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Gainesville to host “Riverdance” for its 30th anniversary tour
By Rose Schnabel
February 7, 2025 at 1:49 PM EST
Padraic Moyles has performed at Radio City Music Hall and in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza, but one of his favorite shows was in Gainesville.
Moyles, born in Dublin, is the executive producer of “Riverdance,” an Irish dance show that has run for 30 years since launching as a Eurovision intermission act.
In 2009, Moyles performed as the male lead of the show in Gainesville. During the improv section of a dance battle number, he incorporated a new move. “I started to do that Gator chomp that I've seen on the television when Florida plays,” Moyles said. “The crowd went absolutely insane. It was extraordinary.”
This year marks Moyles’ 28th with “Riverdance.” He met his wife, Niamh O'Conner, through the production. They’re one of nearly 70 “Riverdance couples” and have two of the 130 “Riverdance babies.”
“There's quite a number of relationships, even in the current cast,” Moyles said with a laugh. “So hopefully that number continues to grow.”
As one of the longest-running Irish dance shows in the world, much of the current cast hadn’t been born when the show debuted in 1994.
Principal dancer and dance captain Amy-Mae Dolan is among them. Throughout her childhood, Dolan competed in Irish dance competitions, earning the title of World Champion in 2010.
In 2016, the Northern Ireland native attended Riverdance Summer School, a weeklong workshop to learn dances from the show and de-facto audition for dancers 18 or older.
Performers in "Riverdance 30." (Photo courtesy of Colgan McNeil, Riverdance) (5261x2959, AR: 1.777965528894897)
“The phone call came and when they said that I would be a part of the production, I honestly couldn't believe it,” said Dolan. “I thought I would be attempting to audition for it for a few years.”
At only 18 years old, Dolan formed quick bonds with the rest of the cast as they toured across China.
Now, eight years later, she still gets nervous when the lights go down.
She said hearing the first notes of the number “Reel Around the Sun,” makes the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. “When we do that first ‘diddly stamp’ as we call it, sometimes I can see audience members jump back in their seats and, wow, I just love that.”
At some stops along the tour, members of the cast meet with local Irish dancers. Dolan will host a workshop at Gainesville Dance Academy ahead of the performances, but Moyles welcomes more casual encounters, too.
After a show in St. Pete earlier this month, two little girls waited outside the stage door for autographs. Once the cast came out, the young dancers performed a step. The moment resonated with Moyles.
“I'm saying to myself, we need to continue to pay attention to the details, continue to improve, continue to encourage,” he said. “It’s our job to ensure that they get the opportunity to live the dream that they've just watched.”
“Riverdance” will travel to 40 cities over its five-month North American tour. It will be at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Feb. 11-13, with shows at 7:30 p.m.
The Irish dance show "Riverdance" is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a five-month, 40-city tour that includes the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Feb. 11-13. (Photo courtesy of Colgan McNeil, Riverdance) (829x859, AR: 0.9650756693830035)
Moyles, born in Dublin, is the executive producer of “Riverdance,” an Irish dance show that has run for 30 years since launching as a Eurovision intermission act.
In 2009, Moyles performed as the male lead of the show in Gainesville. During the improv section of a dance battle number, he incorporated a new move. “I started to do that Gator chomp that I've seen on the television when Florida plays,” Moyles said. “The crowd went absolutely insane. It was extraordinary.”
This year marks Moyles’ 28th with “Riverdance.” He met his wife, Niamh O'Conner, through the production. They’re one of nearly 70 “Riverdance couples” and have two of the 130 “Riverdance babies.”
“There's quite a number of relationships, even in the current cast,” Moyles said with a laugh. “So hopefully that number continues to grow.”
As one of the longest-running Irish dance shows in the world, much of the current cast hadn’t been born when the show debuted in 1994.
Principal dancer and dance captain Amy-Mae Dolan is among them. Throughout her childhood, Dolan competed in Irish dance competitions, earning the title of World Champion in 2010.
In 2016, the Northern Ireland native attended Riverdance Summer School, a weeklong workshop to learn dances from the show and de-facto audition for dancers 18 or older.
Performers in "Riverdance 30." (Photo courtesy of Colgan McNeil, Riverdance) (5261x2959, AR: 1.777965528894897)
“The phone call came and when they said that I would be a part of the production, I honestly couldn't believe it,” said Dolan. “I thought I would be attempting to audition for it for a few years.”
At only 18 years old, Dolan formed quick bonds with the rest of the cast as they toured across China.
Now, eight years later, she still gets nervous when the lights go down.
She said hearing the first notes of the number “Reel Around the Sun,” makes the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. “When we do that first ‘diddly stamp’ as we call it, sometimes I can see audience members jump back in their seats and, wow, I just love that.”
At some stops along the tour, members of the cast meet with local Irish dancers. Dolan will host a workshop at Gainesville Dance Academy ahead of the performances, but Moyles welcomes more casual encounters, too.
After a show in St. Pete earlier this month, two little girls waited outside the stage door for autographs. Once the cast came out, the young dancers performed a step. The moment resonated with Moyles.
“I'm saying to myself, we need to continue to pay attention to the details, continue to improve, continue to encourage,” he said. “It’s our job to ensure that they get the opportunity to live the dream that they've just watched.”
“Riverdance” will travel to 40 cities over its five-month North American tour. It will be at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Feb. 11-13, with shows at 7:30 p.m.
The Irish dance show "Riverdance" is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a five-month, 40-city tour that includes the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Feb. 11-13. (Photo courtesy of Colgan McNeil, Riverdance) (829x859, AR: 0.9650756693830035)