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Michael
Flatley
Dancer,
performer,
musician,
to
the
many
millions
of
his
fans
in
all
corners
of
the
world,
Michael
Flatley
is
seen
as
a
genius
of
his
craft.
Michael
Flatley’s
name
is
synonymous
with
the
wave
of
Celtic
dance
mania
that
began
sweeping
the
world
in
the
mid-1990s
and
has
continued
to
grow
steadily
ever
since.
He
is
the
American-born
dance
pioneer
who
created
Lord
of
the
Dance
–
the
most
popular
touring
dance
production
in
history.
The
youngest
son
of
Irish
parents
who
immigrated
to
the
U.S.
after
WWII,
Flatley
spent
much
of
his
childhood
in
their
native
Ireland,
where
he
developed
an
affinity
for
the
traditional
form
of
Celtic
dance.
It
is
this
form
of
dance
that
Flatley
combined
with
ultramodern
techniques
and
a
synergistic
blend
of
other
styles
to
create
Lord
of
the
Dance.
Recognized
as
the
guiding
force
that
helped
catapult
Irish
dancing
into
the
global
spotlight,
Flatley
conceived
and
choreographed
the
theatrical
extravaganza
that
has
been
seen
by
more
than
50
million
people
worldwide
at
sold
out
theaters,
arenas
and
stadiums.
He
originated
the
role
of
the
Lord,
and
presently
serves
as
the
show’s
artistic
director.
More
than
just
an
acquired
passion,
Irish
dancing
is
a
central
element
of
Flatley’s
heritage.
Both
his
mother
and
grandmother
were
Irish
dance
champions.
Flatley
started
dancing
at
the
tender
age
of
four,
and
began
his
first
formal
lessons
at
11,
going
on
to
become
the
first
American
to
win
a
World
Championship
in
Irish
Dance. But
it
wasn’t
until
1994,
at
the
age
of
35,
that
Flatley
captured
the
world’s
attention
with
a
stunning
performance
during
the
Eurovision
Song
Contest
–
a
pop
music
festival
broadcast
to
a
global
TV
audience.
Flatley’s
swaggering,
muscular
style,
uncompromising
precision
and
spectacular
speed
–
35
taps
per
second
according
to
the
Guinness
Book
of
World
Records
-
quickly
transformed
a
quaint
folk-dance
form
into
a
mass-appeal
entertainment
extravaganza.
Flatley
has
been
the
recipient
of
a
flood
of
honors
for
his
professional
and
personal
accomplishments.
A
small
sampling
includes:
the
youngest
ever
recipient
of
a
National
Heritage
Fellowship
from
then-President
Ronald
Reagan;
recognition
by
the
American
National
Endowment
for
the
Arts
as
one
of
his
nation’s
greatest
performers;
and
named
one
of
“The
Greatest
Irish
Americans
of
the
Century”
by
Irish
America
Magazine.
In
1991,
The
National
Geographic
Society
declared
Flatley
to
be
a
“Living
Treasure.”
|
Lord
of
the
Dance
|
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Lord
of
the
Dance
was
conceived
and
choreographed
by
Michael
Flatley,
the
American-born
world
Irish
dance
champion
who
is
responsible
for
creating
a
new
wave
of
Celtic
dance
mania.
Lord
of
the
Dance
is
a
mesmerizing
blend
of
traditional
and
modern
Celtic
music
and
dance.
The
story
is
a
classic
tale
of
good
vs.
evil
based
on
old
Irish
folklore
as
Don
Dorcha,
the
Dark
Lord,
challenges
the
Lord
of
the
Dance.
It
is
also
a
passionate
love
story,
expressed
through
dance
numbers
that
transport
audiences
into
a
mystical
and
exhilarating
world
of
intense
passion.
With
21
scenes,
the
action
is
played
out
on
a
grand
scale
with
precision
dancing,
dramatic
music,
colorful
costumes,
state-of-art
staging,
lighting
and
pyrotechnics.
The
Lord
of
the
Dance
troupe
(around
50
dancers)
is
comprised
of
Irish
dance
champions
from
around
the
world.
They
complete
an
estimated
151,200
taps
per
performance.
These
gifted
performers
stretch
every
boundary
of
a
traditional
form
of
dance
that
has
evolved
over
more
than
2,000
years.
For
Lord
of
the
Dance,
Flatley
says,
"It
is
not
done
like
ballet,
it
is
not
done
like
tap.
And
it
is
not
done
like
flamenco.
It
is
something
that
I
had
to
create
from
scratch
because
nothing
else
would
fit
there".
The
show
made
its
debut
performance
in
1996,
in
Dublin
and
quickly
became
the
most
popular
touring
dance
production
in
history.
The
achievements
of
the
Lord
of
the
Dance
sensation
have
been
unrivalled.
In
the
U.K,
the
production
broke
Wembley
Arena's
performance
record
with
21
sell-out
shows.
In
Australia,
tickets
sales
on
the
eight-week
tour
out-crossed
all
other
shows.
In
South
Africa,
LOD
broke
all
box-office
records
when
tickets
sold-out
in
record
time.
In
the
USA,
the
show
sold-out
two
weeks
at
Radio
City
Music
Hall,
New
York.
The
Lord
of
the
Dance
Troupe
also
performed
at
the
1997
Academy
Awards
in
Los
Angeles
which
was
watched
by
a
worldwide
audience
of
2.5
billion
people.
In
the
last
few
years,
the
Lord
of
the
Dance
production
has
been
launched
in
Spain,
Italy,
France,
Switzerland,
Japan
and
South
America.
After
touring
North
America
where
audiences
across
the
United
States,
Canada,
and
Mexico
had
a
chance
to
experience
this
"showpiece
extravaganza"
(L.A
Times),
Michael
Flatley's
Lord
of
the
Dance
performed
in
France
during
the
entire
month
of
March
2002.
A
staggering
four
million
people
and
audiences
across
every
continent
in
the
world
have
now
seen
this
dance
production.
Fans
around
the
world
have
purchased
more
than
1.2
million
LOD
music
CDs
and
nine
million
videos.
The
‘Lord
Of
The
Dance’
video
was
the
1996
UK
Christmas
No.1,
collecting
a
twelve-time
Platinum
sales
award.
In
Australia
it
has
become
the
highest
selling
video
in
Polygram's
history
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Business
&
