‘Lord of the Dance’ set to sweep Greece off its feet
The man with the fastest feet in the world (Guinness Book of World Records, 1998) is coming to Greece with his formidable troupe of dancers to perform at Thessaloniki’s Lazariston Monastery tonight, tomorrow and Wednesday, before traveling down to the capital for shows at the open-air Lycabettus Theater on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Following the resounding success of his previous show, «Riverdance» – which, however he left because of financial differences with the production company – superstar Michael Flatley and his mega-production «Lord of the Dance» has already toured over 40 countries worldwide. The production is a revival of traditional Irish folk dancing with a modern, spectacle-oriented twist, based on a classic Celtic folk tale. Good vs evil In the good vs evil story, the Dark Lord comes to challenge the Lord of the Dance. With the help of the good spirit, who has had a dream about the challenge and warns the good lord, and with the people rallying around, the Lord of the Dance vanquishes the Dark Lord in a dramatic dance duel. For the performance, Flatley has arranged the tale into 21 scenes that gradually unfold the dramatic development of the plot, while adding impressive solo and full-group acts that combine traditional costumes, moves and music with contemporary styles. «Lord of the Dance» made its debut in Dublin in July 1996 and has since been performed before 50 million people worldwide, often to sold-out theaters. Indeed, its record is a completely sold-out, 21-night run at Wembley Arena in London. For the shows in Greece, the public’s enthusiasm has been such that the organizers have added two late-night shows on July 2 and 3 in Athens, starting at 1 a.m. and running until 3 a.m. Tickets, at 30, 40, 55 and 75 euros, are available at the Hellenic Festival Box Office (39 Panepistimiou, tel 210.928.2900) and Virgin music stores. For reservations and information, tel 210.921.3310.
