'Riverdance' was the show that announced the Irish boom years, but there are signs now that Michael Flatley's brand is faltering on home turf, along with the economy. Further afield, though, the appetite for Irish dance shows is undiminished, writes MICHAEL SEAVER

‘I’VE GOT THE biggest TV screen in the world – 72 tons – at the back of the stage. Imagine being at the premiere of a new movie, except in front of the screen you’ve got arguably the best dance troupe on earth, a lighting show that rivals Pink Floyd, $3 million worth of costumes, the best sound effects and a musical score by Ronan Hardiman that’s like an Irish rock concert.”

This is how Michael Flatley described his €16 million show, Celtic Tiger, to the American media in 2005. But four years later the show's website lies un-updated, with broken links, out-of-date press contacts and no future tours listed. If the disappearance of Celtic Tiger's lavish excesses mirrors those of the eponymous economic boom, then are the good times over for the Irish dance spectacular?

If the size of venue is an indication then the answer is yes. Lord of the Danceand Riverdanceno longer play in the Point (now the O2), but in the more intimate Helix and Gaiety theatres respectively, both with a little more than 1,000 seats. Riverdance's Gaiety season might last several weeks, but it is mainly fed by a tourist audience. Locals may be tiring of Irish dance shows, but further afield they are thriving and their longevity looks assured with new markets in the Far East.

"I think that, in Ireland, this type of show has passed the peak of its popularity," says Dr Catherine Foley, course director of the MA in ethnochoreology and of the MA in Irish traditional dance performance at the Irish World Music Centre, University of Limerick. " Riverdanceand other productions were a reflection of the boom years."

And what a boom. Riverdancealone has been seen live by more than 21 million people in more than 300 venues, throughout 32 countries across four continents. It has played to a global television audience of more than two billion people and has sold more than three million CDs and 10 million DVDs and videos.

FRESH PASTURES ARE now needed to feed these figures. Riverdanceis quitting the UK this year with a "farewell" tour, but is also undertaking a 10-week, 14-venue tour of China. Although executive producer Julian Erskine insists that business in the UK was good, he also says that the company didn't want to see audience figures gradually drop and the show to end up playing to half-empty houses.

“The tour of China is a major breakthrough for us,” he said. The connection was cemented with an appearance on a gala television show for the Chinese New Year, which was watched by 1.3 billion people. Parts of the Middle East also have potential – there are plans for a sit-down show in Dubai.

Lord of the Dance, on the other hand, is persevering with the UK market. A spokesperson for Flatley says that the UK is one of its strongest markets and that bookings are extremely strong to the end of 2010, with two troupes touring the world. The troupe that has just opened in Belfast will continue touring Ireland and the UK right through until December 8th.

But Michael Durkan, who produces dance shows such as Gaelforce Danceand Dance Mastershas found that the Irish and UK market is limited. Instead, he is concentrating efforts elsewhere.

" Gaelforce Dancehas just completed a successful tour of Poland and other eastern European countries," he says, adding that his shows have also broken into the Asian market with performances in Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan.

He points to Ireland's small population and lack of larger venues as reasons why Irish dance shows make infrequent appearances on home soil, but another reason is simple fatigue with a genre that began 15 years ago with Riverdance. Its success gave rise to numerous spin-offs and at one stage there were 14 different shows offering ostensibly the same product.

"You could take words like 'magic', 'spirit', 'rhythm,' or 'dance' and mix them up to come up with another Irish dance show," says Erskine, who adds that Riverdancehas to monitor and sometimes take legal action against "unofficial" versions of its show. Some rip-offs have appeared already in China.

Europeans, it seems, still have a voracious appetite for Irish dance. Richie Ross, company manager of Total Tour Management, has just finished a European tour of Magic of the Danceand didn't notice any decline in audience attendance.

“As for the UK dates, we are actually playing more venues this year than before, although we have restructured the tour so that, bar a couple of venues, we’re performing part weeks instead of full weeks,” he says.

Spreading the tour thinner to reach more venues might help audience figures, but in these straitened times promoters also face a challenge in controlling the price of tickets. Ross claims that more theatres are offering more discount rates, although, as a promoter, he can reconcile that by determining the size of the venues the show performs in.

“I work with many different types of touring productions and this is certainly something that is becoming generic in the industry,” he says. Nor is he particularly worried about the growing financial gloom. “In the last economic decline of 1991, the industry actually saw an increase in sales – presumably because people feel the need to escape the humdrum of the negative press and all that.”

According to Erskine, Riverdancealso experienced a big spike in bookings after 9/11.

IRISH DANCE SHOWS might be departing our shores to head east, but they have left a legacy. Not only are some of the original stars, such as Jean Butler and Colin Dunne, making an impact on the contemporary dance scene, but at a local level Irish dancing has been invigorated.

“Because of these shows there are now more attending Irish dance classes and more demand for Irish dance classes internationally,” says Foley. “And now there are professional careers in Irish dance.”

In addition, the touring productions have an important ambassadorial role.

“I have long argued that Fáilte Ireland should use touring Irish artists more proactively,” says Durkan. “Every night of the week there is some Irish artist performing abroad, whether it’s a dance show or someone like Mary Black or Altan. There is huge potential for tourism at these shows, even if you just leave a brochure on every seat. Audiences interested in Irish culture are halfway here already.”

This is borne out by Riverdance's Dublin's summer season at the Gaiety, which has consistent bookings and looks set to continue in spite of the company's move out of the UK market.

“We get a lot of repeat business there, particularly from Americans who might have seen the show in their home town and now want to experience it in Dublin,” says Erskine. “It’s a tourist experience, like the difference in having a pint of Guinness in Dublin rather than at home.”

Lord of the Dance

is at the Belfast Waterfront until Mar 13 and the Helix, Dublin, from Mar 16 to 22