Riverdance Producer John McColgan: Shen Yun 'Standard of the performers was terrific'

DUBLIN—“The dance is very elegant and very athletic, very skilled ... it's a pleasure to watch,” said Mr. John McColgan, who attended the final of three Shen Yun Touring Company performances at The Convention Centre in Dublin on Sunday, March 27.

Mr. McColgan is a founding director of Tyrone Productions, Ireland’s premier independent television production company, and chairman of Today FM radio station. He is perhaps best known for his key role in Riverdance’s evolution to a full stage-show. In 2003, in recognition of his services to the arts and entertainment industry, Mr. McColgan received an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the National University of Ireland.

“I am enjoying it enormously; I haven't seen a major Chinese show before,” said Mr. McColgan. “It's nice to get a sense of the 5,000 years of history ... you can feel the emotion and storytelling from an ancient culture, so it is very entertaining, very enjoyable.”

Mr. McColgan was very impressed with the show’s digital backdrop: “The projection is terrific, it's really lovely. Each scene has a different location, so that's very enjoyable."

“I think the scene with the teacher and the girls and the police was very enlightening,” he said, referring to a scene depicting the persecution of practitioners of Falun Gong, a traditional spiritual practice that is extra-legally banned by China's authoritarian regime.

“The standard of the performers was terrific: they were wonderfully skilled dancers, and a wonderful tenor and soprano.”

“All in all it was a very entertaining and uplifting couple of hours. I think each dance is beautiful on its own. It was very enjoyable to experience. All the women are very beautiful and elegant. The orchestra was wonderful, and the Chinese instruments were wonderful,” concluded Mr. McColgan.