New Irish Dance Opens at Drury Lane

A new Irish dance spectacular will follow Cameron Mackintosh's long-running hit musical Miss Saigon into the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The world premiere of Dancing on Dangerous Ground opens on 30 November 1999.

Following the international success of Riverdance and Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance, Irish dancers Jean Butler and Colin Dunne have spent the past two years collaborating on this new show. The two have created and choreographed Dancing On Dangerous Ground specifically for a theatre, as opposed to larger concert venues.

In Dancing On Dangerous Ground, based on an ancient Irish myth, Butler and Dunne lead a company of over 30 dancers, actors and musicians through a performance which modernises traditional Irish dance steps and movements.

At the launch of the show today, Butler commented: 'In many ways, the development of popular Irish dance culture over the last four years has forced the style and content of this production into being. This is the first time that Irish dance has been used to tell a simple, coherent story, with rich characterisation, historical connotations and timeless themes.'

Dancing on Dangerous Ground is produced by Tricky Feat Ltd, in association with Harvey Goldsmith Entertainments Ltd, Creative Management Ltd, Radio City Entertainment and Electric Factory Concerts.

Miss Saigon, Cameron Mackintosh's latter-day Madam Butterfly musical set again the 1975 fall of Saigon, finishes its ten-year run at the Drury Lane on 30 October 1999. Mackintosh's next major project, a musical version of John Updike's The Witches of Eastwick, is due to open at the theatre in spring 2000.

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