‘I didn’t expect it’: Alberta dancer Katie Anderson living her dream as a Riverdance performer

The 30th anniversary of Riverdance comes to Calgary June 27-29, and it will include an Alberta dancer—Katie Anderson from Sherwood Park.

After thousands of hours practicing and competing in Irish dance in Sherwood Park, Alta., Katie Anderson chased her lifelong goal across the Atlantic Ocean and auditioned for Riverdance.

“Back in 2022, I flew to Dublin to audition, kind of just out of a whim, and out of the 700 dancers, two of us got chosen,” Anderson told CTV News.

“It was almost like an unattainable goal. I didn’t expect it.”

The dancer returns to Alberta for the Riverdance 30th anniversary tour at the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary June 27-29.

Riverdance has taken Anderson around the world, which she’s grateful for, but at times the show has been demanding on her body.

Anderson said she’s incurred “a few broken bones” while dancing, but on-staff physiotherapists and massage therapists ensure performers can endure Riverdance’s current run of eight shows a week.