Jean Butler (born March 14, 1971 in Mineola, Long Island), is an American Irish dancer and choreographer whose mother is from Co. Mayo in Ireland. She began training in Irish dance at the age of four with the widely respected teacher Donny Golden. She also participated in tap and ballet classes, but step dance became her focus. Her talent was clear from a young age, and she competed in regional, national and international championships. She and her sister, Cara Butler, each went on to win numerous national titles and regional titles, and placing well in international competitions. Jean has performed with Green Fields of America and Cherish the Ladies. She debuted with The Chieftains at Carnegie Hall at the age of seventeen, and toured with them on three continents.
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Education
Butler attended Hofstra University and earned an Honours Degree in Theatre and Drama from England’s University of Birmingham. In England she met the Irish dancer Colin Dunne, and they performed together at Mayo 5000. Together they produced the Irish dancing show 'Dancing on Dangerous Ground'. Jean completed a Masters in Contemporary Dance Performance from the University of Limerick in 2005
Riverdance
In 1994, under the invitation of producer Moya Doherty, she performed in a seven-minute intermission piece at the Eurovision Song Contest entitled Riverdance. The piece was co-choreographed by Butler with Michael Flatley. The response was so explosive that it was extended into a full show, starring Jean Butler and Flatley. The show toured for about a year. Flatley then abruptly left the show over mutual contractual disputes; six months later she was joined by Colin Dunne. They then danced at the famous Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York. This was later put on DVD. After a long and extremely successful run with the show, Butler also eventually left Riverdance.
She and Dunne (who had by then also left Riverdance) collaborated again to create the show Dancing on Dangerous Ground, which was based on the ancient Irish legend of Diarmuid and Gráinne. It opened in London in 1999 to critical acclaim, and then in New York. In 1999 she was also awarded the Irish Post Award for "outstanding contribution to Irish Dance."
Films
Butler has also appeared in several films: The Brylcreem Boys, Goldfish Memory, The Revengers Tragedy and Old Friends. In 2001 she married Irish designer Cuan Hanley. She recently earned a Masters Degree in Contemporary Dance. From 2003 to 2005, Butler was Artist In Residence at the University of Limerick's Irish World Music Centre.
In 2005 she released an instructional DVD, Irish Dance Masterclass With Jean Butler.
She received a commission from the Irish Arts Council to create a solo work in 2004 and premiered "Does She Take Sugar?" on 12 April 2007 at the Project Arts Centre in Dublin. With Colin Dunne and George Hook she is a judge on the Radio Telefís Éireann reality series Celebrity Jigs 'n' Reels.
See also
External links
- Official website
- Article by Michael Seaver on Does She Take Sugar?
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