Joanne Doyle facts for kids

Joanne Doyle (born in 1973) is a famous former professional Irish dancer. She is best known for being a lead dancer in the amazing show Riverdance. Joanne danced with Riverdance for 10 years. This made her the longest-serving lead dancer in the show's history! She performed in more than 2,500 shows.

Joanne's Early Life

Joanne Doyle grew up in Lucan, Dublin, Ireland. She started dancing when she was just three years old. As a young dancer, she won many bronze, silver, and gold medals. She competed in both Irish and World Championships.

After finishing high school, Joanne went to university. She moved to Ljubljana, Slovenia, in early 1994 to continue her studies. Around this time, Riverdance performed a short, seven-minute dance. This performance was during the Eurovision Song Contest. Joanne knew about the show and found a local pub to watch it on TV. Her good friend, Breandán de Gallaí, was one of the dancers. Joanne couldn't try out for the show herself because she was busy with her university studies.

Dancing with Riverdance

Joining the Show

After finishing her university studies, Joanne returned to Dublin. Her main goal was to join Riverdance. The show was preparing for its first full-length performance. Joanne was dancing with her own group called Dualta alongside Breandán de Gallaí.

The lead dancer of Riverdance, Michael Flatley, noticed Joanne's talent. Because of this, she didn't have to go through the tough auditions. She joined the show's dance team just eight months after the famous Eurovision performance. Joanne danced on the opening night of Riverdance. This big event happened at the Point Theatre in Dublin on February 9, 1995.

Becoming a Lead Dancer

In November 1995, Joanne Doyle became a backup lead dancer. She learned a lot from the main female dancer, Jean Butler. Joanne performed her first show as a lead dancer in London on January 29, 1996.

However, she injured her knee on February 10, 1996. Because of this, she missed the show's first tour outside of Ireland. This tour was in March 1996 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Later that year, Riverdance split into two touring groups. Eventually, they had three groups. Joanne Doyle and Breandán de Gallaí became the lead dancers for the "Liffey" company. This group toured all over Europe and Asia.

Later Years and Special Shows

In 2002, Joanne was part of the third Riverdance live recording. She danced as the lead with Breandán de Gallaí in Geneva, Switzerland. In June 2003, she performed at the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics. This big event took place at Croke Park in Dublin.

In October 2003, Joanne and Conor Hayes were the lead dancers. They performed when Riverdance toured China for the first time. Many shows were sold out, including performances at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Joanne stopped dancing full-time for Riverdance in late 2003. She moved to France with her partner. But she still danced with the show for two more years. She was part of the "Riverdance Flying Squad," which did special shows now and then. As a lead for the "Avoca" company, she performed in France throughout 2005. She finally left Riverdance for good at the end of that year.

Life After Riverdance

In October 2005, Joanne Doyle got engaged to Pierre Sansonetti. He owns a restaurant in France. As of 2022, Joanne was teaching Irish dance. She teaches at different schools in the south of France.