Michael Flatley
| Michael Flatley | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Born |
Michael Ryan Flatley July 16, 1958 Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Brother Rice High School |
| Occupation | Dancer, actor, occasional broadcaster, writer, flautist, choreographer |
| Years active | 1991–2015 |
| Known for |
Riverdance (1994–present) Lord of the Dance (1996–present) Feet of Flames (1998–2001) Celtic Tiger (2004–07) |
| Net worth |
 €225 million (2013)(GBP£191 million / US$304 million) |
| Spouse(s) | Beata Dziąba (m. 1986–1997; divorced) Niamh O'Brien (m. 2006) |
| Children | Michael St. James Flatley (b. 2007) |
| Website | michaelflatley |
Michael Ryan Flatley (born July 16, 1958) is an American dancer, choreographer, and musician. He became internationally known for Irish dance shows Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames, and Celtic Tiger.
Flatley is a native of the South Side of Chicago. He is of Irish background, being born to Irish parents Michael and Eilish. His parents were both Irish-born, but migrated to the US several years before Michael's birth. Michael is the second of five children. He has three sisters, Anne-Marie, Eliza and Thomasina, as well as a brother Patrick.
He began dancing lessons at age 11 and at age 17 was the first American to secure a World Irish Dance title at the World Irish Dance Championships, the Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne. He is also an accomplished flautist, having won twice in the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil Concert Flute competitions from 1975-1976 and later in his career having released two albums. In his youth, Flatley also practiced amateur boxing; at age 17 he competed for the Chicago Golden Gloves Championship title.
Flatley was taught dance by Dennis Dennehy at the Dennehy School of Irish Dance in Chicago, then went on to produce his own show. After graduating from Brother Rice High School, on Chicago's Southwest Side, he opened a dance school, but later closed it down to focus on performing.
From 1978 to 1979 he toured with Green Fields of America, and in the 1980s he toured with The Chieftains.
In May 1989, Flatley set a Guinness Book world record for tapping speed at 28 taps per second, and subsequently broke his own record in 1998 with 35 taps per second.
According to Flatley, he created and choreographed the original Riverdance and led the show to great success as the intermission act in the Eurovision Song Contest staged in Ireland on April 30, 1994. Later, in the eve of the show's first full-length run in London, Flatley learned he had been replaced by the show producers due to conflicts over creative control. He and the producers had been in negotiations. The producers refused his terms, so he refused to perform, and then the producers, according to the producers, replaced him with Colin Dunne at the last minute. Dunne was already employed by the producers for other skits below the feature and finale. The Eurovision Song Contest was produced by Moya Doherty. She is married to co-founder of Riverdance, John McColgan, and she is regarded as one of the richest women in Ireland, with an estimated fortune of £42 million. The finale piece was co-choreographed by dance partner Jean Butler with Michael Flatley. Jean was his partner in a famous video clip. The response was so explosive that it was extended into a full show, starring Butler and Flatley. The show toured throughout 1995. After Flatley abruptly left the show over creative control disputes in October 1995, Butler was joined by long-time friend Colin Dunne. She left the show in 1997, although it continued its success and inspirations.
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