Riverdance spends a week in Virginia

April 26, 2010

Kevin Horton, Dancer, Boyne Company

I had a great few weeks at home for some relaxation, but it was time to get back to work and I met up with the rest of the company in Roanoke, Virginia last Monday. The entire company split travel day between three flights, so it was with good luck that everyone arrived on time and ready to take on Roanoke! The hotel was a gorgeous historic hotel that is on the historic hotel registry in America. It was built during the Civil War to be a connection for the railroad and has evolved over time. The rooms were well appointed with artwork and individuality and the lobby had pictures from the many years past. There was a character alive in the hotel and it was nice to be in such a historical building for the couple of days we were in Roanoke.

 

Across the courtyard from the hotel, there was a tunnel that led to a downtown area that was full of restaurants, shops, and art galleries. The weather really stepped up this week, and we were blessed with 70+ degree weather. It is always great to come from a chilly city, then all of a sudden you are wearing shorts and a t-shirt enjoying lunch on a patio at a restaurant. The shows were sold out in Roanoke and the crowds were amazing and that is always a plus. We did not have too much time during the week to sightsee, but we did enjoy the town and the weather. Walks around town and lunches at cafes in the downtown area were great!

 

We were to travel at 7am on Friday to Richmond and at 6am Friday morning, the Fire Alarm in the hotel went off and the entire hotel had to be evacuated. This was not well received by the cast! But when the alarm sounds, you have to take it seriously. With the entire company outside the hotel, it was announced that a faulty sprinkler system set off the alarm and we were aloud to go back to our rooms. Again it went off at 7am, and by that point I was up!!

We got to Richmond on Friday to a nice hotel in the downtown district. Virginia Commonwealth University is downtown, so there were plenty of restaurants and pubs near the hotel. We had to walk thru a massive park with impressive statues to get to the theater, so that was a nice view each day. The company used this 5 show weekend to relax, although some local bars were visited throughout the weekend. Monday, we traveled to Danville, Kentucky and at the weekend we visited Cleveland, Ohio.

Until then…

Kevin