National Geographic - January 1991 Issue

Awarded the Title: "National Heritage Fellows" by the National Endowment for the Arts

Michael Flatley Irish-American Dancer/Palos Park, Illinois

"Soaring across the skyline of his native Chicago as he invents new ways to dance, Michael Flatley displays the athleticism and creativity that made him the world champion Irish dancer in 1975 at the age of 17. He was the first non-European to win the title. His flying feet have carried him to stages all over the globe, and his flamboyant, intricate steps have invigorated the art of Irish dance. He also found time to win the all-Ireland flute championship three years in a row and to gain recognition as the world's fastest tap dancer: 28 taps a second. 'I'm a competitor,' he says. Flatley, the son of Irish immigrants, was ten and living in Chicago when he first saw Irish step dancing, a highly disciplined art in which the hands are held straight at the sides and the upper body does not move. 'It seemed so masculine,' he says,'it got my attention immediately.' A truly great Irish dancer, says Flatley,'looks as if he's floating across the stage and reaching down to touch it.' When he was 11, he tried to take lessons, but teachers said he was too old. He began to practice on his own and soon was beyond what any teacher could show him. By 13 he was creating his own steps. When he stopped competing in 1979, he 'put the word out that I planned to teach a few kids the way Irish dancing should go.' The first night, 300 showed up. Though he now seeks new forms of expression, Flatley retains a love for the dance tradition in which he began. 'Irish dancing has been done for centuries,' he says. 'What I've done is give it a modern-day form.'"

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WHY FLATLEY'S A PONG AND DANCE MAN

The secret of how worldwide dancing idol Michael Flatley learned to move those feet so fast is finally out.
For the nimble star - paid millions for performing jigs to Irish pipe music - used to work with pipes of a different kind before he became famous. The Lord of the Dance hero was once Swinging in the Drains as he toured Chicago with wife Beata unblocking sewers and waste outlets.
And the step of the day was always: In out, in out... phew, really shake that foot all about, honey!
Flatley - who has grossed £65 million from his shows - launched his Dino-sewer firm as he struggled to make it as a dancer.
Wearing green overalls with a T-Rex badge, he and Polish-born Beata were a familiar site in the Windy City's suburbs.
A friend said: "Michael was a damned good dancer - but he didn't make much money from it.
"He knew drain cleaners were always in work. He and Beata never refused a job, however dirty. They even went down sewers."
Flatley dumped the drain game to start a dance troupe. Then came Riverdance and soon he was flush with success.
But now he's pulled the chain on his partner-in-grime and filed for divorce claiming "irreconcilable differences". The friend said "There was a great strain on the marriage with Michael away on tour all the time."
But under divorce laws in California - where the couple have their home - Beata is entitled to half her husband's assets.
So after all these years, she'll still clean up.

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New Yorker Magazine

What he [Flatley] created was an electrifying seven minutes of Irish dancing the likes of which I had never seen before. Jean Butler, the lead female dancer--also Irish-American--sailed onstage, dancing the traditional steps. But what was this? Where was the old costume--the blouse, cape, Celtic brooch, tartan skirt? Jean was in a one-piece outfit. It was short. It showed legs. Mother o' God. She raised one hand and touched her hair. And then out came Flatley himself, peeling into view in a loose-sleeved shirt, tight pants, arms extended like wings, strutting and tapping and posturing till you'd have thought he'd learned his stuff from Jose Greco himself. Jean circled him. She was coy. He talked to her with eyes, shoulders, hips, and, my God, they changed the course of Irish dance. I knew if I could go back in time and dance like them, I'd give up the Lyric [movie theatre of his youth] and dance till my legs fell off".

Review: 'Lord of the Dance'By Glenn Griffin
Denver Post Dance Critic July 24, l997

The first thing about "Lord of the Dance" is that the live show is better than the video. The second thing is, it's perfectly clear that Michael Flatley, its creator and star, has every appearance of having a whale of a good time - and the audience loves it. But there's a fly in the ointment. Being both the choreographer and star, Flatley insists on being front and center whenever he's on stage. He gets all the best costume changes, too, and the result is that he seems to be becoming the Liberace of the dance world, complete with the Midas touch with a difference: Everything he touches turns to glitz. Much of "Lord of the Dance" is rampant vulgarity. There is a story, of sorts: The mighty Lord of the Dance must venture forth in time and space to defeat the forces of darkness. They - the forces - have other plans and seem to defeat our hero. But not for long, of course (you know the ending long before the show ends). The idea, I think, was to achieve a Tolkien-esque fantasy, but with a backdrop resembling the entrance to Jabba-the-Hut's fortress, this fantasy falls short. In the finale - a face-off between Flatley and the evil lord, to music borrowing heavily from the Star Wars score - the evil lord is vanquished in a dazzle of footwork, a flash and lots of strobes. Dare we say the Dance Vader has been defeated? Along the way there are some fine production numbers nonetheless. There's something thrilling about seeing line dancing done so well, with such precise ensemble. It is not better than the Rockettes, just different and, of course, much, much louder. Time is taken for a terrific fiddler duet - Cora Smyth and Mairead Nesbitt. Vocalist Anne Buckley - in the role of the Goddess Erin - is pure soprano ringing. Other dance soloists include Bernadette Flynn as "Saoirse, the Irish Colleen" and Gillian Norris as "Morrighan, the Temptress." Daire Nolan has the role of "Don Dorcha, the Dark Lord" looking like a hood but a serious challenge to Flatley, nonetheless. The "Little Spirit" who plays the penny whistle was Helen Egan. And then there's Flatley, cocky, flamboyant and egotistical. One has the suspicion he read the book "How the Irish Saved Civilization" and assumed it applied to him. The shows at McNichols Arena have an audience of 9,000 each night, so plan on parking delays and the rest of the crowd scene. The souvenir program costs $15 - $1 per page counting the fold-out cover as an extra leaf. For the show's exuberance, beg a ticket or consider indentured servitude - it's about the only way you'll get in. Sherrie Denver, CO - Thursday, July 24, 1997

