Michael Flatley

Michael Ryan Flatley was born on July 16, 1958, and is an American and Irish former dancer and choreographer. He is widely recognized for transforming Irish dance by introducing new rhythms, syncopation, and upper body movements that had not been part of the tradition before. He created and starred in several major shows: *Riverdance*, *Lord of the Dance*, *Feet of Flames*, *Celtic Tiger Live*, and *Michael Flatley's Christmas Dance Spectacular*. These productions have been seen by over 60 million people across 60 countries and have earned more than $1 billion. Beyond dance, Flatley has worked as an actor, writer, director, producer, musician, and philanthropist.

Flatley once held a Guinness World Record for tap dancing 35 times per second, and his legs were reportedly insured for £25 million. He retired from dance in 2016 due to ongoing pain in his spine, knees, feet, and ribs. In January 2023, he received treatment for an aggressive form of cancer, which is now in remission.

Born in Detroit to Irish parents who had emigrated in 1947, Flatley was the second of five children. His father, Michael James Flatley, was a plumber from County Sligo; his mother, Elisabeth "Eilish" Flatley (née Ryan), was a gifted step dancer from County Carlow whose own mother had been a champion dancer. The couple met at an Irish dance in Detroit and married in 1956. When Michael was two months old, the family moved to Chicago’s South Side.

He began Irish dance lessons at age 11 with Dennis G. Dennehy and attended Brother Rice High School, an all-boys Catholic school. In 1975, at 17, he became the first American to win a World Irish Dance title at Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne. He also won the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil concert flute competition in 1975 and 1976. During the 1970s, he competed in the Chicago Golden Gloves amateur boxing tournament, winning the middleweight division and recording five knockouts. He considered turning professional into the early 1980s but chose dance instead. Early in his career, *The Hollywood Reporter* called him “the white Michael Jackson,” the *Los Angeles Herald-Examiner* dubbed him “the Rudolph Nureyev of Irish dance,” and the *Washington Post* compared his feet to “the hands of Vladimir Horowitz in power and agility.” He later became a philanthropic donor to the Golden Gloves and was named a Titan of Chicago Golden Gloves Boxing during their 100th anniversary in 2023.

After high school, Flatley worked as a stockbroker, blackjack gambler, and flautist. He toured with Green Fields of America from 1978 to 1979 and later with The Chieftains in the 1980s, though he was turned down when he asked to become a full-time band member.

He helped create a seven-minute intermission piece for the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, which became *Riverdance*. The show received worldwide acclaim, and Flatley pushed to expand it into a full-length production. It debuted in February 1995 at Dublin’s Point Theatre, with Flatley and Jean Butler as lead performers and principal choreographers. In September 1995, after a sold-out run, Flatley left *Riverdance* following a dispute over salary and royalties. He was fired the night before the show’s second London run and replaced by Colin Dunne. He also reportedly had friction with Butler. Flatley later said he simply wanted control over his own work. He paid about £1 million to settle a wrongful termination lawsuit from his former manager, John Reid.

Flatley then created *Lord of the Dance*, designed for arenas and stadiums. It premiered in June 1996 at the same Dublin venue as *Riverdance*, with music by Ronan Hardiman. In 1997, Flatley earned £36 million, ranking him the 25th-highest-earning entertainer worldwide. In 1998, he produced *Feet of Flames*, an expanded one-off performance in London’s Hyde Park on a four-tier hydraulic stage with over 100 dancers. A touring version, *Feet of Flames: The Victory World Tour*, followed in 1999.