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MICHAEL FLATLEY

BIOGRAPHY

Michael Flatley’s name is synonymous with the wave of Celtic dance mania that began sweeping the world in the mid-1990s and has continued to grow steadily ever since. He is the American-born dance pioneer who created Lord of the Dance – the most popular touring dance production in history.

The youngest son of Irish parents who immigrated to the U.S. after WWII, Flatley spent much of his childhood in their native Ireland, where he developed an affinity for the traditional form of Celtic dance. It is this form of dance that Flatley combined with ultramodern techniques and a synergistic blend of other styles to create Lord of the Dance.

Recognized as the guiding force that helped catapult Irish dancing into the global spotlight, Flatley conceived and choreographed the theatrical extravaganza that has been seen by more than 50 million people worldwide at sold out theaters, arenas and stadiums. He originated the role of the Lord, and presently serves as the show’s artistic director.

More than just an acquired passion, Irish dancing is a central element of Flatley’s heritage. Both his mother and grandmother were Irish dance champions. Flatley started dancing at the tender age of four, and began his first formal lessons at 11, going on to become the first American to win a World Championship in Irish Dance. But it wasn’t until 1994, at the age of 35, that Flatley captured the world’s attention with a stunning performance during the Eurovision Song Contest – a pop music festival broadcast to a global TV audience.
Flatley’s swaggering, muscular style, uncompromising precision and spectacular speed – 35 taps per second according to the Guinness Book of World Records - quickly transformed a quaint folk-dance form into a mass-appeal entertainment extravaganza.

Flatley has been the recipient of a flood of honors for his professional and personal accomplishments. A small sampling includes: the youngest ever recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship from then-President Ronald Reagan; recognition by the American National Endowment for the Arts as one of his nation’s greatest performers; and named one of “The Greatest Irish Americans of the Century” by Irish America Magazine. In 1991, The National Geographic Society declared Flatley to be a “Living Treasure.”