Michael Flatley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael Flatley
|
|
|---|---|
Flatley on stage, 2009
|
|
| Born |
Michael Ryan Flatley
July 16, 1958 |
| Occupation | Dancer |
| Years active | 1969–2016 (dancing) 1971–present (music) |
| Known for | Riverdance (1994–2016) Lord of the Dance (1996–2022) Feet of Flames (1998–2001) Celtic Tiger Live (2004–2007) |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children | 1 |
Michael Ryan Flatley (born July 16, 1958) is an American dancer and choreographer. He is famous for reinventing traditional Irish dance. He added new rhythms, faster steps, and upper body movements. These were not usually part of Irish dance before.
Flatley created and starred in popular Irish dance shows. These include Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames, and Celtic Tiger Live. His shows have been seen by over 60 million people in 60 countries. They have earned more than $1 billion. Flatley has also worked as an actor, writer, director, musician, and helped many charities.
He once held a Guinness World Record for tap dancing very fast. He could tap 35 times per second! His feet were even insured for a lot of money. Flatley stopped dancing in 2016 because of pain in his back, knees, feet, and ribs. In 2023, he was treated for cancer, and it is now gone.
Contents
Early Life and Talents
Michael Ryan Flatley was born on July 16, 1958. He was the second of five children. His parents, Michael and Eilish Flatley, came from Ireland in 1947. His father was a plumber from County Sligo. His mother, Eilish, was a talented step dancer from County Carlow. Her mother was also a champion dancer.
Michael's parents met at an Irish dance in Detroit. They moved to Chicago's South Side when Michael was two months old. At age eleven, Flatley started dance lessons with Dennis G. Dennehy. He went to Brother Rice High School, an all-boys Catholic school.
Dance and Music Achievements
In 1975, at 17, Flatley became the first American to win a World Irish Dance title. This was at the Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne championships. In 1975 and 1976, he also won twice in the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil concert flute competitions.
Boxing Skills
In the 1970s, Flatley also competed in amateur boxing. He won the middleweight division of the Chicago Golden Gloves Boxing Championship. He had five knockout wins. Flatley thought about becoming a professional boxer. But he chose to continue his dance career instead. He later gave money to the Golden Gloves organization.
Dance Career Highlights
Starting Out
After high school, Flatley worked in different jobs. From 1978 to 1979, he toured with a group called Green Fields of America. In the 1980s, he toured with The Chieftains. He wanted to join them full-time, but they said no.
=Riverdance Success
Flatley caught the eye of President of Ireland Mary Robinson. He was asked to help create a show for the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. He performed a 7-minute show called "Riverdance". It was a huge hit worldwide.
Flatley wanted to make "Riverdance" into a full show. It became a big production, produced by Moya Doherty. Flatley and Jean Butler were the main dancers and choreographers. The show first opened in February 1995 in Dublin.
In September 1995, Flatley left Riverdance. He had disagreements with the producers about his pay. He was replaced by Colin Dunne. Flatley said he wanted control over his own creative work.
=Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames
After leaving Riverdance, Flatley created his own show. It was called Lord of the Dance. This show was designed to play in big arenas and stadiums. It first opened in June 1996 in Dublin. The music was composed by Ronan Hardiman. In 1997, Flatley earned a lot of money, making him one of the highest-earning entertainers.
In 1998, Flatley made a bigger version of the show called Feet of Flames. This was meant to be his last performance in Lord of the Dance. It was performed outdoors in Hyde Park, London. It had a huge 4-level stage, a live band, and over 100 dancers. Ronan Hardiman's music was used again, with new songs. The show had six new dance numbers, including a solo by Flatley.
Because the 1998 show was so popular, Flatley made another Feet of Flames in 1999. This show, called Feet of Flames: The Victory World Tour, toured Europe and the U.S.
=Celtic Tiger Show
Flatley's next show, Celtic Tiger Live, opened in July 2005. This show told the story of Irish history and people moving to the U.S. It mixed many dance styles, including jazz. It also had popular parts from his earlier shows, like Flatley's flute solos.
Flatley wrote in the show's program, "I will be a dancer until the day I die." In November 2006, Flatley got sick with a viral infection. He had to cancel the tour for Celtic Tiger Live.
TV Appearances
In November 2007, Flatley and his male dancers performed on Dancing with the Stars in the U.S. In October 2008, he was a guest judge on the show. He also hosted Superstars of Dance, an NBC show in 2009. He performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and at the 1997 Academy Awards.
Returning to the Stage
In December 2009, Flatley returned to perform the "Hyde Park" version of Feet of Flames in Taiwan. The shows were so popular that more dates were added.
In 2010, he returned to headline the Lord of the Dance show. He performed in arenas across Europe. This new show had a redesigned stage, new costumes, and special effects like pyrotechnics.
