Скачать или смотреть Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames: The Impossible Tour -- No Surrender

It's time for some amazing Irish dancing.

It's time for some FUN.

This number, No Surrender, was introduced when the show was overhauled in 2014. And it's easy to see why it's quickly become an evergreen fan favorite: it's a showcase for the greatest Irish dancers in the world to cut loose.

Plot-wise, No Surrender takes place in the middle of Lord of the Dance's second act; at this point, the Lord of the Dance has been captured, his title belt stolen by Morrighan, and Planet Ireland is falling to the Dark Lord, Don Dorcha. At first glance, it may seem strange to have a party number in the midst of all this darkness, but the clue is in the title itself: No Surrender.

You don't fight darkness with more darkness. You fight darkness with light.

And so, after the preceding violin lament number, the Little Spirit gathers the good people of Planet Ireland for a celebration: a reminder that there is still good in the world, and it must be cherished. It's also worth noting that at this point in the story the Little Spirit's magic flute has been repaired, which neither the Don Dorcha nor Morrighan are aware of; like Tolkien's Sauron, Don Dorcha spends so much time focused on large-scale destruction that he fails to notice the tiniest of feet until it's too late.

All of this is happening sub rosa, without a word spoken. Michael Flatley has said, repeatedly, that you should be free to feel your way through one of his shows. If the audience has to think their way through it, then you're missing the point. Every iteration of Lord of the Dance operates with a very simple monomyth-based storyline, using classic archetypes to tell a basic story through dance of good versus evil and love versus lust. It's something that anyone can understand, regardless of language or culture. The plot cues and symbology are all there if you're following along -- but if you just want to sit back and enjoy great music and dance, that's perfectly valid as well.

Of particular note: because this number has no leads in it except for the Little Spirit at the very beginning, it's a showcase for Team Lord. Introducing newer and more complicated steps and rhythm patterns into the show is something which is done very carefully -- it has to still fit the aural ethos of the show -- and No Surrender nails it perfectly.

This is Feet of Flames: The Impossible Tour.

This is the New Generation.

And this is No Surrender.

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