A 22-year-old from Richmond, Virginia is about to make history as a pioneering dancer.
Morgan Bullock will be the first Black female dancer to perform in “Riverdance,” which hits the Kennedy Center this March as part of its 25th anniversary North American Tour.
“It’s really amazing,” Bullock told WTOP. “I’ve grown up as an Irish dancer obsessed with ‘Riverdance,’ so to be the first Black woman in ‘Riverdance’ is such an amazing honor … being that little girl watching ‘Riverdance’ and never seeing someone who looked like me up there, it just means so much for me to be that person for other people.”
Growing up the daughter of NBA referee Ray Bullock and accountant Yolanda Bullock, she discovered “Riverdance” by finding the original 1994 Eurovision performance on YouTube.
“I was obsessed with the video,” Bullock said. “I’d watch it over and over again. I’m lucky to have been able to go to the show so many times … it was definitely love at first sight with ‘Riverdance.’ It was just mesmerizing and I always knew that I wanted to be a part of it.”
What impressed her most about the unique dance style?
“What really drew me to Irish dancing is the really intricate footwork,” Bullock said. “There can be so much going on with the feet and very little happening with the upper body … I had grown up doing ballet and tap-dancing and it was like something I had never seen before. It just looked like a lot of fun … it looked like something I could see myself doing.”
Bullock first attempted Irish dancing at age 10, studying the technique at the Baffa Academy of Irish Dance before graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University.
“It took a lot of dedication and a lot of missing out on things that you’d be doing as a normal teenager, but it was just something I was so in love with and there’s such a community in Irish dancing that I didn’t really think twice about (it),” Bullock said.
She even attended a “Riverdance” summer school in Boston in 2017.
“That was just a way for me to familiarize myself with the choreography,” Bullock said.
During the pandemic, she started posting TikTok videos of her Irish dancing to modern songs, from Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” to Doja Cat & SZA’s “Kiss Me More.”
“Those got the attention of a lot of people that I didn’t expect them to get the attention of, including the Taoiseach and Prime Minister of Ireland, Beyoncé’s mom, so many random people from all over saw my videos,” Bullock said.
These videos ultimately served as her audition tape for the “Riverdance” tour.
“They saw something in those videos that they thought would be a great addition to the show,” Bullock said. “I am very, very fortunate for that. I had just taken a break from dancing, so to be able to come back to dancing and be a part of ‘Riverdance’ is amazing.”
The North American Tour kicks off March 4 in Salt Lake City, Utah, before stopping in Boston; Springfield, Illinois; Pittsburgh; Buffalo, New York; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Toledo, Ohio; Des Moines, Iowa; Kansas City, Missouri and Birmingham, Alabama.
Locally, the tour hits the Kennedy Center from March 15 to March 27 during St. Patrick’s Day.
“It’s a nice long stay in D.C., so I’m excited about it being fairly local,” Bullock said. “That’s the only place we’re going to be for two weeks, so I’m super excited … I actually went to see ‘Riverdance’ with my parents at the Kennedy Center, so it’s a full-circle moment.”
Her family will certainly make the roughly two-hour trip up from Midlothian, Virginia.
“I think they’re going to be extremely proud,” Bullock said. “I’m so fortunate to have such a strong support system. I just can’t wait to see them in the audience. I’m sure there’s going to be tears from both of us. I’m probably going to be crying on stage.”
Listen to our full conversation here.
