RIVERDANCE!

Saturday, April 4th--After his negotiation, Raymond and I met at Shibuya Station in the afternoon so we could go to the Riverdance performance that was happening nearby.

Raymond gave me these tickets on Valentine's Day--and they are my gift for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and my birthday--which will be spent on the very long airplane ride back to America in May.  The kids were excited and wanted to come too, but unfortunately, these tickets were not cheap.  We simply couldn't afford to take the whole family.

I have always been fascinated by Irish step, and being able to see Riverdance LIVE was a dream come true!  It's like Raymond said, when have we ever lived in a place where tours like Riverdance come through and we can just get up and go to them?  Sure, we've lived near Salt Lake City and Denver, but they were still a little bit of a drive and we've always had small enough children that we didn't feel comfortable leaving them for the time it would take us to drive, see the performance, and drive home.

This was a special, once-in-a-lifetime experience because we are currently living in a huge city like Tokyo.

We were in the nose bleed section, but you know what?  Our seats couldn't have been more perfect.  We had a great view of the stage.  I wouldn't want to be on the floor of the auditorium.  I want to be up so I can see and appreciate their perfect lines and formations.

Before the performance!

We were not allowed to take pictures during the performance, of course. In fact, an usher got after me for just taking a picture of the stage and of us 15 minutes before the performance started.

The 2015 tour marks the twentieth year for the Riverdance tour.  When the show began, they dedicated it to the Lord and said that their dancing was in praise of Him.  That's why I love Irish step so much--it is a truly joyful dance that is never raunchy.  I have always felt like it was praising God in some way, and have told the girls that very thing the last few years when they were taking Irish step lessons.  To see this world tour dedicate their performance to God validated what I have always thought of this style of dancing and made it the perfect tour for me to see in person.

It was an amazing performance!  Through it all, I was shaking and crying--all with a big smile on my face!

This was the stage after the performance.  The stage where the magic happened.  Oh, I so wish the kids could have been here!  They would have loved it--every one of them.  When we got home, I pulled up some youtube videos of the some of the dances and showed them what we were able to see in person. 

What an amazing husband I have!  This will always be a cherished memory for me of our time in Tokyo.