Riverdance was the interval act at the Eurovision Song Contest 1994. The seven-minute performance combined Irish traditional music and dance during the final in Dublin.
The act featured dancers including Michael Flatley and Jean Butler, with music composed by Bill Whelan. Its energetic presentation attracted enormous attention beyond the contest and led to the development of a full-length stage production.
Riverdance later toured internationally and became a major cultural export for Ireland. It is often confused with Lord of the Dance, another dance production associated with Michael Flatley, but the Eurovision interval performance itself was Riverdance. Ireland also won the 1994 contest, with Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan’s “Rock ’n’ Roll Kids.”