It's 16 years since Michael Flatley's tight trousers and a wall of scissoring Irish legs wowed the world on the Eurovision Song Contest. But how much do you know about the entertainment phenomenon Riverdance that it spawned?
▶ Several different Riverdance productions are touring at any one time. Each is named after an Irish river – we've had Shannon, Avoca, Boyne, Liffey and Moy.
▶ Twelve thousand costumes and 14,000 shoes have been worn so far, by 1,500 dancers.
▶ There have been 39 marriages between cast members. One principal dancer, Joanne Doyle, received a proposal at the end of a show in Paris last year. She said yes.
▶ In 2008, the Liffey company danced on the Great Wall of China. It was undamaged.
▶ Riverdance singer Brian Kennedy's rendition of the ballad Carrickfergus reportedly made Bill Clinton cry at a dinner in 2000.
▶ One couple from Mannheim, Germany, have seen the show more than 30 times.
▶ The Riverdance companies have travelled 563,000 miles – equivalent to the moon and back. Some people wish they had stayed there.
