This is the Story of the original Riverdance- the six-minute version and Riverdance the Show - as you probably never heard it before and probably will never read elsewhere. Simply because back in 1996 and 1997, long before confidentiality clauses were written into the contracts of those who are employed by the Riverdance production company, it's two lead dancers told the stories in an often angry and unvarnished fashion to Joe Jackson who was the music critic for the Irish Times and a contributor to Hot Press magazine and The Arts Show on or RTE Radio One Ireland's only national radio station. After his interview, Michael Flatley scolded Jackson. Jean Butler, on the other hand, who was “incensed” by some of the things Flatley had said about her in that interview, delivered a no-holds-barred response to Jackson via an interview that was described at the time as a ‘blistering broadside.’ Six years later Jean Butler gave a similarly in-depth into the Jackson in which he revisited the 1997 texts and updated her opinions where appropriate. This is not an official Riverdance book. The author, Joe Jackson, also has written a prologue called the back Storey of Riverdance: Clash of the Dancers and he provides author’s notes between various chapters. “This is the Story, for the record, as I witnessed it, lived it and wrote about it, “ Jackson says.
