Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 21, 1997, Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada moan Toronto return from 194 Vancouver Las vegas Mcm from 275 Orlando return from 275 9822800 travel arrangements by Jel vacations saturday free press entertainment june 1997 Kab Barry up i bits today on television exotica on the Canad an director Adam Egoyan sexually charged 1994 film is about the relationship Between a grieving tax auditor Bruce whose daughter was and a Young stripper Mia Kirshner who performs dressed up As a but strip away exotics top layer and the movie reveals itself to be much More than a twisted Story about Healing and codependent 8 on 13part summer series showcases live performances by More than 50 contemporary pop artists and this weeks lineup includes the melvins and All captured during the lollapalooza today in music history in just after signing a Multi album contract with Warner the pop group steely Dan announced they were breaking Donald Pagan and Walter the driving forces behind the said their 14year musical partnership was steely dans hits included reeling in the Rikki dont lose that number and born this Day 1921 Maureen 1925 Ray a 1944 Meredith 1947 1959 1951 soundbite 7ftfs great to be rid of i dont have to see which Way the winds blowing describing his liberated feeling after getting rid of his cheers Era hair today lineup out and about red River sex red River exhibition to june 3 to Midnight and summer fest Irish association of 654 8 scottish heritage festival red River 1 with admission to the summer solstice Celebration festival the 10 to 11 Sunrise 5 summer festival of fun and music by Charleswood United Eric Coy 2 to 10 seniors Day we care Home Manitoba childrens noon to 4 concerts the Nields with Spur of the West end cultural Centre 8 and Eddie Henderson with jazz Winnipeg Winnipeg Art gallery 8 comedy rumours Peter to june 8 and comedy Island Kerry to june 9 and children who dont listen to their parents Gas station 10 and theatre Shakespeare in the ruins twelfth to july Norbert arts and cultural 8 and nightspots acropolis bootleggers sonic Bloom and the crop Blue note cafe Jefferson Grant quintet jazz cafe a nays 500 Satur Day afternoon blues Jam with Kristi Johnston and guests Jimmy j and massive int with stamina Dubrovnik restaurant Jennifer Hanson jazz georgias the Horseshoe wild ice works Lemon Jamaica restaurant Fuego and Caribbean Joes garage Pandora Kenny Macaroni bar Tim Marion Lead mirrors shake Oriley Tooles Zzz is Osborne Village killing hyper Shine and son of a Palm room hotel fort Jere my Davenport jazz pockets bar Grill Mark Reeves jazz Pyramid cabaret Greasy meal jazz Royal Albert Mosquito Loghan and soup of the spotlight cafe bar Gerry Atwell and times change blues cafe spiral Granite Wake Popo and windows lounge George Reznik Windsor hotel Paul James jazz Michael Flatley dances to his own tune by Valerie Takahama Orange county Register l of Angel Smichael Flatley says he became a Star the old fashioned Way he earned i believe genuinely Ive come up the hardest Way says Flat the creator and Star of the wildly popular show lord of the Ive persevered and stuck with it when even my closest friends told me i was a fool to do even my family get get just get into i still and in and in delighted in Why not i worked expletive hard to get this Here literally is the court Yard outside a suite at the Belair hotel on a sunny saturday where he marvels at the bougainvillea and a Hummingbird that hangs in the air nearby for a second and darts Here figuratively is on top of the his show has grossed More than and tens of thou Sands of fans around the world scream his Hes among people magazines so most he vacations on Barbuda not Barbuda an Island North of Antigua that a Haven for such celebrities As Princess he wears not one but two big Diamond so How did the Chicago born son of Irish get from there to Here As the dance choreographer tells the journey began Long before his contentious break two years ago from the hit Iris dance revue that helped launch him into Ive always wanted to Ive always wanted to says Flat who Speaks with a pronounced Irish accent that he attributes to his parents his frequent trips to Ireland As a child and his recent four year residency the second of five he grew up in a Blu Collar neighbourhood where his father earned a living in at his parents Isis he started Irish Ste dance classes at age he and soon got so Good that he began taking private lessons and creating his own at he became the first american the first in fact to win the world Irish dance championship held in a gifted Musi he also won the world Irish flute his fast feet at one time clocked at 28 taps per second and musical ability caught the attention of the Irish Folk band the who tapped him to dance and play the flute on Tours beginning in 1983 through the Early but for All his Flatley was unable to support himself As a for years i had to dig Lay foundations As a i worked so hard in 120 degrees in the summer and 40below