THE ERIN AWARDS

The Erin Awards By Jason Sorensen (from an original post to www.lordofthedance.com) This document is copyright Š 2000 Jason Sorensen, all rights reserved. Reprinted here by express written consent of the author. (Author's note: I've changed a couple of my votes for this reprinting; the original VB post contains my first choices, a couple of which are different than those listed below.)

Here in America, we're beginning to enter that time of year when all of the Hollywood awards ceremonies (Golden Globe, Oscar, SAG, etc.) start lining-up to each show us six hours of commercials (with a few people in tuxedos or low-cut dresses holding figurines of small, naked gold guys to break-up the monotony), and I got to thinking: with the release of "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames," the general public now has easy access to four different Irish ethnic dance videos to watch: "Riverdance," "Riverdance: Live From New York City," "Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance," and "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames." So, how about the Erin Awards, where we, the population of the VB, vote on what we like the most? Since this is my suggestion, I figure it only fair that I put my money where my mouth is, so I've created a set of categories, voted on them, and explained each vote. And here we go!

BEST SET DESIGN: "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames." Certainly the most expensive and the most complex, MFFOF's set really does accentuate the storytelling; steel towers, parapets, a portcullis, a scrim, thrusts, trap doors, torches, murals, drawbridges, explosions, explosions, EXPLOSIONS, this one goes all-out. Jonathan Park and Michael Flatley took no prisoners with this set, and it worked; as Park said, "On this scale, you have to make a rather bold statement." Believe me, that statement was made.

BEST SHOW PROGRAM: "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames." The fact that I have an autographed program is irrelevant. The fact that there are tons of cool Michael photos in it is irrelevant. I am a very objective judge. Really, I am.

BEST FEMALE HAIRSTYLE: Gillian Norris, "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames." How do you judge female hairstyling when practically every female has the same hairstyle (okay, so I'm stereotyping; it's still a very attractive stereotype)? I go with Gillian's MFFOF hairstyle on this one, not because it's necessarily the most stylish, but because it fits the character the best. And because Gillian always raises my blood pressure with her MFFOF "Gypsy" performance.

BEST MALE HAIRSTYLE: Michael Flatley, "Riverdance: A Journey." The hairstyles he uses during the "After Five" and "Big Breakfast" interviews, as well as the one used in the Royal Gala performance (introduced by Pierce Brosnan), are easily his best styles. They just look *right* on him.

BEST FEMALE COSTUME: Maria Pagés, "Riverdance International," "Riverdance: Live From New York City." I almost gave this one to Bernadette Flynn for her MFFOF "Dance of Love" outfit, but Maria won out. When it comes to clothing, tastes can be wildly divergent, so I'll just say that I like it and it looks good on her, and move on.

BEST MALE COSTUME: Michael Flatley, "Feet of Flames," "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames." A gorgeous bolero jacket (where can I get one of those bad boys?), tight (and decorated) leather pants, glistening toned chest, and, of course, the hat. I almost chose Flatley's MFFOF "Warlords" outfit instead, but that "Feet of Flames" jacket just can't be beat. This, ladies and gentlemen, is Flatley unleashed. Wow!

BEST SONG (CHORUS): "Hell's Kitchen," "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames." Granted, I really like "Oscail An Doras," from "Riverdance: Live From New York City," but "High Priests" is just killer. Never have I seen jabberwocky made so powerful, foreboding, intense, and downright spooky. If Carl Orff ("Carmina Burana") was to try to create something for a Flatley show, it still wouldn't be as cool.

BEST SONG (SOLO): "Carrickfergus," "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames." I almost went with MFFOF's "An Maighdean Mhara" on this one, but because of a more personal connection to the lyrics, "Carrickfergus" wins out. Anne Buckley's voice, combined with Ronan Hardiman's absolutely stunning background music, just nails me to the wall every time.

BEST FEMALE SINGER: *tied* Anne Buckley, "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames," and Katie McMahon, "Riverdance: Live From New York City." I simply couldn't make a choice here; they're both incredibly talented, but what they sing and what type of presence they bring to their work is quite different.

