By
Maggie Burnett
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Broadway dance sensation opens tonight at Centennial Hall
Contrary to stereotype, professional dancers eat pizza, too.
"I try my best to eat healthy, but it's hard on the road. Sometimes, pizza is our only option," said Irish dancer Michael Patrick Gallagher of the Broadway hit Riverdance.
Despite admitting to this healthy-eating faux pas, Gallagher did not seem terribly ashamed.
"Otherwise, I eat lots of veggies, fruit, pasta and chicken," he added.
Dancing since the age of six, Gallagher, the 24-year-old male principal dancer of the Lagan tour of Riverdance, can submit to his pizza cravings, considering that by the age of 11, he had already won one of his two World Titles for Irish dance.
"I've always done Irish dance. It's the main dance form of Ireland, especially in the rural community where I live," he said. "It's one of the only things to do in the area."
Although Riverdance, opening tonight at Centennial Hall for the second consecutive year, is composed mostly of Irish music and dancing, Gallagher said Russian folk music, Flamenco and African American tap music are incorporated as well.
"We (the dancers) are all representing our dance form and country," he said.
Gallagher began entering Irish dancing competitions at a young age, practicing two to three hours at least three times a week. Thus, by the time he was accepted into Riverdance, Gallagher already had a majority of the moves mastered.
"Most of the moves were learned in competition - there were no new moves to learn since joining (Riverdance)," he said.
Gallagher added that Irish dancing tends to contain a more rigid set of steps, as opposed to some of the other dancing in the show.
"The Russian dancers are more acrobatic - we leave all that stuff up to them," he said with a laugh.
Although Gallagher can show humor on the subject, he takes the dancing in Riverdance seriously, knowing the final performance requires a great deal of preparation.
"I didn't know what to expect (when I first joined Riverdance)," he said. "I was training three to four weeks before I even set foot on stage. It was very gradual."
Now that Gallagher has made it to the status of principal dancer, he speculates as to what the future will hold for Riverdance as well as himself.
"At the moment, I'm really enjoying it. I have no plans to leave yet," he said about the show. "I've finished my first year in college, but I don't know yet if I want to live here or Ireland. When I first joined, I only envisioned one year. I just wanted to get some money together for my university days."
Even though Riverdance encompasses a wide range of dance and music genres, Gallagher said the show was not in need of major reconstruction.
"The show is generally improving as it goes on," he said. "We have a new number, called 'Ri Ra,' that we added after Christmas break."
Gallagher added that the entire cast recently received a whole new set of costumes, due to the implementation of a new designer.
"I change costumes every number," he said. "In the last number, 'Heartland,' I wear an unusual suit, which took some getting used to. I had to get used to moving the jacket out of the way."
Uncomfortable costuming has not been the only thing Gallagher has had to get used to while performing with Riverdance. The Lagan company has been on tour for the last three years, performing Tuesday through Sunday nearly every week.
"I love traveling. It's a big plus to see a different city every week," he said. "However, we travel on our days off, so there is no chance to totally relax. A travel day can be more tiring than a show day."
Despite this disadvantage, Gallagher said traveling in the states has been particularly enjoyable because of the strong appeal the show has to U.S. audiences.
"It's a great feeling performing every night, especially in the U.S. - the audiences (here) are really good," he said. "My favorite place to perform was Charleston, South Carolina. I loved the architecture and the old-town feeling. It's almost Euro in style."
Summarily, Gallagher expressed few regrets about his experiences with Riverdance thus far.
"It's been a rollercoaster ride over the last four years," he said. "It's been a great experience."