in the Winter in i was out he Flatley kept dancing and eventually developed his own Bravura style of Irish Ste dance that departs from the traditional Mode in spirit and in competitive Irish dancing is characterized by a rigid upper ramrod straight arms and a face wiped clean of Emo the dancers stand in and their legs never kick above Waist Flatley mixes the traditional ele ments with High kicks and blinding tap fluid upper body and Arm and a Macho Flatley says he has always viewed the stiffness of Irish dancing As antithetical to the spirit of the celtic peo when i go to Ireland and i meet Irish there so full of Joy and passion and drive and determination and there so How can they possibly dance with their arms at their sides looking straight Forward he i think Irish has developed with a sort of straitjacket and no one had been Able to shake this Fol hats what he set out to do in when he was invited to perform for Irish president Mary his Virtu i Oso dancing won such Praise that he earned a seven minute spot in the popular eur vision song contest broadcast from Dublin in 1994 paired with another Irish Ameri can Jean their number was expanded into the River dance which debuted in Dublin in april at the dance purists were sceptical of his flamboyant Flat Ley they were dead set against he they who is this yank that was the catch it want until i performed there and got a great the people backed Ireland was Only waiting for some one to come along and throw off that and they celebrated with out inhibition when it it was a fabulous feeling in that i think they like that the fun didst last after tour ing with River dance for six he was told that another dancer would take Over the shows leading role when it reopened in London in fall he left the and promptly sued the producers for a percentage of the shows the River dance lawsuit and another involving John the for Mer producer of lord of the dance Are still and Flatley is Reti cent to discuss them i understand that were very close to settling on both fronts but they have not been rectified he last he threw his Energy into the creation of a show he could Call his own lord of the a two hour Celebration of celtic culture set on planet Ireland that plays out a theme of Good evil with Black masked bullies facing off against Flat Ley and along with precision tapping by a troupe of about three dozen it features Roc show flashy an amplified duelling id does Irish ballads and other original music by Irish film composer Ronan despite following on the heels of the phenomenally popular the Flatley show has enjoyed remark Able commercial and critical Success since its debut last still going its on its second world which wont end until next River dance stirs eager Winni Eggers by Linda Rosborough entertainment reporter it was once relegated to Church Community events or the annual Fol Lorama but Irish traditional dancing has shrugged off its ethnic notions and has become flashy and downright thanks to the popularity of River dance and Michael Flat Leys own lord of the dance tradition has been Given a they just think its the Best thing since sliced says Winnipeg Irish dance instructor Maire Mcdon who is registered with the Irish dancing commission in All the Little girls want to be Jean Butler of i think red hair is going to become real these Mcdonnell gets Calls from adults who want to she estimates she will have three times As Many new students when the new round of lessons begin in the she teaches 45 dancers aged five to 18 mostly girls three nights a week at the Irish association of Manitoba club on Erin or in rented studio in response to the aggressive show Ness of stars such As River dance gets right to your a local fan Flatley and River dances Lead Colin even boys Are getting there Are men in the says 29yearold who is a credit analyst by that helps a lot for Stephen cultural director of the Irish association of suspects the popularity of Irish dance is a natural progression of the interest in Irish with artists from u2 and Sinead Oconnor to the chieftains and Van Morrison introducing traditional ele ments of celtic music to audiences around the it was inevitable that dance would catch As Irish traditional music was a wellspring for people who wanted to so has Irish traditional dance for people like River dance pro Ducer Moya says who has seen two River dance shows in min its traditional forms taken to a new with a lot of these stylish new touring shows which also incorporate elements of american flamenco and russian dancing transcend ancestral ties to the Emerald says its an absolutely amazing product it gets right to your he River dance connects at a very Basic level that goes beyond any National its very at the end of people were cry its astonishing to for its Gratifying to know the world is finally coming around to a style of dancing that Cap tured her heart 11 years when she was named Queen of the Irish Pavilion at in just Happy its being seen so she i can you imagine trying to explain it to people who have never seen it ;