As a part of its 2024 World Tour, “A Taste of Ireland -The Irish Music & Dance Sensation” came to Bloomington on Nov. 8 at the Buskirk Chumley Theater. Members of the Bloomington community came out to experience one of the world’s top Irish dance shows featuring Irish dance, folk music and a rich cultural experience.
The show follows the history of Ireland starting from the 1800s to present-day time. Featuring a talented cast of Irish dancers, musicians and singers, it showcases traditional Irish instruments and costumes, while following historic events such as the Great Famine and the Easter Rising through traditional Irish dance and music.
Directed by Brent Pace, the show held world champion Irish dancers and stars from various successful musicals, such as “Riverdance” and “Lord of the Dance.” The dancers spent months preparing for the show.
“Preparing for weeks and weeks at a time for the show does take a bit of a toll on us dancers, but we try to do the best we can to help each other out throughout the preparation of the show,” dancer Julia O'Rourke said.
O'Rourke has been training in Irish dance since she was 5 years old and was excited to be a part of “A Taste of Ireland.”
“The best part of the show is that every night holds something different and really exciting,” O’Rourke said. “We try to interact with the audience a lot, so it’s really fun to see what the audience is going to be like each night.”
The performers also interact with the audience during the show. Each number had performers encouraging viewers to cheer along, clap with and interact with the performance.
“It was a fun and lively environment to be in,” audience member Paul Fowler said. “The dancers really knew how to make the audience laugh and have fun.”
Attendee Violet Carter further said she didn’t expect the show to be so humorous.
“I was pleasantly surprised by how fun the atmosphere was at the show,” Carter said. “Everyone was having a good time the entire performance.”
