Harlequin Cascade™ makes Riverdance a better show for everybody

Photo:Joan Marcus

Since its beginnings as an interval act during the Eurovision Song Contest staged in Dublin, Riverdance has gone on to conquer the world. And where Riverdance goes so do rolls of Harlequin Cascade™ dance floor. 

Recently British Harlequin Marketing Manager, Caroline Reilly caught up with the show and Executive Producer Julian Erskine, in Killarney. In a recently released video interview published on the the Harlequin video channel and YouTube, Julian explained how an extensive search for the right floor ended with choosing Harlequin Cascade™ - a floor that has since toured the world with Riverdance for seventeen years. On a recent 22 week tour of North America, the floor was rolled out in 77 cities. "The floor went out 77 times….and without any need for repairs. It’s a credit to the product that it does that." In the video Julian emphasises how important the floor is to the dancers’ confidence, so they don’t "hold back" and can "go all out" without fear of slipping. Slipping was a real problem in the early days before Cascade™ as the special shoes used for Irish dance polished the traditional wood surface to a shiny and slippery gloss. "Our dancers’ reaction to the floor is completely positive. When we found Harlequin Cascade™ the confidence arrived to go out every night knowing the major issue of whether they were going to slip or not was over. We find with Cascade™ dancers have no fear and can go as fast as they like, it makes the show better for everybody." In the video interview he also talks about the importance of floor colour to work with lighting and scenic projection. Summing up what Harlequin meant to him is ‘confidence’ in the floor and ‘satisfaction’ with the service received over the years. 

The full interview can be viewed on the Harlequin video channel showcasing the continuing role of Harlequin Cascade™ in this long running success, plus a look back at Riverdance history and an interview with a dancer.