They make it seem so effortless, but the cast of "Riverdance" has to take great care that night after night of jumping and tapping and stamping doesn't lead to major injuries.
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Even those who have never seen "Riverdance" are familiar with that combination of traditional Irish dance and modern big-time showmanship that has entertained millions stomping around on stages around the world since the mid-1990s.
Several thousand more will get the chance when those synchronized flying feet come to the Fox Theatre for five shows next Friday through March 18.
While those audiences will marvel at the precision and athleticism displayed by the "Riverdance" cast, few will realize the toll this particular type of dancing has on those who do it.
"Truth is, Irish dancing was not made for the human body," said Marty Dowds, dance captain and lead male dancer for the cast that will be performing at the Fox. "We keep saying that ourselves."
While the show has been around for just over a decade, the style of dance goes back hundreds of years, long before anyone gave much thought to things like kinesiology or anyone ever considered whether something was high or low impact.
"When it was invented, no one was thinking of the body 20 years down the line," Dowds said. As dance captain, Dowds sees to keeping the cast organized on stage and off, including scheduling regular massages and other treatments. The demands of the show are so great they take the unusual measure of having a full-time physiotherapist on tour with them to do the type of preventative maintenance so minor injuries won't lead to major injuries.
"Stress fractures are the greatest risk," Dowds said. "I'd say stress fractures and sprained ankles are the biggest thing."
Irish dancing requires a lot of straight-legged jumps and bouncing. Not only are the dancers supposed to jump straight-legged, but land that way, as well.
At 26, Dowds has been doing Irish dance for 17 years, since he was 9. Compared to some, that would make him a late-bloomer. To grow up to become " a good, proper" Irish dancer, you have to start young, he said. It isn't uncommon in his native Ireland to see children as young as 3 or 4 taking lessons.
It's not that the steps are so incredibly complicated, he explained, it's the style with which they are performed.
"Posture is one of the main items," he explained. "And you've got to turn out your feet. Your legs have got to be crossed. And you've got to have rhythm. If you don't have rhythm, you're totally screwed."
It's that perfect posture and style performed by such a large group all at once that makes the show work, he said. But it's also doing it "right" night after night, including four shows on weekends, that takes its toll.
"Irish dancing was a competitive dance for years, and then the show happened," he said.
The jarring can rattle you through and through, he said, but the real danger is to the legs. Shin splints are common. That's when the thin muscle attached to the shinbone tears away from the bone. It is more painful than serious in and of itself, but without rest it leaves the shinbone more susceptible to fractures.
Dowds
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The show brings along its own floor, which is designed to help cushion the impact. But its effectiveness depends on the surface on which it is set. Too many nights dancing on a hard surface will definitely shorten a career. As it is, he said it's hard for anyone to keep up the grueling schedule touring with "Riverdance" much past the age of 30.
The dancers also wear special shoes for "Riverdance" that have fiberglass heels and taps. The sole of the shoe protrudes a bit in front, which can "kill the balls of your feet," Dowds said, so most of the dancers file away the front of the soles of their shoes to their liking and self-preservation.
Staying in top physical condition is another obvious measure the dancers take. But there is nothing one can do in the gym that can specifically prepare the body as much as doing what they do.
"You got to keep dancing," Dowds said. "There's nothing else you can do. It's like anything else. You've got to keep doing it for the body to get used to it and to know what to expect."
Tickets for "Riverdance" range from $38 to $68 and can be purchased at the Fox Theatre and Joe Louis Arena box offices and at all Ticketmaster locations. Charge tickets by phone at 1-248-433-1515 or online at OlympiaEntertainment.com or Ticketmaster.com. For more information, call 1-313-471-6611.
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