Michael Flatley

About Michael Flatley

Michael Ryan Flatley (born July 16, 1958 in Chicago, Illinois) is an Irish step dancer from the south side of the city. His parents were from County Sligo and County Carlow. As a child, he moved to Chicago - the city which he considers his home town. He began dancing lessons at 11 and, in 1975, became the first non-European resident to win the All-Ireland World Championship for Irish dance. As a trained boxer he won the Chicago Golden Gloves Championship in 1975. Flatley is also known as being a proficient flautist, having twice won the All-Ireland Competition. Michael Flatley was taught by Dennis Dennehy at the Dennehy School of Irish Dance in Chicago, then went on to producing his own show. After graduating from Brother Rice High School, on Chicago's South Side, he opened a dance school.

His first professional break came when he joined The Chieftains for tours in the 1980s. He co-created the initial choreography for Riverdance and, with fellow lead dancer Jean Butler, led the show to great success as the intermission act in the Eurovision Song Contest on April 30, 1994. Flatley and Butler then starred in the full-length show that was developed from the original seven-minute act. After leaving the show over creative disagreements, Flatley produced, directed, and choreographed his own show, Lord of the Dance. In 1998, Flatley put together a dance production called Feet of Flames, a version of which toured the US in 2000 and 2001.

Flatley's current Irish dance show is Celtic Tiger, which opened in July 2005. The show explores the history of the Irish people and Irish immigration to the US and fuses a wide range of dance styles, including jazz. The show also includes popular elements from his previous shows, such as Flatley's flute solos and the line of dancers in the finale. Flatley released his own autobiographical book titled Lord of the Dance: My Story in March 2006. Regarding his future plans, Flatley was quoted in the Celtic Tiger program book as saying, "I will be a dancer until the day I die."