Kick It Up

One of the toughest things for a mom to remember sometimes is that a daughter is not a clone. Sure, most of us played a major part in the creation of these beautiful creatures that often look and sound just like us. But you don't have to go digging too deep to find out that there's an individual with her own thoughts, preferences and personality lurking right under that mom look-alike suit.

Which of course describes my 9-year-old Kate. She is fairly even-tempered, outgoing, loves to be in charge, and adores an audience and a spotlight. And let's just say, I'm not like that. She also loves lap dogs. But the real divider is her love of the theater and live performances that far surpasses anything I would have expected from a child carrying my DNA.

Despite our obvious differences in this arena, I treated her to the opening-night performance of Riverdance at the Pantages this week. To say she was rapt by all the clacking and kicking and beautiful music and costumes would be a disservice to her dedication to taking in every tune and tap. She first developed her love affair with Irish step dancing when she began taking lessons at an after-school program last year – and soon came the nearly constant skipping and dancing atop every available flat surface: the mall, the grocery store, the dentist's office hallway.

The evening made for an enjoyable and bonding mother-daughter night out, and I figured this was the best time to catch the show, since the Pantages appearances mark the "farewell performances" of the iconic Irish troupe choreographed by Michael Flatley. And even as a jaded viewer such as myself, I was nearly blown out of my seat by the simultaneous stomps and the beautiful tributes to the music and dance of the Emerald Isle. And the show even tips its Irish hat to other cultures, infusing a Flamenco soloist, Russian dancers and African-American tap dancers (their "Trading Taps" number with the Irish steppers was a show stopper).

Tickets range from $25-$95. The show runs through Jan. 24.