A Celtic mix of dance and magic

IRISH dance and magic spectacular Celtic Illusion is returning to Ballarat for a show at the Wendouree Centre for Performing Arts on Saturday 3 August.

The show is led by former Lord of the Dance lead dancer and illusionist Anthony Street, who created the show in 2011 and serves as its director, producer, choreographer and lead dancer.

He developed it by combining two of his big interests, magic and dance, into a single event.

Celtic Illusion promises a “breathtaking array of experiences” fusing Irish dance, magic and flavours of choreographer Bob Fosse and Michael Jackson in a Broadway style.

Street, who grew up in Melbourne, will also perform a series of illusions and will share star billing with dancer Georgia May, who originally hails from Adelaide.

It takes place to an original score by multi-talented composer, singer, orchestral arranger, songwriter and pianist Angela Little, whose achievements include working on the music for Baz Luhrmann’s film Australia.

She also co-wrote and sang the movie’s love song By The Boab Tree, which was the first song featured on the end credits and was among 49 songs shortlisted for an Acadamy Award for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture in 2009.

The cast features dancers sourced from productions around the world, such as Lord of the Dance and Riverdance.

Organisers say that even those who have seen past shows won’t be disappointed in this year’s version, claiming that it has raised the bar, broken barriers and will be more spectacular than ever.

The production travels regularly throughout Australia, and has also been taken to New Zealand, Hong Kong, Canada and the United States.

Showtime on 3 August is 7.30pm and tickets can be booked through the show’s website, celticillusion.com. Tickets start at $80.