Irish dance troupe to take stage in Auditorium production of 'Lord of the Dance'

In less than a week, Bloomington residents will finally get to see what the whole world is talking about. At 8 p.m. Tuesday, internationally renowned and critically-acclaimed performer Michael Flatley will bring his troupe of champion Irish dancers to the IU Auditorium to tell the story of "Lord of the Dance" for one show only.\nAccording to a press release, in the fewer than five years that Flatley has been touring with his show, 50 million people have come to applaud this classic tale of good vs. evil and appreciate the tradition of Irish dance.\nWith his show, Flatley said he wishes to "take the audience on a wondrous adventure that will ignite their minds and souls (by combining) traditional and modern forms of dance to create a high octane blend with soulful beats and feet that move too fast to comprehend."\nFlatley himself knows about fast feet better than anyone. His own were clocked by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's fastest at 35 taps a second.\nAlthough Flatley is no longer performing in the lead role, as he did when the show opened, he still\nserves as the artistic director and continues to oversee all aspects of the production.\n"It's not ballet. It's not tap. And it's not Flamenco," he said of the show. "It's something that I had to create from scratch because nothing else would fit."\nFlatley has become well-known for his innovations, and many give him credit for popularizing Irish dance all over the world. His show brings together dancers like himself in a performance troupe that has won many of them international recognition.\nCast member Josephine Brennan will play the role of the seductress in this story, based on an old Irish folktale, in which the Dark Lord Don Dorcha challenges the Lord of the Dance.\nWhen she joined the group four-and-a-half years ago in a smaller role, she planned on staying for a year and then moving on. But with each passing year she said she found herself unable to leave. She said now she has given up this notion. \nShe described the whole experience as "exhilarating."\n"It's the most different thing that I've ever been involved in," she said. "The show is fast and furious and completely dynamic."\nBrennan said she loves her role as Morrighan and has fun portraying her, even though she said she has nothing in common with her onstage persona. When she is not touring with the cast, Brennan teaches other aspiring dancers in her own school in Ireland. Her school now has approximately 150 fast-dancing pupils, and she said she is pleased to know of many such schools in America.\n"Lord of the Dance" would not be possible without its promoters. Jessica Lawson is the booking and marketing executive for Utsick Presents, which is one of the show's promoters. As the phenomenon travels across the nation, she said the show's promoters are excited to bring the cast to Bloomington.\n"We are very excited to be involved in this production of 'Lord of the Dance,'" she said.\nTickets for "Lord of the Dance" are still available at the IU Auditorium Box Office or by phone at 333-9955. Adult tickets cost $36, $45 and $50, and IU students with a valid ID receive a $4 discount.