different, they all share the same goal, namely a place in the limelight of showbusiness. They are willing to endure all the trials and tribulations in a type of triathlon in drama, music and dance. Just as varied as the characters are the songs, which include rap "Byron's Rap", the gospel song "Maybles Prayer", not to mention the rock finale and theme tune "Fame".

LORD OF THE DANCE
Lord of the Dance has changed the face of modern popular dance theatre. The old Irish legend of the battle of the good forces against the Lord of Darkness is told in a synthesis of dance, folklore and spectacular stage effects.

GREASE
Rock 'n' Roll Musical Time and place: Rydell High School USA, 1972 + 1959 Broadway premiere 7.6.1972 Endearing parody of the 50s and the era of Rock 'n' Music. Music from Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and other idols of this era. Nostalgic review of everything that was fashionable at that time. The mildly ironically portrayed figures are always individual, even within the group (unlike with the street gangs in West Side Story). One of the most successful musicals ever with over 3000 Broadway performances.

A CHORUS LINE
Broadway premiere 1975, London 1976, Berlin 1980 Because the choreographer and director, Michael Bennett, wanted to confront the prejudice that dancers are supposedly "voiceless", he instructed his actors and actresses to tell their life stories. The result, namely "A Chorus Line", became one of the greatest box-office successes on Broadway of all time with over 6 million spectators in 16 years. The self-composed music in key dialogue sections contains elements of jazz, rock and show.

STOMP
Stomp is a spectacle of percussion of a truly different kind. A stage act on the pulse of time, which is currently drumming loudly and powerfully. But Stomp is not just about noise, the changeover from loud to quiet, the balance between power and feeling is always well interspersed. The rhythm is generated with virtually anything and everything that is suitable for scraping, clapping and stamping - be it a broom, a bucket, huge barrels or tiny zip cigarette lighters.

WEST SIDE STORY
Music: Leonard Bernstein Broadway premiere 1957, London 1958, Vienna 1968 West Side Story, one of the greatest productions of American musical theatre, is based on the contrasts within the city of New York between the immigrant Puerto Ricans and the indigenous population, illustrated here by the two gangs, namely the Jets and the Sharks, and by the fatal romance between Tony and Maria. Leonard Bernstein incorporates elements of jazz, styles of Italian opera and the Spanish character of the Puerto Ricans, whilst never losing sight of the show aspect. All the more fascinating is the musical continuity of this virtually self-composed production. The brilliant choreography of Jerome Robbins and the inspired Bernstein hits combine to form a unity as scarcely experienced elsewhere in musical theatre.

Information appear courtesy of Gastspieldirektion Gerhartz, Kiel - Germany.