Downtown Nashville got a dose of Celtic holiday spirit Sunday as A Celtic Christmas took the stage at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center for a single, three-hour performance running from 6 to 9 p.m. The touring production promised a mix of folk mash-ups, a cappella tap battles and storytelling woven around traditional Irish dance.
The show, staged at TPAC's location at 505 Deaderick Street, was presented by the A Taste of Ireland Company as what organizers describe as a holiday spectacular, according to Nashville Lifestyles. The venue's own event listing notes the production blends melodic folk mash-ups, a cappella tap battles and heartwarming storytelling, and features former World Irish dance champions alongside performers from Lord of the Dance and Riverdance, per the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. The venue's listing also notes the show is recommended for ages 2 and up, with every attendee, regardless of age, needing a ticket.
As News Channel 5 Nashville reported, the production combines storytelling, live music and championship-level Irish dance moves, and is framed as a celebration of Irish culture and its connection to Irish Americans across the country. Davidson County reporter Kim Rafferty's piece for the station also notes that the show offers Nashville a one-night holiday celebration centered on music, movement and tradition.
A Dancer With Deep Roots and a Role in the Story
Among the cast is Rochelle Hoffmann, a dancer the show's website describes as hailing from Kelowna, Canada, with more than 20 years of Irish dance experience. Per News Channel 5's report, Hoffmann plays Eva, a character who finds love within the show's storyline, and she has said the production resonates with many people across the United States.
Sources differ on exactly how to characterize Hoffmann's competitive credentials. The show's own website, A Taste of Ireland, describes her as a World Medallist and seven-time Regional Champion, while the Kenora Miner & News instead calls her a seven-time world champion Irish dancer. Hoffmann has also said she hopes the performance inspires people of any age to try Irish dancing themselves, adding, according to News Channel 5, that Irish dancing is for people of any age.
Part of a Sprawling Multi-City Tour
Nashville's stop was one piece of a much larger run. A Taste of Ireland lists its Southern Circuit as a 35-city tour stretching from Nov. 5 through Dec. 23, with Nashville among the stops along the way.
Just two days before the Nashville show, the production also landed in West Tennessee, with a performance at The Ned in Jackson. That stop was described by WBBJ-TV as featuring world-champion dancers, including stars from Riverdance and Lord of the Dance, backed by live music and storytelling set in an Irish pub. The station reported that Friday's Jackson performance sold out, though it noted other opportunities to see the show remained available in other cities on the tour.
The scale of the production extends well beyond Tennessee. The same Kenora Miner & News report noted that A Taste of Ireland's broader cross-country tour was set to wrap up on May 30 at the Burton Cummings Theatre in Winnipeg. That report also detailed how the show's music is performed live on stage, meaning every sound from the dancers' shoes happens in real time rather than being prerecorded.
