Michael Flatley
Michael Ryan Flatley (* July 16, 1958 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American dancer with Irish roots.
Life
Michael Flatley is the second of five children. His parents and his grandparents are from Ireland. Since the whole family was very musically gifted, Flatley followed his father's wishes and learned to play the flute. With this instrument he earned numerous titles, including the All- Ireland Flute Champion.
Since the age of four was Michael dancing lessons, both of his parents, and his grandmother Hannah Ryan, who was a top dancer on the Irish dance area at this time. At the age of eleven years, finally, Michael Flatley has sought to recording at the " Dennehy School of Irish Dance ," which was rejected on the grounds that he was too old. However, he did not give up and was able to finally attend school. After intense training, he was better and won over the years numerous dance competitions in the United States. At age 17, he won the All-World Irish Dance Championship, the World Cup in Irish Dance in Ireland.
Growing up is Michael Flatley in a neighborhood in which many different cultures collide. After he came up with a bloody nose repeatedly home, he was advised by his father to start with the boxes. This he pursued with great dedication and has already won at age 17, the Chicago Golden Glove Championships.
His breakthrough as a dancer he had from 1983 through participation in tours with the Chieftains, a famous and successful Irish band.
After these successes, he was invited in 1993 to the Festival Spirit of Mayo in Dublin. After his performance, he was from the show producers commissioned a dance routine for the Euro Vision Song Contest to create in 1994 as a stopgap. There was Riverdance, a five-minute dance routine. This appearance was the beginning of a worldwide success.
Today, Michael Flatley is a director, producer and choreographer. In his "own" shows he always works with Ronan Hardiman.
Since 9 July 2005, he is with his show Celtic Tiger on tour. The European tour early December 2006 but was canceled after Flatley was admitted to the hospital with heart problems.
In October 2006, he married his co- star of " Celtic Tiger", Niamh O'Brien.
In March 2007, his son was born.
In his signature role as Lord in Lord of the Dance, he was seen for the last time in 1998 on the stage. In April 2010 it was announced that, surprisingly, Flatley will return to the stage as Lord. According to Flatley main reasons for this step was the fact that he had received thousands of fan letters in recent years, in which his fans had wished for just that, and he feels better than ever at the moment, to dance.
Discography
- CDs 1996 Lord of the Dance
- 1998 Feet of Flames
- 2005 Celtic Tiger
- 2010 On a Different Note ( flute solo double CD)
Awards and achievements
- Master of Dance Award
- National Heritage Fellowship by President Ronald Reagan
- National Endowment
- First entry in the Guinness Book of Records with 28 steps per second
- He was declared a "Living Treasure " by the National Geographic Society
- Special Mention of the press for Riverdance in the Rose of Montreux
- Chicago's Mayor Daley declared April 4 for " Michael Flatley Day"
- Prize for the best performance of the year for Lord of the Dance
- Biggest dance show in the world - Feet of Flames
- Second entry in the Guinness Book of Records with 35 steps per second ( fracture of his first record )
- Third entry in the Guinness Book of Records because he is the highest paid dancers in the world; He earned $ 1.6 million; His legs have a value of $ 40 million
- Outstandin Irish-American Award
- 9 times platinum
- Music Video Prize of Germany to Michael Flatley
- Irish - America Lifetime Award
- DIVA Award
Dance shows
- In the 1980s tour with the Chieftains
- 1994 Euro Vision Song Contest: seven-minute dance routine with Jean Butler and the Riverdance troupe in a small break
- 1994 Riverdance - The Show with Jean Butler
- 1996 Lord of the Dance
- 1998 Feet of Flames
- 1999 Feet of Flames - Budapest
- 2005 Celtic Tiger