James Devine
Encyclopedia
Theatre direction
A theatre director or stage director is a practitioner in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production by unifying various endeavours and aspects of production...
) has emerged as a multi-talented leader in the percussive dance world. Not only certified by the Guinness World Record as “The Fastest Dancer in the World,” Devine is a master Irish dancer and Hoofer. His unique fusion of Irish dance
Irish dance
Irish dancing or Irish dance is a group of traditional dance forms originating in Ireland which can broadly be divided into social dance and performance dances. Irish social dances can be divided further into céilí and set dancing...
with Tap dance
Tap dance
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sound of one's tap shoes hitting the floor as a percussive instrument. As such, it is also commonly considered to be a form of music. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the...
, "Celtic Tap," has earned him critical acclaim worldwide.
Possessing a fast and vigorous percussive dance style, his lightning-quick moves have been likened to "manic typewriters," "talking drums" and "tap tornado." Roslyn Sulcas, The New York Times critic has called him "a delight halfway between Fred Astaire elegance and Savion Glover hunkered-down brilliance. He's appeared on major television shows worldwide including the Oscar ceremony of the 69th Annual Academy Awards, and his choreography has been featured on television and theatre stages the world over.
Early years
Irish-born Devine followed in his mother's footsteps when he had his first dance lesson at the age of eight. Having lost the strength in her legs due to an illness, his mother (a former champion dancer) used her fingers to tap out the rhythms of a beat on the back of his hand. He repeated the patterns with his feet.By the age of 14, he achieved the highest honour bestowed on an Irish Dancer by winning "the Grand Slam" — World, American, British, All-Ireland and Munster Titles. In a competitive career that continued until the age of sixteen he consecutively won three World, five American, three British, seven Munster and All-Ireland titles.
Between 1992 and 1995 he taught in Ireland, also giving masterclasses in Europe, Australia and North America. He also began working at the IWMC (Irish World Music Centre) at the University of Limerick
University of Limerick
The University of Limerick is a university in Ireland near the city of Limerick on the island's west coast. It was established in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick and became a university by statute in 1989 in accordance with the University of Limerick Act 1989...
, Ireland.
Tours with Michael Flatley
In 1996 James was approached by Michael FlatleyMichael Flatley
Michael Ryan Flatley is an American Irish dancer, choreographer, actor, musician and occasional television presenter. He became internationally known for Irish dance shows Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames, and Celtic Tiger...
to star in his new show, Lord of the Dance
Lord of the Dance
Lord of the Dance may refer to:Personalities* Nataraja, Shiva in his dancing posture* Lord of the Dance, a title given to Jesus Christ in some musical adaptationsLiterature* Lord of the Dance , a 1984 novel by Father Andrew GreeleyMusic...
. He toured the USA, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, performing to over one million people while receiving numerous awards along the way.
In 1997 the dancer from Ireland went to New York where he came into contact with other areas of music and dance. It was during this period that he began an artistic collaboration with other world-renowned tap dancers and developed his own style of Irish Tap fusion.
GaelForce
In January 1998, James was invited to go to Australia to choreograph and perform the lead role for the world tour of the hit dance show GaelForce. He went on to take the production to its Australian, USA, Canadian, New Zealand, German and Polish premières. James toured with the show for two years, performing in many renowned theatres and venues worldwide, on occasion receiving standing ovations of up to twenty minutes in length.With the success of Devine's choreography, GaelForce was hailed by the press as "the Ferrari of the Irish dance world"http://www.morgenpost.de/ due to speed, precision and the fact that it was the first Irish dance show to have live tapping.
World record – fastest tap dancer
On 25 May 1998, when James was 21, he became the fastest dancer in the world when he executed 38 taps per second in a dance display in Sydney, Australia. This tap dancing record is officially endorsed by Guinness World Records.http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/claremuseum/riches_of_clare/energy/guinness_records.htmStage and TV work
As a soloist, James has performed over five hundred live shows around the globe in prestigious venues such as Radio City Music HallRadio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
(New York City) and The Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
(London). He was also the first ever male dancer outside the opera and ballet art form, to perform at the Opera Naradowa (Grand Theatre) in Warsaw, Poland in its two hundred year history.
He has featured solo on numerous high profile television shows in the USA, Canada, Germany, Poland, England, Australia and New Zealand. Highlights include special guest appearances on Wayne Gretzky Sports Night Live Show (Canada), The Good Morning Show, Nightline, Holmes, Ice TV and Backch@t (New Zealand), The Late Late Show (RTE1), Ireland AM (TV3) and RTE1 National News (Ireland).
James has featured on numerous German television shows, including Sommermelodien (ARD), Wunschbox (ARD), Aktuelle Schaubude (NDR) and Wunschkonzert (ZDF). In Poland he has featured on all national television channels including Tea & Coffee (TVP1), Wronski BEAT (TVP3), VIP (TVP4), TVP Kanal Kultura. Other major TV shows include The Royal Gala Performance for HRH the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
(London, England) and The Des O'Connor Show (London, England).
2000s
Between 2001 and 2005 many one-off projects followed including embarking on a North American Workshop Tour in 2001 and 2002 where he taught over 3,000 dance enthusisasts the art form of Irish Dance. In 2004 he performed on tour with Jose Feliciano, six-time Grammy Award winning Guitarist. In March 2005 he was invited as Special Guest Artist with "Ragus" International Irish Dance Show on their Eastern European Tour.Later that year he began his career directional change by returning to New York City, immersing himself in tap dancing and in exploring the percussive side of Irish dance as it influenced and was influenced by other genres in tap.
In February 2006 James left New York City to begin work on a new solo project, TAPEIRE; which premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in the summer of 2006 to critical acclaim. This multimedia work (dance, music, percussion, and archival film footage) saw Devine explore the vast historical spectrum of Irish dance presenting the dance as innovative expression not confined by the codified restrictions of ensemble line dancing in Irish shows.
After the success of Edinburgh Devine founded his own production entity "Devine Dance Company" and brought his TAPEIRE beat to North America with a three week sell-out Broadway residencey at the New Victory Theatre, a sell-out run at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, preceded by a four week Canadian tour. Tapeire was also invited to perform on the popular daytime television show Live with Regis and Kelly in NYC.
Other highlights in 2007 included being invited to the International New Year celebrations at the World Trade Center in Hong Kong, China, where he led and taught tap dancing to more than 1,000 local and international dancers in an attempt at a 2,007-minute (33-hour) dance marathon.
2008 saw Devine devise a new production, CELTIC TAP, focusing his efforts on merging global music influences with his art. From Scottish, Irish & Cape Breton to jazz, rock, funk, country and classic hoofing, Devine marked his Boston Premiere at the ICA (Institute for Contemporary Arts) with sell-out shows and critical acclaim from the media.
"The sheer rhythmic invention of Devine's industrious feet set him well above the fray, and that includes "Riverdance" phenom Michael Flatley, who he left in the dust long ago."
Karen Campbell, The Boston Globe