Riverdance’ tour celebrates its 30th anniversary with a pair of siblings leading the way
Irish siblings Fergus Fitzpatrick and Anna Mai have a special ritual before they take the stage every night: a low five and an embrace.
Fergus Fitzpatrick laughs and explains, “It’s like a high five, but instead of going high with it, we go lower just to be different.”
It’s a charming way to catch up with a brother and sister dance team that is leading “Riverdance 30 — The New Generation,” a traveling celebration of the performance that made Irish dance famous worldwide and strengthened their relationship.
Anna Mai and I have been dancing together since we were young. Thus, we’re like best friends and siblings,” Fergus says. “We always have that network of support.”
When they joined, both were seasoned Irish dance competition winners.
“That was an incredible feeling — to get to share the stage and have that experience together,” she says. “It’s hard to describe it to another person. There’s an understanding of that feeling between us.”
The “Riverdance” tour that kicks off this month in Florida will visit over 40 North American cities, including two weeks at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and performances at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. There also are stops scheduled for Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto, Boston, Indianapolis and Kansas City.
The tour has rejuvenated the original show with updated costumes, lighting and projections, featuring a new set of dancers — none were born when the show began 30 years ago.
“It’s a new group of performers, which is an exciting thing to keep that timelessness but also rejuvenate and update that little bit,” Anna Mai says. “We have now a group of people that never knew life without ‘Riverdance.’”
Anna Mai and Fergus come from a family in County Meath with seven siblings. She was the first to be attracted to traditional Irish step dancing, in which the arms and body move little while the feet create the sound and action.
I was a kid who did a little bit of everything. She says, “I did gymnastics, ballet, and running, but Irish dance was the one that really stuck.”
Her mother took her to see “Riverdance” live, which undoubtedly solidified her passion.
Irish dancing classes, which I had been attending once a week, were the catalyst for the realization that “Oh my goodness, this is something that’s so beautiful to watch and that I want to be a part of.”
Both Fergus and his sister started competing shortly after, with Fergus taking home the World Irish Dancing Championships in 2017 and his sister taking home the British Nationals, Great Britain Championships, and All-Ireland Championships. They’ve participated in several U.S. tours and went to China before the pandemic.
“Riverdance” first premiered on the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest as a seven-minute segment. It opened at Dublin’s Point Theatre on Feb. 9, 1995, at a time of renewed Irish optimism and pride surrounding the onset of the booming “Celtic Tiger” economy.
The show is loosely based on the story of Irish culture and mass immigration to America, the story woven through music and dance styles including flamenco and tap.
While on tour, the Fitzpatricks like to go out and explore each city they land in, and they enjoy joining the company team building events, like escape rooms or go-karting.
“We love to get out and see the city. We love to do touristy things,” says Fergus. “If there’s a good museum, if there’s sightseeing or anything like that to do, we’ll try and get out and do that.”
They also take their jobs seriously, knowing that “Riverdance” may be the first live show for some young people in the audience. After all, it inspired them to a career in dance.
“We take it with a lot of responsibility,” says Anna Mai. “We can actually have a difference in younger people’s lives. We can show them that you can have this life — you can achieve this dream — if that’s what you want, if that’s what you set your mind to.”