‘Lord’ entertains crowd in 14th season of dancing

“Lord of the Dance” is now celebrating its 14th consecutive year touring around the world, and the troupe most recently came and performed to a wide audience with members young and old on Sunday, April 19 at the Laredo Entertainment Center.Michael Flatley, the youngest son of Irish parents, is the American-born dance pioneer who created “Lord of the Dance” – the most popular touring dance production in history.The troupe consists of a wide variety of talented young men and women of both Irish and American decent, including the Clan of The Celts, The Warlords, The Warriors, and The Girls of Ireland. As the lights dim, a chorus of traditional Celtic music and a burst of light greet the audience.Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance” show is a masterfully-orchestrated arrangement of precision dancing, color, lighting and pyrotechnics, which leaves no soul untouched from the second the show starts to the final encore.Telling the traditional story of good vs. evil, The Little Spirit travels back in time and space to help The Lord of the Dance protect his mythical people and defeat his evil adversary, Don Dorcha, The Dark Lord. Other key players in this classic battle are Saoirse, the Irish Colleen and the Warlords fighting for good and Morrighan, the temptress, and the Warriors fighting for evil with Erin the Goddess watching over them all.Energy and emotion were evident during the performance, leaving audience members teetering on the edge of their seats in anticipation for what comes next.This show simply has it all: gentle, lighthearted moments, intense fighting, and scenes that are just loud and full of color and oomph!With Don Dorcha appearing to be the victor as he proudly displays and dons the Lord of the Dance’s belt, the story adheres to a traditional plotline in which the villain seemingly defeats the hero only to be thwarted when the hero – in this case the Lord of the Dance – suddenly reappears and saves the day. Joining him in his victory is The Little Spirit and Saoirse, soon followed by the clan.The dancing troupe received two standing ovations, which led to a series of encore performances until at last the room was pitched into darkness, signifying the end of the show. The houselights came on, and the audience filed out, reminded that the mystical story they just encountered is only that: a story.