A 3D film of the return tour, Lord of the Dance 3D, came out in 2011. It was later released on DVD and Blu-ray as Michael Flatley Returns as Lord of the Dance.
Flute Music Album
In 2011, Flatley released a flute album called On A Different Note. It had 25 songs, including tunes he played in his shows, traditional songs, and new music.
Dangerous Games and Farewell Tour
In May 2015, Flatley shared that he had many injuries from dancing. These included damage to his spine, knee, calf, and Achilles tendons. He also had a broken rib and a recurring broken bone in his foot.
In November 2015, Flatley's show Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games opened on Broadway. Because of his injuries, Flatley could only perform in the last two numbers of the show. After New York, Flatley went on a final tour in the United States. His last show was in Las Vegas on St. Patrick's Day 2016.
Later Work and Competitions
In January 2017, Flatley's dance troupe performed at the inauguration of Donald Trump. He called it "a great honour." In 2021, he helped launch a new freestyle dance competition at the World Irish Dancing Championships. This is the same competition he won in 1975. Over 2500 dancers entered the new competition.
Other Talents and Ventures
Filmmaker
In 2018, Flatley wrote, directed, financed, and starred in a spy film called Blackbird. The film was set in Barbados, Ireland, and the UK. It also starred Patrick Bergin and Eric Roberts. Blackbird first showed at the Raindance Film Festival in London. Flatley won the Best Actor award for his role in the film at the Monaco Streaming Film Festival.
Artist
Since the early 2010s, Flatley has created art using his dance moves. He dances on canvas splattered with paint to make unique paintings. Some of his paintings in the mid-2010s were about the Great Irish Famine. By 2015, his paintings were selling for very high prices at auctions.
Business Ventures
Flatley also started a food and beverage company called Castlehyde. It is named after his large home.
Awards and Recognition
In 1988, Flatley received a National Heritage Fellowship. This is a very high honor for folk arts in the U.S. In 2001, he received an honorary degree in Irish dance. He was also made a Fellow of the American Irish Dance Teachers' Association.
In 2003, Prince Rainier of Monaco gave Flatley a special award for his charity work. Irish America magazine named him Irish American of the Year in 2003. In 2004, he received an honorary doctorate degree from University College Dublin. He also received the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor in New York. In 2016, he received another honorary degree from the University of Limerick.
In 2007, Flatley was given the Freedom of the City of Cork in Ireland. In 2008, he received the Freedom of the Borough of Sligo. Also in 2008, The Variety Club of Ireland gave him the Entertainer of the Decade Award.
In 2011, he was added to Irish America magazine's Irish America Hall of Fame. In 2013, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at The Irish Post Awards. In 2015, a part of 42nd Street and Broadway in New York City was named "Flatley Way" in his honor. He also received the Freedom of the City of London. In 2024, Prince Albert of Monaco gave Flatley an award for his great work in helping people around the world.
Personal Life
Family
Flatley married Beata Dziaba in 1986. They later divorced in 1997. In 2006, Flatley began dating Niamh O'Brien, a dancer from his shows. They married on October 14, 2006, in Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland. They have a son named Michael St. James, born in 2007.
Health Challenges
In 2003, Flatley was treated for a type of skin cancer. A viewer of MTV noticed a spot on his face and told him about it. In January 2023, he was treated for cancer, which is now in remission.
Homes Around the World
Flatley has owned many properties. In 2001, he bought Castlehyde House in Cork, Ireland. It was old and needed a lot of work. He spent millions renovating it and filling it with art. He also owns homes in London, the Caribbean, New York, Beverly Hills, France, and Italy. His main home is in Monaco.
Autobiography
In 2006, Flatley released his autobiography, Lord of the Dance: My Story.
Special Dedication
In 2010, Flatley dedicated the Garden of Memory and Music in Culfadda, County Sligo. This is the village his father left to move to America. He gave a speech and danced to one of his father's favorite songs.
Helping Others
Flatley has raised over €1 million for his charity foundation. He does this by selling paintings he made with his feet. He also hosts Christmas fundraisers for children in need at his home. In 2010, he took part in a fundraising event called the JP McManus Pro-Am in Adare, Ireland.
In 2020, he created the "Flatley'sTapForTen challenge" to raise money for homeless people during the COVID-19 pandemic. He supports charities like Depaul in Ireland and Centrepoint in the UK. He also helps the Irish Fund for Great Britain, which supports Irish people living in the UK.
Flatley has also spoken out for cancer research. In 2021, he became an Ambassador of Culture for Co Saolfada, a cancer research program. He has also spoken against war. In 2003, he performed an anti-war dance called Warlord. In 2022, he spoke out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He said that Lord of the Dance performances would raise money to help people affected by the conflict.
See also
In Spanish: Michael Flatley para niños
- List of dancers
