Adam Garcia in Emerald Storm at De Montfort Hall Leicester

I spotted Emerald Storm on social media when it was in the West End, and was hoping it would come on tour. It did, but still none of the venues were particularly great for me. Until I spotted that Adam Garcia was actually going to dance in some of the shows. Tickets booked, and a friend and I went to see the show in Leicester, at De Montfort Hall.

This is a great venue with plenty of parking. You can book ahead premium parking for £10 at the venue, or in Victoria Park which is a very short walk away. 

There was a short queue to get in through security and ticket check, but we were soon in the warm, enjoying a quick drink in the large bar(s) before finding out seats.

Pre-show don’t hang around outside. As soon as the doors open to the theatre head to your seat for the musical trio of violin, singer/guitar and cajon (what bizarrely looks like drumming on a speaker) playing various irish themed songs. They continue to play as part of the show’s live music too.

If you don’t know the show, it’s a fusion dance show of Irish and urban tap dance. A fusion of Riverdance and Stomp! if you prefer. I don’t think either of us quite knew what to expect. I did expect a bit more of a plot or story. It’s actually mostly just a dance show, set in a bar scene. There’s some singing, a bit of finding out about a couple of dancers. Mostly dance battles between the 2 dance styles.

The show is co-choreographed by Adam Garcia (previously Coyote Ugly, Saturday Night Fever). He also stars in the show and gets lots of cheers whenever he comes on stage leading the tap crew. Check your venue for where Adam is starring.

Riverdance alumnae Olivia  Graydon is the Queen of the Irish dance in the show. The rest of the dance cast features experienced tappers and Irish dancers.

Tom Ball (Britain’s Got Talent) is the main singer, backed up by the band from the pre-show warm up. He has a great voice and presence. There was a variety of songs played.

The show updates what many expect of Irish dancing and tap, bringing a hip hop and latin flavour with some of the music to the 2 genres of dance. 

There’s some also some poignant scenes with the mop boy in the bar, who wants to dance himself too. 

All of the dancers were excellent, the footwork was intricate and precise, and it’s amazing how high they can jump.

The tour cast has numerous dancers on the list, so it’ll be a surprise who you get on which day. I really couldn’t take my eye off one of the ensemble Irish dance girls, she was amazing to watch.

After Garcia’s epic tap solo near the end of the second act, there’s then some fun with audience participation which I usually hate but it was a fun interlude. 

Following the final song and dance and a lot of applause, the encore is more audience participation with a Tapdown. This is a bit of fun, so if you’re a tapper or Irish dancer get yourself prepped with easy access to the stage.

If you love dancing and want to see something different, then Emerald Storm is worth booking tickets for. With smaller theatres, you’re also more likely to get good views from all seats, be closer to the action, and not pay extortionate prices.

Some people don’t like it because it can be distracting to see phones out recording or taking photos. But with this show they encourage it, and sharing to social media. Because it’s a show with a lot of lighting anyway, the few phones that people took out for photos weren’t that distracting compared with other shows. I love shows with the photography allowed during the encore or megamixes, but this was nice through the show too.

Oh, and you see some great dancing to get yourself immersed in.