THE standing ovation received on the opening night, really says it all.

Twenty years on from that momentous seven-minute interlude during 1994’s Eurovision Song Contest, life has changed for so many young Irish dancers and performers, and changed the world’s relationship with Irish dance for ever.

In the words of Enda Kenny, Irish Prime Minister, the talent, exuberance and drive of this show has, over the years, made it Ireland’s foremost cultural ambassador.

I was lucky enough to see the1996 version in New York, at Radio City Music Hall - a particularly exciting night in view of the location - so I was wondering how I would react to the show many years later, with a completely different cast of artists.

Well, I needn’t have worried because the integrity of the original Michael Flatley choreography, with contributions from the gorgeous Jean Butler, his original partner, still has the power to transfix. The clarity, precision and purity of the steps and the beats will always bring a tingle to my spine. The current cast are brilliant - rehearsed to within an inch of their life - never a foot wrong and completely mesmerising.

The musicians and vocalists are also a delight with their pitch-perfect and sparkling renditions of the wonderful score.

As a snapshot of Irish cultural heritage, with its roots in the land and Nature, and then the "diaspora" of the Irish people to other shores, with the resulting fusion of other dance traditions, Riverdance is a real education, which in part accounts for its continuing worldwide success across the globe to each new generation. I truly believe this show will run and run... or should that be dance and dance?

Marj Nelson