THUNDER BAY – Celtic Illusion Reimagined, an Irish dance/magic fusion show, is coming to the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium on April 17 as part of its 2022 international tour.
The show comes from Australia-born Anthony Street, former lead dancer of Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance and Star Illusionist, who says the idea for the show was born from his dual passions for magic and Irish dance.
“When I was a kid, magic came first. I was around eight or 10 years old and I came across a magician at this big carnival that I was at and I was instantly hooked and I just started doing magic for my family and friends,” said Street.
“And as I grew older, I had big dreams to have a big magic show, just like David Copperfield and Siegfried and Roy but then when I started Irish dancing at 14, I picked that up really fast and then I also had a dream to have a big Irish dance show like Michael Flatley.”
The show stars Street along with Georgia May, a marvel in both dance and Illusion, and a cast of champion dancers recruited from across the globe and from other productions such as Lord of the Dance and Riverdance.
“A lot of dancers found it quite challenging because the choreography is not as straightforward as most Irish dance choreography is. So, I’ve kind of raised the bar and made it a bit more challenging for the dancers. The schedule itself hasn’t been tough but the show, the show is a hard show, it’s not an easy show for the dancers and also for myself and for the lead girl,” said Street.
“We’re not just dancing, we’re running around doing the magic as well, so, adding the magic of the show has added this extra element of required preparation and it just adds more stress. But, we love what we do and we’re just so thankful that we’re even back on the road right now, we’re just so lucky.”
The show will tour a total of 21 cities and so far Street says the reception in Canada has been amazing.
“The crowds over here are amazing. We’re getting standing ovations every single night which is so rewarding. It’s the most amazing feeling that I get every single night,” said Street.
