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Riverdance,
Live from Geneva Since its premiere in Dublin in February, 1995,
Riverdance has become a "show business" phenomenon, seen all over the
world thanks to various touring companies and the "Riverdance Flying Squad."
Those not fortunate enough to have seen the show live yet have been able to enjoy
it via the several videos, DVDs and CDs that are available, not to mention television
broadcasts. The latest video/DVD that is out now is of the Liffey Company
performance in Geneva, Switzerland. Aptly entitled "Riverdance Live From
Geneva," it includes new dance routines and new costumes, as well as
still featuring all of the original ground-breaking numbers. It stars Breandán
de Gallaí, Joanne Doyle, The Riverdance Orchestra, The Riverdance Singers,
The Riverdance Irish Dance Troupe, Yolanda Gonzales Sobrado, The Moscow Folk Ballet
Company, Walter "Sundance" Freeman, Rogelio Douglas, Lee Payne, Michael
Samuels, and the Riverdance Drummers. Here in the U.S. it is being played
on many of the Public Broadcasting Stations (PBS) -- check your local listings
by going through the station links at PBS.org.
Those who don't get the video, DVD or CD as a "pledge premium" through
supporting their local stations can find the items at the official Riverdance
site's Merchandise
section. The "All-Region DVD" can be played worldwide. Special features
include 'The Story So Far' and an exciting image gallery. The DVD has the following
subtitles for the voice-over: Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German,
Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Thai! Scott
Adams, Dilbert and "Irish Line Dancing" The international
success of Riverdance has inspired several other Irish dance shows which are also
now performing before millions of new fans of "Celtic culture." The
kind of Irish step dancing that these shows have popularized has been referred
to by many aspiring dancers as "Riverdancing." Proof that the dance
has been further cemented in popular culture is the "immortalization"
of it by the great Scott Adams, in
his hugely popular comic strip, Dilbert.
The Pointy-Haired Boss flubs a vital deadline because he is suddenly "seduced
by Irish line dancing lessons." Click
here for the 3-panel strip of August 19, 2003, and here
for the follow-up the next day, August 20th, and get ready for a good laugh. We
asked Scott about his inspiration for the "Irish line dancing" and here
is his response: "I'm not sure what made me think of Irish line dancing.
I was trying to think of something out of the ordinary that is completely optional.
I mean, no one has ever been forced to do Irish line dancing. So it made the joke
work. I probably saw a commercial for it on TV and it was kicking around in my
head." Scott Adams' satirical strip about Dilbert, a software engineer
in a bureaucratic working environment too many of us can relate to, is syndicated
worldwide by United Media, so no doubt some of the same folks familiar with Riverdance
from the international tours have cut out the "Irish line-dancing" strips
and have them affixed to their cubicle walls. The corporate culture that Dilbert
lampoons includes regulars such as Dogbert, Catbert (the evil director of Human
Resources), Alice, Wally, Asok and of course, the aforementioned Pointy-Haired
Boss (PHB). Scott Adams is brilliantly funny, and there are now numerous Dilbert-related
books and other merchandise available. Check out www.Dilbert.com
to learn more.
Feature: Bernadette
Price
Original Web Design: Alexander
Servas
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