Celtic Illusion a magical look at Irish dancing

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This article was published 13/03/2020 (2093 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It seems unlikely anyone who took in the cultural phenomena of Riverdance or Lord of the Dance thought to themselves, “You know what this needs? Magic.”

Anthony Street, creator, producer and principal dancer of Celtic Illusion, agrees the concept of his Irish dance and magic show is, at first glance, bizarre. Despite that, the 36-year old has been winning over audiences all over the world by combining two art forms he has dedicated his life to perfecting.

“I looked up to Michael Flatley and David Copperfield as my two biggest inspirations, and I just thought to myself I may not get time in my life to do both of these shows, so I thought I’d combine the two together and achieve both dreams with the same show. And that’s pretty much how the concept came together,” says Street.

The Melbourne, Australia-based performer picked up magic as a young kid and quickly found an idol in Copperfield, the legendary illusionist. When Street was 14, at the height of Flatley’s fame as a world-renowned Irish dancer, Street signed himself up for Irish dance classes — even though he’s not of Celtic descent — and looked to Flatley for inspiration.

Just a few years later and Street had honed his dance skills enough to join a five-month tour, which turned into an eight-year career travelling the world. That experience eventually landed him a role as a principal dancer in the same show that contributed to his early dance desires, Flatley’s Lord of the Dance.

He used his experience to create his own show, Celtic Illusion, which showcases complex Celtic dancing as well as illusions, such as disappearing and reappearing cast members and levitations. Celtic Illusion premièred in Australia in 2011 and is on its debut Canadian tour, which stops at the Burton Cummings Theatre for a nearly sold-out show Saturday night.

“I grew up in the country and surrounded by my grandfather and my dad going hunting and being on motorbikes, but I didn’t go down that path at all. I went in a different direction from my dad, he’s a builder, and I ended up being a dancing illusionist,” Street says, laughing.

“But now here I am travelling the world with my show so it just goes to show what hard work and dedication can really achieve when you put your mind to a dream that you have.”

While there isn’t a plot or narrative in Celtic Illusion, and — unlike many magicians — Street doesn’t speak to the audience, he has made sure each magical element infused into the dance show has a reason for being there in order to keep a cohesive flow. He admits it’s “something you have to see to understand how it works.”

“People always say to me they didn’t know what to expect, and a lot of people have actually said it’s their first time coming to an Irish dance show. It is a very solid dance show on its own, but the magic makes it unique and adds this extra element of surprise,” says Street, who is among a cast of 15 on the touring production.

“I look at shows like Cirque du Soleil and how they push the boundaries of circus and this what I’m trying to do with our Irish dance,” he says. “I’m really trying to push the boundaries by adding other elements that will take it to a whole new level people have never seen before.”

erin.lebar@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @NireRabel