NEW YORK (AP) — Before they hit the stage every night, Irish siblings Anna Mai and Fergus Fitzpatrick share a special ritual: A hug and a low five.
“Like a high five, but instead of going high with it, we go lower just to be different,” Fergus Fitzpatrick says laughing.
It’s a sweet way to check in for a brother and sister dancing duo who are propelling “Riverdance 30 — The New Generation,” a touring celebration of the show that put Irish dance on the global map and has deepened their bond.
“Me and Anna Mai have grown up dancing together. So we’re like siblings, but we’re also like best friends,” says Fergus. “We always have that support system.”
Both were veteran winners of Irish dance competitions when they joined “Riverdance” in 2017, Fergus a few weeks ahead of Anna Mai.
“That was an incredible feeling — to get to share the stage and have that experience together,” she says. “It’s hard to describe it to another person. There’s an understanding of that feeling between us.”
They never knew life without ‘Riverdance’
The “Riverdance” tour that kicks off this month in Florida will visit over 40 North American cities, including two weeks at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and performances at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. There also are stops scheduled for Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto, Boston, Indianapolis and Kansas City.
The tour has rejuvenated the original show with updated costumes, lighting and projections, featuring a new set of dancers — none were born when the show began 30 years ago.
“It’s a new group of performers, which is an exciting thing to keep that timelessness but also rejuvenate and update that little bit,” Anna Mai says. “We have now a group of people that never knew life without ‘Riverdance.’”
Anna Mai and Fergus come from a family in County Meath with seven siblings. She was the first to be attracted to traditional Irish step dancing, in which the arms and body move little while the feet create the sound and action.
“I was one of those children that did a bit of everything. I did ballet, I did running, I did gymnastics, and Irish dance was the one that really stuck,” she says.
It will come as no shock that her passion was cemented after her mother took her to see “Riverdance” live.
“I had been going to Irish dancing classes once a week, but that really set the foundation for ‘Oh my goodness, this is something that’s so beautiful to watch and that I want to be a part of.’”
Fergus followed soon after, and both began competing, with Fergus winning the World Irish Dance Championships in 2017 and his sister winning the All-Ireland Championships, Great Britain Championships and the British Nationals. They’ve been part of several U.S. tours and went to China before the pandemic.
‘You can have this life’
“Riverdance” first premiered on the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest as a seven-minute segment. It opened at Dublin’s Point Theatre on Feb. 9, 1995, at a time of renewed Irish optimism and pride surrounding the onset of the booming “Celtic Tiger” economy.
The show is loosely based on the story of Irish culture and mass immigration to America, the story woven through music and dance styles including flamenco and tap.
While on tour, the Fitzpatricks like to go out and explore each city they land in, and they enjoy joining the company team building events, like escape rooms or go-karting.
“We love to get out and see the city. We love to do touristy things,” says Fergus. “If there’s a good museum, if there’s sightseeing or anything like that to do, we’ll try and get out and do that.”
They also take their jobs seriously, knowing that “Riverdance” may be the first live show for some young people in the audience. After all, it inspired them to a career in dance.
“We take it with a lot of responsibility,” says Anna Mai. “We can actually have a difference in younger people’s lives. We can show them that you can have this life — you can achieve this dream — if that’s what you want, if that’s what you set your mind to.”
