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Irish
World, United Kingdom - February 5, 2009
FORCE OF NATURE
World-record breaking
Irish dancer, James Devine.
By Shelly Marsden
Certain dancers are so fast,
so flexible, so dynamic that, watching them, you
are forced to stop and marvel at the sheer ability
of the human body. French ballerina Sylvie Guillem
is one of them; Irish dancer James Devine is another.
Long, blonde-hair tamed in a messy ponytail, Devine
even looks like a bundle of energy that, when it
breaks free, is sure to be something impressive.
Synonymous in the world of Irish dance for his talent
and also his incredible speed (he is officially
the World’s Fastest Tap Dancer), Devine won
all the Grand Slams of Irish dancing at the age
of 14 - World, American, British, All-Ireland and
Great Britain titles in the same year – the
only Irish man ever to accomplish such a feat.
The Clare-born, Edinburgh-based dancer, whose father
hails from Letterkenny and mother from Armagh, had
his first lesson at age eight, and when he stopped
competing, went on to teach dance all over the world.
In 1996, he was approached by Michael Flatley to
star in his new show Lord of the Dance, with which
he toured the globe. In ’98, the blonde-haired
dancer went to Australia, where he choreographed,
directed and performed the lead role in the world
tour of the hit show GaelForce – the first
large-scale Irish dance show to include live tapping.
Devine latest show Tapeire is a daring and exhilarating
75-minute production which fuses, Celtic tap, hip-hop,
fiddle, drums and electric harp with a unique live
video mix. The name, of course, mixes Tap –
being the universal ‘tap dance’ - and
‘Eire’, the Gaelic for Ireland, as the
show itself is a merging of the twin worlds of Irish
dance and tap.
Devine speaks quickly, sometimes hesitating and
repeating words, almost as if he has too much energy
to contain in the normal pace of conversation. He
explains the show as a historical journey through
the history of Irish dance, told through dance,
music and percussion, tracing the history of Irish
culture “from the sean-nos, where informal
dances took place in stone kitchens, through to
the ceilidhs of a century ago, through to formal
dance competitions and then to modern experimentation
with the art form itself.”
Tapeire is segmented into six sections, taking you
on a very clear journey, beginning at the roots
of Irish dance, through to an era of experimentation.
By the end of the show, the audience finds themselves
in a brave new world that has been influenced by
what’s gone before, but has evolved and expanded
into something new.
Another acclaimed Irish dancer, Colin Dunne’s
production ‘Out of Time’, soon showing
at London’s Barbican, seems to the layman to
follow similar lines, but when I make the comparison
I can almost hear Devine’s heckles rise. His
show, he points out diplomatically, was created
about three years ago, “and I think Colin’s
was only created last year - I’d like to get
that point in obviously!
Tapeire started life in February 2006, and was then
premiered in August 2006 at the Edinburgh Fringe
Festival. It received a lot of fantastic reviews,
which led to future touring, including a stint last
year in Broadway. Devine and co. are hoping to perform
later this year in Australia and Asia. One thing
successful Irish dancers are never short on, you
can be sure, is world travel; the cultural currency
of the Irish is a powerful thing.
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