By Alecia Burningham
A pot of gold may not be at the end of the rainbow, but the luck of the Irish is definitely with these dancers.
Riverdance, the Irish dancing show, is coming to Salt Lake City Tuesday and will run until April 1. Shows will be in Kingsbury Hall, the University of Utah''s performing arts center at 200 S. 1350 East.
Tickets range from $25 to $57.50 and are available at 581-7100.
Evidence of the success of Riverdance and the popularity it has given to Irish dancing is prevalent even at BYU.
Tina Shelley, part time faculty in the dance department, is unofficially known as the Irish specialist.
'Riverdance has played a huge part in the popularization of Irish dancing,' she said. 'People had no idea what we were doing when I was younger but now it is so popularized that people all over know what it is.'
The Irish Dancing Commission of Ireland recognizes Shelley as a certified teacher of Irish dancing, and she is the only one in Utah, according to them.
The certification process is rather rigorous and many people don''t pass the first time, she said. Shelley was required to take written exams, perform anything she was asked to in front of a panel of judges, identify different types of Irish music and be able to teach any step to children at any level. The benefits of being certified are worth it though, she said.
'Being certified gives me confidence in knowing I''ll be teaching correct Irish dancing, and it helps my students to learn correct technique,' she said. 'It also allows my students to compete in Irish dance competitions.'
Shelley never intended to do focus on Irish dances and actually studied all kinds of dance from the time she was very young. She was given a BYU folk dance scholarship, however, and from that she started teaching and choreographing.
'The demand of the public was so great that I started teaching weekly classes,' she said.
In California, where Shelley is originally from, there are many Irish dance teachers, but in Utah there is almost nothing, Shelley said.
'When people noticed the folk dancers doing Irish dancing and then it became so popular with Riverdance, people wanted to learn and asked me for lessons,' she said. 'I decided to get certified because a lot of people have been interested, especially students at BYU, and it has been fun to develop those classes.'
BYU now offers two beginning, two intermediate and one advanced Irish dancing class.
Jeanette Geslison, a faculty member in the dance department, teaches one of the intermediate Irish dance classes. The focus of the class is to teach technique and the correct way to execute the movements in both solo and figure dances.
Dancers learn both soft and hard shoe styles of dancing. For soft shoe, dancers wear ghilles, which are similar to ballet slippers except they have black lace, Geslison said. Hard shoe uses fiberglass soles to make a clog-like sound while dancing.
'We started with one class and now we have five classes because they were so full and we couldn''t accommodate all the students who want to get in,' Geslison said. 'Riverdance has contributed a lot to that craze.'
Cassie Singley, 20, a junior from Bishop, Calif., majoring in elementary education, took an Irish dance class last semester from Shelley.
Singley''s interest in Irish dancing developed through her love of Irish music. She also saw Riverdance on television and thought it looked fun, she said.
'The music and the style just make it so beautiful and exciting to watch,' Singley said.
Singley takes a dance class almost every semester and said the form is what differentiates Irish dancing.
'You have to keep your arms straight and your feet always have to be crossed,' she said. 'It is hard on the calves because you''re up on your toes all of the time, but it is good exercise, and it is so fun.'
One difference between Riverdance and official Irish dancing competition is the use of arms. In competition, dancers would never use their arms, except for figure dancing where it is required, Shelley said. Riverdance is more of a show, however, and often the dancers do arm movements.
'Riverdance has done a lot to make people aware of Irish dancing although I do lament that as a result some people try to do it but they don''t have the proper instruction,' Shelley said. 'People try to recreate things that aren''t authentic.'
Shelley said the dancers are all super championship dancers and even though the steps are not as difficult as competition, the show demonstrates a lot of unison work that highlights the fast, pounding rhythms of Irish dancing.
'The lighting, sound and music in Riverdance is all incredible,' Geslison said. 'They use very talented musicians, the dancers were excellent and it was just a fascinating show that is definitely worth going to.'