Michael Flatley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael Flatley
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Flatley on stage, 2009
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| Born |
Michael Ryan Flatley
July 16, 1958 |
| Citizenship | United States Ireland |
| 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) |
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| Children | 1 |
Michael Flatley (born July 16, 1958) is an American dancer and choreographer. He is famous for changing traditional Irish dance by adding new rhythms and movements. He created and starred in popular Irish dance shows like Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, and Feet of Flames.
His shows have been seen by over 60 million people in 60 countries. They have earned more than $1 billion. Flatley also worked as an actor, writer, director, musician, and helped many charities. He once held a Guinness World Record for tap dancing 35 times per second. His feet were even insured for a very large amount of money. Flatley stopped dancing in 2016 because of pain in his back, knees, feet, and ribs. In 2023, he was treated for cancer, which 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, moved to the United States from Ireland in 1947. His father was a plumber, and his mother was a talented step dancer. They met at an Irish dance event in Detroit.
When Michael was two months old, his family moved to Chicago. At age eleven, he started taking dance lessons. In 1975, when he was 17, Flatley became the first American to win a World Irish Dance title. This was at the Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne, which are the Irish dancing championships. He also won flute competitions twice in 1975 and 1976.
In the 1970s, Flatley also competed in amateur boxing. He won the middleweight division of the Chicago Golden Gloves Boxing Championship. He won five fights by knockout. Even though he thought about becoming a professional boxer, he chose to focus on his dance career.
Dance Career Highlights
Starting Out
After high school, Flatley worked in different jobs. He was a stockbroker, a blackjack gambler, and a flautist. In the late 1970s and 1980s, he toured with music groups like Green Fields of America and The Chieftains.
Riverdance Success
Flatley gained attention from important people, including the 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 then worked to turn "Riverdance" into a full-length stage show. It first opened in February 1995 in Dublin. Flatley was the main choreographer and lead dancer, along with Jean Butler. In September 1995, Flatley left Riverdance. He had disagreements about his salary and how much he would earn from the show.
Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames
After leaving Riverdance, Flatley created his own show, Lord of the Dance. This show was designed to be performed in large arenas and stadiums. It first opened in June 1996 in Dublin. The music for the show was created by Ronan Hardiman.
In 1998, Flatley made a bigger version of the show called Feet of Flames. This was a special outdoor performance in London. It featured a huge stage with four levels, a live band, and over 100 dancers. It was meant to be his last performance in Lord of the Dance. Because it was so successful, Flatley created another Feet of Flames show in 1999. This show toured Europe in 2000 and the U.S. in 2001.
Celtic Tiger and Other Shows
Flatley's next big show was Celtic Tiger Live, which opened in July 2005. This show explored the history of Irish people and their journey to the U.S. It mixed different dance styles, including jazz. It also included popular parts from his earlier shows, like Flatley's flute solos.
In November 2006, Flatley had to cancel a tour of Celtic Tiger because he became ill with a viral infection.
Television Appearances
Flatley appeared on TV shows like Dancing with the Stars in 2007 and 2008. He also hosted Superstars of Dance, an NBC series, in 2009. He performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and was interviewed on Piers Morgan's Life Stories.
Returning to the Stage
In December 2009, Flatley performed a special 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 the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. This tour featured new sets, costumes, and lighting.
A 3D film of this tour, called Lord of the Dance 3D, was released in theaters in 2011. It was later released on DVD and Blu-ray as Michael Flatley Returns as Lord of the Dance.
Music and New Shows
In 2011, Flatley released a flute album called On A Different Note. It included traditional tunes and new songs he composed.
In 2014, ITV aired a special TV show called Michael Flatley: A Night to Remember. This show celebrated his long career. Also in 2014, Flatley created a new version of Lord of the Dance called Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games. It had a similar story but featured new dance numbers and music.
Injuries and Retirement
By May 2015, Flatley had many serious 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, Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games opened on Broadway in New York City. Because of his injuries, Flatley could only perform in the last two parts of the show. He then went on a final tour in the United States. His last show was in Las Vegas on St. Patrick's Day 2016.
Later Work
In January 2017, Flatley's dance troupe performed at the inauguration of Donald Trump as president. In 2021, he helped launch a new freestyle dance competition for the World Irish Dancing Championships.
Other Interests
Filmmaker
In 2018, Flatley wrote, directed, and starred in a spy film called Blackbird. The movie was filmed in Barbados, Ireland, and the UK. It premiered in Dublin in August 2022. 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 artwork by dancing on canvases covered in paint. He made a series of paintings about the Great Irish Famine. By 2015, his paintings were selling for high prices at auctions.
Business Ventures
Flatley also started a food and beverage company called Castlehyde. It is named after his home.
Awards and Achievements
Flatley has received many awards for his dancing and charity work. In 1988, he received a National Heritage Fellowship. This is a very high honor for folk artists in the U.S.
In 2001, he received an honorary degree in Irish dance. In 2003, he received a special award from Prince Rainier of Monaco for his charity work. He was also named Irish American of the Year by Irish America magazine. 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, he was given the Freedom of the City of Cork in Ireland. In 2008, he received the Freedom of the Borough of Sligo. The Variety Club of Ireland also gave him the Entertainer of the Decade Award in 2008. In 2011, he was added to Irish America magazine's Irish America Hall of Fame.
In 2013, Flatley 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 him an award for his help with global humanitarian causes.
Personal Life
Family
Flatley married Beata Dziaba in 1986, and they divorced in 1997. In June 2006, he began dating Niamh O'Brien, a dancer from his shows. They married on October 14, 2006, in a Roman Catholic ceremony in Ireland. They have one son, Michael St. James, who was born in 2007.
Health
In 2003, Flatley was treated for a type of skin cancer called malignant melanoma. A viewer of MTV noticed a brown spot on his face and told him about it. In January 2023, he was treated for "an aggressive cancer," which is now in remission.
Homes
Flatley has owned many properties around the world. In 2001, he bought Castlehyde House in Ireland. It was in ruins, and he spent a lot of money 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.
Other Details
In 2006, Flatley released his autobiography called Lord of the Dance: My Story. In 2010, he dedicated the Garden of Memory and Music in Culfadda, County Sligo, where his father grew up.
Charity Work
Flatley has supported many charities. In 2010, he took part in a fundraising event called the JP McManus Pro-Am. In 2020, he created the "Flatley'sTapForTen challenge" to raise money for people who became homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also supports the Irish Fund for Great Britain, which helps Irish citizens living in the UK.
He has also worked to raise awareness for cancer research. In 2021, Flatley became an Ambassador of Culture for Co Saolfada, a cancer research program. Flatley has also spoken out against war. In 2003, he performed an anti-war piece called Warlord. In 2022, he spoke against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He noted that performances of Lord of the Dance would raise money for humanitarian aid.
See also
In Spanish: Michael Flatley para niños
- List of dancers
