Since she was 3 years old, Alexandra Rodriguez has been holding her arms straight and kicking.
She’s a 19-year veteran of Irish dancing, an artform characterized by quick, jagged choreography. Tuesday night, backstage at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, she met with her idols as the acclaimed show “Riverdance” came to Gainesville, the first stop on its 20th anniversary tour.
“They’re the best of the best,” the UF biology senior said. “You’re always blown away by the raw talent and also the discipline and dedication.”
The show was performed at the Phillips Center on Tuesday night, and will be performed tonight and Thursday night at 7:30 p.m., Nicholas van der Meer, the marketing director for UF Performing Arts, said. About 1,200 people, including Irish dance enthusiasts like Rodriguez, are expected to attend each night’s showing.
Tickets range from $45 to $75 for the public and are $20 for UF students. They are available online.
When she realized there was no way for her to continue dancing at UF, Rodriguez co-founded the student organization Ailigéadar Irish Dance Company in 2014.
The club, composed of 10 members, planned to meet the “Riverdance” performers after their first show. Rodriguez spent over three months planning the meeting with the UF Alumni Association and the Phillips Center, she said.
Members of Allison Hogan’s dance school, Hogan School of Irish Dance, also planned to attend the opening performance. Hogan, who graduated from UF with a master’s degree in 2008, opened the school in 2004 when she realized Gainesville had nowhere for residents to learn and practice Irish dance.
The school remains the only accredited Irish dance program in North Central Florida, Hogan said. It has 40 students spanning from 4-year-olds to 70-year-olds.
She said people can be intimidated by the style’s complex steps, but they tend to learn quickly.
“Irish dance is just like any other skill that you learn,” Hogan said. “You just go at it slowly, practice, and people are surprised at how quickly they can get to a point where they’re actually doing these hard, fast, difficult movements.”
The dance style has become an international phenomenon, encouraging people who aren’t Irish to learn it, she said.
Shows like “Riverdance” are examples of Irish dancing on steroids, she said.
Van der Meer said “Riverdance’s” Gainesville performances are significant, because the show is usually held in large cities like New York City and Los Angeles.
“They’re going to get a heck of a show,” van der Meer said. “I can’t think of a better word than saying it’s really going to be ... a spectacle to see.”
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Allison Hogan, the head instructor at Hogan School of Irish Dance, discusses choreography with a team of four dancers on Tuesday afternoon. Hogan shares her love of Irish culture with students of all ages in the Gainesville area and offers private lessons upon request.
