AMY-Mae Dolan wasn’t even born when Michael Flatley and Jean Butler, alongside a troop of Irish dancers, performed during the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest and changed the world’s view of Irish dancing forever.
The seven-minute act would evolve into one of the most successful dance shows in history – Riverdance. As a young child, Amy-Mae grew up watching and rewatching the video of the early production, dreaming that one day she would be part of the show.
She confesses she took her first steps into the world of Irish dancing by “accidently” running in to join her cousin at her dance lesson, when she was just 22 months old.
“At the start it was the music, the heavy shoes and watching people’s feet move so fast that excited me about Irish dancing,” says Amy-Mae who at age 12 was crowned World Irish Dancing Champion.
From then on she showed further dedication and enthusiasm for dancing, by travelling to the Carson-Kennedy Academy of Irish Dance in Belfast three times a week – a three-hour round drive from her home in Aghyaran, just outside Castlederg.
And rather than impact on her studies, 22-year-old Amy-Mae believes Irish dancing motivated her to succeed academically.
“Dancing has always disciplined me. I loved having a busy schedule and, if anything, my dancing helped my school work.”
After completing her A-levels, Amy-Mae had applied to study medicine at Queen’s University Belfast. However, a successful week at the Riverdance Summer School that July changed her career plans.
“I got the grades needed to do medicine but the day after my results I received a phone call from Riverdance saying they wanted me to join the cast,” recalls Amy-Mae, who in November 2016 headed off for a tour of China.
She returned home the following February and, with a couple of months free, decided to keep up her fitness by competing again in the World Championships. It was at that competition that Riverdance associate director Padraic Moyles, told her “we are going to train you for the lead with Riverdance”.
Her opportunity came in 2017, and again in Dublin’s Gaeity Theatre the following autumn. But Amy-Mae was to reach even greater heights in the dance world.
Her journey is told in True North: Born to Riverdance on BBC One Northern Ireland tonight. The documentary follows Amy-Mae’s intense physical and mental preparations in the months leading up to the gala 25th anniversary Riverdance performance in Dublin’s 3Arena on February 9.
As well as a live audience of 7,000, Amy-Mae faced the added pressure of dancing in front of the original Riverdance cast, and the performance being filmed for cinema release.
“It was such a historic occasion and literally a dream come true,” says Amy-Mae who viewers can see delight in being fitted for her brand new hand-made costume.
“Before any performance, and this one in particular, I have so much adrenalin. The hairs are standing on my neck and there are butterflies in my tummy. I'm quite nervous but I'm also bursting with excitement to get on stage,” says Amy-Mae, who met her heroine Jean Butler after the Dublin anniversary show.
“She loved where the show is at right now in terms of lighting and set and she acknowledged how that even through it’s the same choreography, the dancing performance had changed from 25 years ago.”
Amy-Mae believes a mix of hard work and enthusiasm is the key to being a member of Riverdance.
“The main thing is you need a willingness to work hard. In the troupe we have to dance exactly at the same time in unison, so teamwork is also key.
“It's hard when you are on tour and away from your family for up to five months. So you need to have positivity and the desire to really want to be there dancing,” adds Amy-Mae who has toured Asia, America and Europe with Riverdance and creator John McColgan’s other dance show Heartbeat of Home.
The joy of dance is something Amy-Mae hopes to convey to every audience member.
“As a lead dancer you have to be able to capture the audience with your eyes, as well as your movement around the stage," she says.
“What I love doing is showing how happy the dancing makes me feel. I feel so privileged to be part of Riverdance and every performance is an opportunity to show others how grateful I am to be there, as well as to push myself to improve.”
Up to about a year ago, Amy-Mae still contemplated taking up a place in medical school. But now she believes her future will remain in the world of dance and entertainment.
“I've had so many experiences with Riverdance that my eyes have been opened to different things,” she says, hinting at choreography and television presenting.
As with many people this spring, the coronavirus pandemic changed Amy-Mae’s plans. So instead of treading the boards in the 25th Anniversary Show, she is instead quarantined at home with her mum, dad, brother Alex (15) and sisters Rylee (17) and Scarlett (6).
“We had moved on to Nottingham, our third city in the UK tour, and were told 15 minutes before the first show there that we had to go home the next day," she recalls.
“It was to be such a special year. It took so long to get the 25th anniversary production to where it is and it’s really hard not to be dancing,” admits Amy-Mae, who is putting her spare time to good use.
“I've been trying to keep myself busy at home, so I have created a YouTube channel (Amymae Dolan) to connect with and try to inspire other dancers. I've also been keeping myself fit, so that whenever we are ready to put the show on again next year, I will be an even better dancer.”
Rather than creating a a dancercise-type channel, on YouTube Amy-Mae is challenging her viewers to use their time in quarantine wisely. During it she asks them to make smart goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
She even reveals a few of her own, including improving her posture and hamstring flexibility, taking an acting course, breaking in new dance shoes and trying something new for fitness.
“We do a lot of work on the mindset whenever we are touring, like getting yourself in the right zone before a show. I am finding I'm having to connect into all that stuff even more now I'm at home,” says Amy-Mae, who is also enjoying baking and going for walks with her family.
Any other spare time is usually taken up by the demands of her younger sister Scarlett, a talented young Irish dancer herself. “Today I spent two hours teaching her,” laughs Amy-Mae.
And her advice to other budding Riverdance stars of the future? “Just keep working really hard and enjoying your dancing. Whenever you're enjoying it, it really shines through in your performance.”
:: True North: Born To Riverdance will be broadcast on BBC One Northern Ireland on Monday May 4 at 10.45pm. It will also be available on BBC iPlayer
