Irish performers share culture, traditions
This week, the music and dance of Ireland come to the Ellen Eccles Theatre in a national touring production of “Celtic Nights: Journey of Hope.”
The production features the talents of 12 of Ireland’s top performers — six musicians and six step dancers — and will play January 24 and 25. It is the first show in the second half of the Eccles Theatre’s current season. Ticket prices range from $19-$29, with a 25 percent discount for students with ID.
“We wanted to bring something new,” said Amanda Castillo, program director for the Center of the Arts. “Celtic music is always well received in the valley. People love to attend it.”
Castillo said what sets this show apart from other Celtic music shows is the tour, which reflects Irish immigration to the United States.
“It is about the emotional tie to land and place,” Castillo said. “It explores the journey from leaving the home you love and finding a place in the new world and adjusting to it.”
While Irish immigration to America is a large part of both American and Irish histories, it is a theme rarely explored in traditional Celtic shows, and, in accordance with this theme, Castillo said the show’s music features both traditional Celtic as well as American genres with Irish influence, such as bluegrass and folk music.
“The music itself evokes the hope for a new future,” Castillo said. “I think most people can connect to it, because we are all at some point immigrants.”
As well as musicians, the show also features Irish step dancers. It is a chance for area residents to see some of the world’s most accomplished step dancers, a skill that requires strength, precision, and discipline
“The best word to describe Irish step dance is: exciting,” said Julie Zufelt, owner of the Inishfre Irish Dance School in Logan. “It’s so much fun to watch. The Celtic music is so exciting and the rhythm is so driving.”
Zufelt, whose school will perform its own Celtic production March 17, said the origins of the traditional style of Irish dance, in which dancers keep their torsos rigid and arms to their sides, is so shrouded in legends that it is no longer certain how it began.
“The most popular idea is that when the British ruled Ireland, the Irish weren’t allowed to sing or perform nationalistic dances or music,” Zufelt said. “The Irish began to dance with their arms by their side so that if anyone looked through the window, they wouldn’t see they were dancing.”
Though the Eccles Theatre has featured a variety of Celtic-themed shows in the past, this is the first time “Celtic Nights” has visited Logan. According to staff members at the theater box office, the events are usually popular with both students and the community.
“Logan is a very art-based town,” said Mona Snyder, an employee at the box office. “A lot of people really enjoy experiencing things like Celtic shows, rather than just the same old thing over and over again.”
Celtic music and dance has become popular throughout the U.S., said Hannah Thompson, a teacher of Irish dance at USU, adding that the popularity began with the debut of “Riverdance” in the 1990s. Celtic dance quickly became a phenomenon in the United States, and new shows such as “Celtic Nights” were born.
“People enjoy learning about other cultures, and Irish music in particular tends to be catchy and makes people want to tap their toes,” Thompson said.
The family-friendly nature of most Celtic shows, as well the engaging performances and music, creates a show that is appealing to all audiences, Castillo said.
“Any time you mix dance and music like this, you get a very broad appeal,” Castillo said. “We really hope students will look at all our offerings and see what they’re interested in.”
– m.van911@aggiemail.usu.edu