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Thom Wise of the Rocky Mountain News:

Submitted by Terry - CO (Approx July 24, l997

"Michael Flatley flew into town last night--and he must've spread some of his magic Celtic dust over the city. The mesmerized, ecstatic crowd of some 9,000 die-hard fans just couldn't get enough of the man, the legend, the hype. If you were unable to beg, borrow or buy a ticket, have no fear. The video will always be available, which, in many ways is just as satisfying. True enough, the spectacle is impressive IF you were lucky enough to have gotten a close-in seat. For anyone up in the rafters, the best views of the show were from the large-screen video monitors on either side of the stage...which is just like sitting at home watching the video. ..Critics enjoy calling Flatley "cheesy, superficial and too Las Vegas", but it would be difficult to find many naysayers in Wednesday night's audience, who kept thunderous applause going until the bitter end...During the senes in which Flatley is NOT on stage, there is a 40-strong corps of quality dancers and a singer who does a fine job of filling the time until Flatley comes back. But truly, he's the reason the crowd is there, and the anticipation just builds until his next extrance. The pressure on Flatley is enormous. In the mile-high Denver altitude, he is caught panting on the huge screens. Those same screens also catch close-up shots of the well-worn tap shoes, as well as the intense emotions of the actor/dancers. Still, LOTD is exhilarating. It has some inexplicable allure that must have something to do with our primitive desire to beat drums. Add to that the well-oiled chest of a star like Flatley, and a pinch of sexy, leggy Irish dancers, and the appeal starts to make sense...If this is his revenge for RD, then it's sweet revenge."

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The Las Vegas Sun

"The hottest ticket in town was Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance at the MGM Grand, Grand Garden. All three performances sold quickly. Saturday afternoon's performance attracted a large number of families. It was lovely watching the children react to the pageantry on stage. In addition to traditional Irish dances, LOTD, includes a little bit of ballet and plenty of flash. Flatley...is a flamboyant personality and a crowd-pleaser. Each time he appeared on stage, the audience roared their approval. The dancers are young. Some are only 17. But all dance with precision and nerve rarly seen. Youth is a prime requisite for this kind of exuberant dancing. The wear and tear on the knees musht be fierce. There were rumors of Flatley having suffered a knee injury recently

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The Las Vegas Sun

If you missed Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance last weekend in the MGM Grand Garden Arena, you missed a real cultural treat, a unique entertainment experience...Traditional Irish dancing is on its way to great prominence throughout the world...There would have been no LOTD if there hadn't been an eight-minute TV show insert entitled Riverdance, later expanded to 90 minutes. If there hadn't been a Michael Flatley, there might not have been a Riverdance as a runaway hit, in-person, and as a video cassette...Flatley was a major Riverdance contributor. Last weekend's three MGM Grand performances were attended by more than 30,000 people witha gross approximating $1 million, total...It may have been the most successful ethnic cultural engagement ever in Las Vegas...The audience were a homogenous mix".

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From Chieftains to Dance 'Lord'