BEST MALE SINGER: Morgan Crowley, "Riverdance: Live From New York City." I really like the lead singer from MFFOF's choir, but he was one more excellent component in a terrific show; Morgan, on the other hand, was one of the few memorable things that came out of the RDLFNYC video. Natural stage presence, tons of charisma, spotless acting, killer voice, good dancer, this guy's got it all -- and pairing him up with Katie McMahon was somebody's excellent choice. The "American Wake" number, with Morgan, Katie, and Eileen Ivers, is the high-point of that video for me.

BEST COMPOSER: Ronan Hardiman, "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames." There was an interesting discussion on the VB late last year about the music in MFLOTD and the music in RD, as well as the differences and goals of Ronan and Bill Whelan. For a long time, I was unable to choose which composer I liked more; however, with the release (reelease? Okay, bad pun) MFFOF, the choice is clear: I love Ronan's technocelt far more than I love traditional Irish music or somewhat updated variants on it, and Ronan simply brings the house down with MFFOF. Both the background music for songs and pieces, as well as the dance music for the various dance numbers, is knock-down gorgeous. In RD, the dancing serves the music; the music tells the story. In MFLOTD, the music serves the dancing; the dancing tells the story. In MFFOF, the dancing and the music blend equally to tell the ultimate Irish myth. Technocelt lives, and it is good!

BEST FILM DIRECTOR: David Mallet, "Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance." Don't look at me like that. Originally, I voted for John McColgan and the original Riverdance video; I said, "By and large, I liked the way David Mallet directed the MFFOF video (it simply could NOT have been edited as the original RD video was, because the camera is serving a different purpose), but the first Riverdance video had a unique challenge: introduce a general worldwide audience to a new form of dance without a lot of cool extras to accentuate the production. So, the best way to showcase the product was simply focus on the product and stay on it. Long shots, fewer cuts, and faith that the performances would carry the dance. Fortunately, the RD video had Michael Flatley, who can fill a Steadicam with so much motion that you don't give a damn about anything else. Despite the cardinal sins of bad edits, Soviet revisionism (you have to watch "Eire Apparent" to see Michael perform his famous MFLOTD pose during the RD title number), and failure to use the camera as a tool to make slower numbers more dynamic, I still think...well, hell, maybe I'll change my vote to Mallet's MFFOF video after all. It's hard to say; the two shows and their required directorial styles are apples and oranges." However, upon rewatching the original MFLOTD video, I have to say that it's far better than it's given credit for.

BEST "MAKING OF" DOCUMENTARY: "In the Fire: the Making of Feet of Flames." Granted, I haven't seen the "Making of MFLOTD" video, but it'd be pretty hard to top ItF (even the American version, which doesn't have little bits like Flatley and Martin Flitton racing their cars). I doubt I could explain its impact to someone who hasn't seen it; suffice it to say that like the final episode of "Babylon 5," its impact was greatest on those who had been there for the whole ride. It wasn't just a documentary of events, it was a great story in and of itself.

BEST SOUNDTRACK: "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames." Despite the lack of any tracks with taps on them, this soundtrack CD has the best of Ronan Hardiman's technocelt, and is music you want to listen to as well as dance to. That man is simply brilliant. Period.

BEST CHORUS NUMBER: "Dance Above the Rainbow," "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames." No plot, no lead dancers, no set pieces; just bright lights, *fantastic* music, and more positive energy than a Prozac-meets-Viagra-meets-Propecia convention. Of course, John "Air" Carey makes this even more fun to watch, but if there was one non-Flatley number I'd use as a teaser to get new people hooked on Flatdance, this would be it.

BEST NUMBER (A CAPPELLA): "Warlords," "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames." So they threw in extra dancers in RDLFNYC's "Distant Thunder;" big deal. Anyone remember the excellent quote, "Can't have a good army without a good leader?" It's true. MFFOF's "Warlords" is absolutely humongous, and most importantly, it has a flatdancer as the lead. Even better, it's the Great Warlord himself, Michael Flatley, as the lead. Sensation syncopation, baby; testosterone oozing out of every tap, absolute precision in every step, and, of course, the hat. This number is *money*; you've got a great army, and you've got a great leader. THIS is how things should be.

