Devine Intervention With James Devine Leading Way, ‘Gaelforce’ Blows Into Spokane

Gaelforce,” which arrives at the Spokane Arena on Tuesday, is a down under version of “Riverdance.”

While the show is 100 percent Irish in theme, the performers are mostly Australian. “Gaelforce” is an Australian production mounted to fill the English-speaking world’s seemingly insatiable appetite for Celtic dance, music and spectacle. “Gaelforce” has been storming through Australia and New Zealand for months, selling out shows and generating highly favorable reviews. Now, it’s rolling through Canada and the United States.

But not every dancer is Australian. The lead dancer and star is James Devine, a 22-year-old Irishman from County Clare. Devine’s credentials are impeccable: He holds one all-Ireland title and three world champion titles for tap dancing.

When Michael Flatley left “Riverdance,” Devine was offered the lead but instead decided to join Flatley in “Lord of the Dance.” He left there to pursue other opportunities, “Gaelforce” being one of them.

Later, he actually surpassed Flatley as a tap dancer, at least if you measure by sheer speed. Devine has been clocked at 38 taps per second, which smashed Flatley’s previous world record of 35.

Yes, they can actually count these taps, with the use of microphones and computer technology.

So you might call Devine a protege of Flatley, but in an interview with the Christchurch Press, he made fun of his lordship.

”(Flatley) loves to strut across the stage in a very macho way,” said Devine. “I do not have to prove I am a man on stage.”

Here’s another difference between this show and “Lord of the Dance”: The sounds of tapping are not taped to make them sound louder and faster.

Michael Durkan, the “Gaelforce” executive producer, said he learned never to do that when he saw a Flatley performance in Dublin.

“Michael slipped, but the tapping of his shoes kept going,” he told the Christchurch Press. “It was very embarrassing for him, and the audience did not like it at all.”

Like other Celtic extravaganzas, this one combines Irish music, rapid-fire dancing and state-of-the-art lighting to tell a simple story.

It follows three brothers, played by Devine, Paul Noonan and Tim Manners, each of whom make their own way in the world.

In the end, the theme is reunification.

The show was dreamed up two years ago by Durkan, an Irish musician, singer and storyteller. He is a former member of the Irish Drovers (not to be confused with the Irish Rovers).

Durkan presides over the seven-piece Irish band, dubbed the Gaelforce Dance Orchestra, and he also does the singing.

On stage “Gaelforce” will be staged Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Spokane Arena. Tickets are $29.50 and $25, available at G&B Select-a-Seat outlets or call (800) 325-SEAT.