submitted by 'Debra (by Cracky) Note: This article is older. Ref. Universal Show

New York -- In 1991, Michael Flatley was living in a modest apartment in Beverly Hills and touring as a featured dancer (and flutist) with the famed Irish musical group the chieftains. It was a nice enough life for an Irish American folk dance champion, but hardly the stuff of massive mainstream success.
Yet, just a week and a half ago, on St. Patrick's Day, there Flatley was, on stage at Radio City Music Hall, preening and strutting like a rock star while 6,000 rabid fans roared his name. It was the end of two sold-out weeks of "Lord of the Dance," his Las vegas-style extravaganza, which arrives at the Universal Amphitheatre Thursday night for five performances, hot on the tapping heels of a Monday night Oscar appearance.
The 38-year-old Chicago-born son of immigrants is riding the crest of an Irish step-dance wave that first splashed ashore last year with the hit revue "Riverdance."
Flatley, who was the lead dancer and one of the choreographers in "Riverdance" when it opened in Dublin, claims credit for creating the phenomenon. But, after six months, he left the show bitter over issues of artistic control. He is now suing the producers for the 2% of the show's revenues, which he believes they own him (up to "$5 [million] or $6 million," according to Flatley).
Merle Frimark, a spokesperson for "Riverdance," says: "It is the policy of the producers not to comment on these issues."
But Flatley is not as reticent. "Certainly, absolutely, there can be no question as to who created the original 'Riverdance'," Flatley said coolly, sitting in a posh midtown Manhattan suite the day after the St. Pat's performance. "My signature's all over it, and I think that's immediately apparent with the new show."
In fact, the press has eagerly labeled "Lord of the Dance," which opened June 28 in Dublin, as Flatley's revenge. If so, it has its sweet side. In "Riverdance," Flatley had to share the spotlight. In "Lord," he is the oiled, bare-chested, name-above-the-title hero, leading a corps of 40 in a lightly plotted good-versus- evil battle of dueling dancers. some critics have dismissed the show as cheesy and superficial, but it has proved to be a revenue bonanza, grossing $100 million so far on its international tour.
Flatley can afford to dismiss any idea of the show as payback, airily pointing out that while "Riverdance" is playing theaters, he has sold out arenas as large as 10,000-seat Wembley Stadium in London. "I have no hard feelings," he said with a sly smile. "I'm on to different things."
Dressed in trademark bolero-style jacket, black jeans and boots, the blond, blue-eyed dancer is a curious blend of elfin charm and braggadocio, somewhat muted from his having celebrated the night before into the wee hours.
Flatley clearly sees himself as the benevolent liberator of Irish dance: "All I know is that one day I went to Ireland and everyone was dancing like this" -- he holds his arms rigidly at his sides -- "and the next day we were headlines all over the world. I must have done something right."
His opportunity came when "Riverdance" producer Moya Doherty, who had seen the dancer with the Chieftains, invited Flatley to Dublin in 1993 to perform in honor of Irish President Mary Robinson. the tumultuous reception for Flatley's loose American-style dancing led to his partnering another Irish American dance champion, Jean Butler, in a Eurovision dance contest, which in turn planted the seed for "Riverdance" (in which Butler co-starred) and then "Lord of the Dance." All of this has earned Flatley admirers, who see him as a purveyor of Irish pride, and enemies, who see him as an out-of-control egomaniac.
"I did it my way, which may be more flamboyant than the British press cared for, but it's typically American," he said of his male-diva stage presence. "This is the country of Muhammad Ali, Hector Camacho, sugar Ray Leonard and Michael Jordan. (Audiences) pay a lot of money, and they want to see somebody out there walking the line, walking the edge."
The boxing images are apt, not only because of Flatley's scrappy reputation as temperamental and hot-headed (he's gone through a handful of lawyers, managers and publicists and is enmeshed in a lawsuit over fees with John Reid, Elton John's manager, who served briefly as his producer on "Lord"), but also because he first learned to fight with his fists, not his feet.
Flatley grew up in a blue-collar polyglot Chicago neighborhood, the second of five children born to a handyman and his wife who inculcated in their family a reverence and respect for Irish customs and culture, including competitive dancing. At first, Flatley wanted none of it.
"They used to call me 'Mick' at school, so I was in fistfights every day," he recalled. "I didn't want to know about Irish dance."
At age 11, at his parents insistence, Flatley enrolled in dance classes and quickly excelled. He soon holed up in the family garage to practice the traditional moves -- a ramrod straight body above intricately stepping and tapping feet. Winning was the goal, and by the time he reached 17, he was the first American All-World Champion in Irish dancing.
The jazzed-up version of step-dancing he delivers today, he says, is still echt-Irish.
"When the music starts, and I can hear the dancers moving like a powerful locomotive, my heart starts beating and I feel something passionate and ancient and deep being uncovered in me," he said. "Frank McCourt [author of "Angela's Ashes"] told me of a story in which a father, saying goodbye to his son and not finding the words, asks for them to dance together. The Irish dance to reveal something that can't be expressed in words, all the pain and joy and passion."
After "Lord of the Dance" finishes its 15-city tour in early 1998, Flatley will turn to other projects. He said his agent, Jeff Berg of ICM, is working on a film deal for him, and he has already completed a screenplay with a British writer whom he rufuses to name. He says only that it is "a love story which will involve dance."
An admitted control freak, he says he has no free time. He spends his rare leisure moments in flotation tanks focusing on his goals.
I wake up in the morning and I have a big sign on my forehead that says, 'What's next?,' and I go to bed at night and the ceiling says, 'What's next?'" he said, finishing off his third diet Coke. "The world is full of competition and I've never wanted to be second. Ever. That's just the way I am.

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