Lisa Clark, T.C.R.G.
Creator of Enduring Love
Photo: Lisa Clark

Lisa Clark, T.C.R.G. (certified Irish dance teacher), of North Carolina is the creator of an exciting new and original Irish dance musical, "Enduring Love".  "Enduring Love" is a heart-felt story that will make anyone proud to be Irish. Any non-Irish theater-goers will want to claim the Irish people and history as their own after seeing the story play out as a full theatrical production.  The show has been successfully performed three times as an amateur show with current plans to make this show into a professional touring show. Although, half the cast will be Irish dancers, the cast will be comprised of dancers of other dance forms and genres as well as other talented actors and performers.

Lisa Clark has created a Facebook event page, "Enduring Love Auditions". She has announced that "Enduring Love" is in the pre-production stage and is starting auditions which seek Open Champion-level competitive Irish dancers 17 years of age and older. These auditions will conveniently be held in Chicago during the upcoming North American Irish Dance Championships. A link to the "Enduring Love Auditions" Facebook page can also be found through the Facebook page for the 2012 North American Irish Dance Championships.

Auditions will be held July 4th, 4:00 - 9:00 p.m. for Irish dancers and Thursday, July 5th from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon for contemporary/ballet and musical theater dancers. All auditions will be held at the Chicago Hyatt Regency Hotel in the Plaza Ballroom.
Chicago Hyatt Regency Hotel
Site of the 2012 North American Irish Dancing Championships

There are already twenty-five extremely well-known and talented people on the "Enduring Love" team. The team that has assembled for this production is impressive to say the least. At this time, the released list of people included in the making, creating, choreographing, auditioning, etc. of this much-anticipated professional show are shown below.

~ Musical Director - Peter Corry
~ Irish Dance Choreographers - John Carey, T.C.R.G., A.D.C.R.G. and Catriona Hale, T.C.R.G. (both of the Carey Academy of Irish Dance in England).
~ Contemporary Dance Choreographer - Elizabeth Jones
~ Director of Choreography - Katherine Skehan, T.C.R.G.
~ Creative Director - Brian Mullane
~ Artistic Director - Brittany Clark
~ Librettist/ Musical Theater - Kevin Robert McDermott

On the audition panel:
John Carey, Elizabeth Jones, Katherine Skehan, Brian Mullane, Brittany Clark, and Kevin Robert McDermott

Along with seeking great Irish dance talent, the audition panel is also looking for some ability in contemporary dance and musical theater- although prior experience in either of these two genres are not a necessity, it is a plus.

From Lisa Clark:  "All dancers must bring with them an up-to-date resume (please include dance experience, prior performances, achievements, placements at majors, etc.) with a head shot. Dancers who wish to audition must e-mail Lisa at [email protected] and give their name, birth date, and whether or not they are competing on Wednesday July 4th at the 2012 North American Irish Dance Championships (we will do our best to accommodate those competitors). Dancers are also expected to arrive promptly to check in (remember your resume and photo) and to complete an audition application form."

This note is also included on the "Enduring Love Auditions" Facebook page:
"Irish dancers: Please be aware that your participation in the show (NOT participation in auditions), whether it is workshopping the “book” of the show, showcasing the show, or touring with the show for any period of time, will put you in direct association with any Irish dance choreographers and any other creative people on the team who are themselves an ADCRG. As with all shows, all associations would stop with the individual dancer in the show and the ADCRG involved in the show. The association would not affect the dance school you represent."

-----------
Read more:

Countdown to the final show of "Riverdance" - VIDEOS



A look back at the 2011 North American top male Irish Dancers

Top seven favorite videos of Irish dancing boys and men



----------

With Riverdance ending its incredibly long successful run in 2012, it is exciting to see something new and promising coming on the scene in the way of a touring performance company with Irish dance roots.  I can't wait to hear more about "Enduring Love" as it gets into its production stage and steps out into the world of professional Irish dance and Irish dance-related shows.  I wish them great success and can't wait to support them as they go forward as another opportunity for champion, competitive Irish dancers to perform on the international stage.  

Are you an Open Champion Irish dancer who plans on auditioning?  Let us know so we can all wish you luck and hear about your experience.  Do you hope to be a part of an Irish dance performance group or musical theater show someday?

Like us on Facebook, comment in the box below, Tweet this post to your friends or follow us here on Irish Central's Irish dance page!  Feis America LLC is the world's most respected media feed for Irish dance and has been selected by the Irish Dance Teachers Association of North America to provide live commentary and results at the 2012 North American National Irish Dancing Championships!