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 Riverdance director John McColgan (left) and producer Moya Doherty in Beijing introducing the new show Heartbeat of Home, which will have its Asian premier in the capital in November. Zou Hong / China Daily |
Follow-up to hit show featuring a variety of cultures to debut in November: director
Beijing is to stage the global premiere of a sequel to the hugely successful traditional Irish dancing show Riverdance in November.
The Riverdance creators are making the follow-up, called Heartbeat of Home, and China's Acrosschina Management will be the co-producer.
Since its debut in 1994, Riverdance has toured the world for more than 12,000 shows and been seen by about 26 million people in 46 countries, making it one of the most successful shows in history.
Director John McColgan and producer Moya Doherty traveled to Beijing to announce the new show, which will feature a wide variety of cultures, with traditional Irish, African and Cuban music as well as Chinese elements.
Like Riverdance, the new show is a big dance and music spectacle, driven by Irish dancing. It will feature high-definition, cutting-edge 3-D projection technology and has an engaging narrative structure.
The world-class cast of 38 includes a 10-piece band, creating a new and electrifying sound written by award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated composer Brian Byrne.
Irish, Latin American and Afro-Cuban dancers will be in the cast, with choreography by David Bolger.
McColgan, referring to the name of the new show, said, "Home is where your heart is - where you are from and where you live. Home is the world, including China."
When McColgan and Doherty were planning to create the new show, several world-leading production companies approached them.
After careful selection, Doherty chose four - one each from the US, Europe, Ireland and Asia as partners, with Acrosschina Management representing the Asian market.
"You never know when you go into new territory. When we started Riverdance in 1994 we had no idea of the China market and never thought we would come here one day," Doherty said.
But their Beijing debut in 2003 was a success, and they were amazed by the warm feedback from Chinese audiences.
Since then, Zhang Ligang, CEO of Acrosschina Management, has brought Riverdance to China several times, expanding the tour from eight cities to 15 and then to 26 last year. The cast also performed at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, arguably the most-watched TV show in China.
"I remember clearly that a Chinese audience, which spoke good English, told me that it's more than a show. It's the expression of the pride of a small country, which has confidence in its culture and confidence in its art form. It's also welcoming to other cultures," McColgan said.
"It's a truly multicultural show presented with great pride and skill."
Zhang said: "We've worked with Riverdance as a local promoter for four years, and now we have finally become a co-producer. But our final mission is to produce our own shows and make a world hit.
"We are always talking about promoting Chinese culture abroad, but we need products that both convey Chinese culture and which are favored by the world market. We cannot depend on using government money to send Chinese shows abroad that are not really appreciated by Western audiences."
Riverdance is loved in different countries because it speaks internationally, and dance is an international language. The team is experienced in making something stimulating and satisfying for people around the world.
"As the co-producer, we can ask them to add Chinese elements to the show," Zhang said. "It's hard for a Western artist to understand core Chinese culture and values, which means it's hard to combine Chinese elements properly in the show."
He said that sometimes when Riverdance tours China, the Chinese song My Motherland is added to the show, adding that this is far from sufficient and appears to be a superficial gesture.
In the new show, Chinese drums and other percussion instruments will be widely used.
Zhang is quite confident about the new show's prospects in the world market.
"It's normal for a company to invest millions of dollars in a local show in China, but most companies cannot recover their investment.
"But why not invest in such a promising international production? Working with a veteran show like Riverdance is a process of learning and a way to join the mainstream world market," Zhang said.
Contact the writers at chenjie@chinadaily.com.cn and chennan@chinadaily.com.cn