BEST NUMBER (WITH MUSIC): "Cry of the Celts," "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames." You have to set-up your myth-story, establish characters, build to an exciting climax, and somehow keep from collapsing. The technocelt music is gorgeous and appropriate -- telling a story when necessary, providing pure mood when necessary -- the flatdancing powerful, the choreography dynamic, the lighting exactly as it should be...everything works perfectly.

BEST NUMBER (BOTH A CAPPELLA AND WITH MUSIC): "Planet Ireland," "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames." Just watch it.

BEST OVERALL NUMBER: "Cry of the Celts," "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames." Every element that is associated with this dance phenomenon is present: intricate choreography, brilliant music, a killer solo (and solo performer), consistent buildup to a fantastic climax, good cinematography...it's all there. For me, this is about as good as it gets.

BEST SOLO (A CAPPELLA): "Warlords," "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames." The solo parts of this number are powerful, sexual, riveting, visually gorgeous...y'know, I'm running out of adjectives at this point. Suffice it to say that the number establishes a good army, but something more is needed to elevate the number -- and it arrives, clad in black leather and metal taps. Bernadette Flynn, you have had Mr. Michael Flatley dance for you, osculate you, and crawl after you more than 400 times; might I suggest a sedative?

BEST SOLO (OVERALL): "Feet of Flames," "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames." Shhh...the master is at work. Irish dance, Flatdance, whatever the hell it is, it's pure Michael. The ultimate technical and aesthetic exposition. You will never see anything like this again. This number, formerly entitled "Just in Case You Thought I Was Kidding," clearly establishes Michael Flatley's supremacy over this whole Irish movement. "Warlords" and "Feet of Flames" are, tonally, quite different; the former is percussion music, made for the role, not the person. The latter, however, is a symphony, communicated through percussion, which was specifically made for the person, not the role. No one else could pull off FOF; even if someone -- somehow -- did manage to do it, it wouldn't be the same. That piece is Flatley's masterstroke. What really illustrates this is when he removes the hat and begins the second movement of the number; as the camera focuses on a full-frontal shot, Flatley's head is tilted down slightly, and the sweat has plastered his hair back, revealing a high forehead. I suddenly thought of the younger, innocent man with wild hair and a flouncy shirt who leapt across a stage with featherlight effort, and then I saw the older, weathered, more intense man, half-nude, tightly-cropped hair, gesticulating to the audience as though he were summoning a spell; casting his unique brand of magic upon the audience for the last time. I thought of a Tennyson quote from Ulysses: "Though we are not now that strength which in the old days moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are: one equal temper of heroic hearts made weak by time and fate but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." There was a deliberate sense of moving on -- both the movement Flatley created overshadowing him, and Flatley himself moving on to explore new ways to further the wave. But there was FOF -- a statement at an intersection of time and space that others may come and go, but he is the master. The older wizard has accomplished what he wanted; the younger ones may go on and steal some of the fire for themselves, as is only inevitable and right, but when the old wizard is called forth, when he is summoned to show his mastery, his statement is the grandest. It's a very moving scene. No wonder it's Flatley's favorite number.

BEST FEMALE LEAD: Joanne Doyle, "Gaelforce" (note: I'm talking about the one-off celebration of Irish music and dance, NOT the dance show with James Devine). Okay, so I just broke my own rules. Exceptio probat regulam de rebus non exceptis: an exception establishes the rule as to things not excepted. I've written about her before -- about how I was absolutely blown away by her performance in Riverdance's "Heartland" -- and all I can say is that this gal is the most entertaining female Irish dancer I've ever seen on video.

BEST MALE LEAD: Michael Flatley. Period. No specific video. He's simply the best. Dress him in sackcloth and make him read the L.A. telephone directory; I'd still be in awe. There are several other performers who are good, even great, in this Irish dance/Flatdance phenomenon...but there will never be another Michael Flatley.

BEST OVERALL VIDEO: "Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames." This is the only video out of the four which I simply can't scan through to get to the "good parts," because it's all good. It's all great. In the other three videos, I'll always find myself fast-forwarding past vast tracts of film; in MFFOF, however, I never tire of experiencing it. All of it.

Well, those are my picks; who or what wins your Erin Awards?

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