Lady of the Dance

For Louise Connolly, everything about the Celtic dance and folklore revue Lord of the Dance falls within the range of "amazing" and "absolutely amazing." She thinks the show is amazing. Everyone everywhere also think it's amazing. Creator and former "Lord" Michael Flatley is amazing. But, perhaps most important, the fact that Connolly gets to be a part of it is amazing.

Connolly plays Saoirse, the show's "good girl," who tries to win the heart of the Lord of the Dance but whose attempts are threatened by the temptress Morrighan, the "bad girl." This feudal love triangle is just part of the battle between good and evil. The nice lord must also battle Don Dorcha, the Dark Lord. And, of course, all this fighting is done with dance--more specifically Irish dancing--with the fast-moving, staccato steps and seemingly paralyzed upper bodies.

Though Lord of the Dance (and its Celtic compadres Riverdance and Feet of Flames) has been the butt of many jokes, Connolly is oblivious, which means she either takes her "nice" role seriously or doesn't get out much. (She has been on tour much of the last five years, the last four spent playing Saoirse). When asked what she thinks of the backlash against the show, she says, "I don't know. I don't know what I'd say to that. I don't understand how you couldn't understand this. The story line to the show is so easy, and the performance itself is so amazing. For everyone to think it wasn't a good thing, I can't understand it." Truly amazing.