Biography of Michael Flatley, Irish Dancing Icon and Best Paid Live Performer in the world.

In 2008, Michael Flatley will earn more money than any other live performer whether he actually steps onto the stage or not. His world is now something of which his parents might only have once dreamed.

Early Life

Michael and Eilish Flatley left Furteen, county Sligo, in 1947 to make a new life for themselves in America. They settled on the southwest side of Chicago and began raising a family that would eventually grow to include five children. The second child, a son named Michael Ryan, was born on July 16, 1958. He was only four years old when his grandmother, a dancer from Carlow (and a Leinster champion) taught him his first Irish dance steps.

A Genius Finds His Calling

When Michael began formal lessons at age 11, his teacher told him (in his best Yoda accent) that he was “too old to begin the training”. Undaunted, he began a serious concentration on an art that would later consume his professional life. “My mates were in the classes, and there were girls,” Flatley says. “I’d never seen such a thing, so I tried it.”

Life wasn’t all pretty girls and hard-heeled shoes growing up in Chicago. Neighborhood toughs harassed him, and he “got his butt kicked” on several occasions. “I never told my parents about the fights,” Flatley said. “I didn’t want to upset them, but it’s hard to hide if you’re bleeding.” His father vowed that would never happen again and packed Michael and his brother off to boxing classes. (No, not kickboxing!)

Michael also took up the flute at a young age and still refers to it as “my one diversion”. He carries it wherever he travels and swears it is the perfect stress reliever.

Breaking Out

Everything began to come together for Michael Flatley in 1975, when he won three remarkable competitive championships:

• The Chicago Golden Gloves Amateur Boxing Championship (135 pound novice division)
• The All-Ireland Flute Championship
• The World Irish Dance Championship (the first American to ever do so)

He went on to win over 160 dance competition titles in 13 countries and almost every state in the U.S.

Turning Professional

The famous Celtic band The Chieftains gave Flatley his first professional break as an opener and he toured with the band throughout the 1980s. “From the start, what Michael was doing was brilliant”, said bandleader Paddy Moloney. “I could see he was not going to settle down with us.”

Flatley had indeed begun the creation of something new and exciting. “What I'm doing there is an accelerated version of Irish traditional dancing,” said Flatley. “At the same time, I have incorporated the upper body movement and all of the arm movements, but it’s not done like ballet. It’s not done like tap and it’s not done like flamenco. It’s something that I had to create from scratch because nothing else would have fit there.”

Riverdance

In 1994, Flatley became principal choreographer and lead dancer for the show Riverdance, which was originally an interval act for the Eurovision Song Contest. Riverdance was an enormous success and launched Flatley’s dance career like a rocket.

Lord of the Dance

He left the show after eight torrid months, and began his own touring hit show, Lord of the Dance. LOTD has gone platinum in three countries and supported three touring troupes of dancers while taking in over half a billion dollars in revenue.

Feet of Flames

“Feet of Flames”, Flatley’s current touring show, debuted in London in 1998. The DVD quickly went platinum in numerous countries. In 2008, the show is touring in Asia, having already sold half a million tickets. Flatley's shows often sell out in minutes--the world can't seem to get enough of this Irish dancing icon. It seems his reputation alone is enough to sell out a show.

Down Time

When not on tour, Flatley spends as much time as possible in Cork, residing in (and restoring) Castlehyde, an ancient landmark castle.

Tough On Shoes

Despite all of his artistic and creative talent, he has never neglected the fundamentals of his craft. He holds the Guinness world record of 35 dance taps per second. Maybe that’s why his dance shoes have an average lifespan of two weeks. Is it any wonder Michael Flatley’s legs are insured for $40 million?

Sources:

• michaelflatley.com
• imdb.com
• celticcafe.com