Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance

Michael Flatley: The Mastermind Behind Lord of the Dance

Michael Flatley is the creator, choreographer, producer, and director of the show that has critics and audiences from all over the globe in awe. Flatley’s journey to become one of the world’s most innovative artists is an inspiring one: a rags to riches tale filled with passion, devotion, and a lot of hard work. He was born July 16, 1958 in Chicago, Illinois, and is the second of five children. About 10 years before his birth, Flatley’s parents emigrated from Ireland to the United States, where his father built a successful construction business. Through helping out with the family business, Flatley’s father instilled in him the values of a tireless work ethic and extraordinary drive at a very young age, values that empowered him on his quest to transform his artistic dreams into reality.

Dancing was in Flatley’s blood. He often visited his family in Ireland, where his mother and grandmother were both champion Irish dancers. At the age of four, his grandmother taught him his first dance steps. Years later, Flatley would reserve an empty front row seat as a silent tribute to his late grandmother. “She once visited me in Chicago in an ice cold winter. At that time I was completely broke, working occasional jobs for a couple of bucks an hour, dreaming of becoming the greatest dancer in the world. It was she who encouraged me to make my life special and to dance. Two weeks later she died. The empty seat is a sign of my respect to her, for I believe she is still watching me.”

Flatley’s formal training began at the age of 11, when his parents enrolled him in an Irish dance class. His talent progressed, and at 17 he became the first American to win the All-World Irish Dancing Champion title. Not only did he excel in dancing, but he also successfully pursued the traditional Irish flute, winning several Championship titles, and also boxing, winning the Chicago Golden Gloves Championship in 1975.

To reach his goal of becoming the world’s first internationally recognized professional Irish dancer, Flatley took advantage of every opportunity to be on stage. People began to notice that his style strayed from traditional Irish dance. Flatley thrived on pushing the traditional boundaries, which he accomplished by creating a less rigid style of Irish dance by incorporating arm movement and heart-stopping rhythm into the traditional steps. In 1993, Flatley showcased his different style of dance at the Spirit of Mayo in Dublin, an Irish music and Dance festival. By impressing the crowd and producers, Flatley was commissioned to choreograph an interval act for the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. This dance is what inspired him to create Riverdance, the dance that propelled Michael Flatley to international stardom.

In 1995, Flatley unexpectedly left Riverdance due to creative disagreements. Shortly after his departure, he began to dream up his own production, Lord of the Dance. On the night of the show’s premiere, audiences and critics were brought to their feet, calling it “powerful,” “fantastic”, “electrifying”, “spellbinding”, and “an awesome sight”.

Make sure you are in the audience on April 17th at the Frank Erwin Center, and see for yourself why this mesmerizing production has brought audiences and critics to their feet for over 12 years!