- Lord of the Dance (musical)
:"For other meanings, see
Lord of the Dance "Lord of the Dance is an Irish musical and
dance production that was created, choreographed, produced by Irish-American dancerMichael Flatley , also its star. Music to the show is written byRonan Hardiman .Background
Michael Flatley found his first fame starring in
Riverdance , but he left the show in 1995 before its debut in London after a disagreement over creative control. Flatley dreamed of putting together a dance show capable of playing in arenas instead of traditional theaters. [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0106/18/lkl.00.html] He soon began thinking of rhythm patterns and steps for an a capella number. This number would later become "Planet Ireland", the show's finale. The show took 6 months to bring it from conception to the stage. Auditions were held in the SFX City Theatre in Dublin.Performances
Lord of the Dance had preview shows at the
Point Theatre in Dublin from June 28 to July 1, 1996. The show premiered onJuly 2 ,1996 . The story follows the character "Lord of the Dance" and his fight against the evil dark lord "Don Dorcha" from taking over Planet Ireland. The Lord of the Dance defeats his invasion with a little help from a little spirit. There is also a story with a "love vs lust" theme expressed through dance throughout the show. "Saoirse, the Irish Cailín" fights for the love of the "Lord of the Dance" against the wicked "Morrigan, the Temptress". The stories are based in ancient Irishfolklore and a bit of Biblical references.In March 1997, Lord of the Dance performed at the
Oscars . That November, Lord of the Dance expanded operations by forming several troupes of dancers. These troupes would tour North America and Europe. Flatley signed a contract withDisney for Lord of the Dance to perform atEpcot inWalt Disney World in the summer of 1999. Lord of the Dance was asked back next summer in 2000. Troupe 4 performed at the Disneyland Paris Resort in 2002-03. There are currently four troupes of Lord of the Dance productions touring the world.Feet of Flames
On
July 25 ,1998 after two years of touring, Flatley createdFeet of Flames , an expanded version of Lord of the Dance. Feet of Flames took the dancers from all the troupes and put them together, totaling almost 100. The final stage was convert|180|ft|m wide with multiple levels. The show was held before 25,000 people in London's Hyde Park. The special feature was a dance solo by Flatley without music. It was supposed to be the last time Flatley danced live on stage, but the show would later go on tour in 2000-01. However the touring production only had one troupe. The show in Hyde park was the last time Michael Flatley danced in "Lord of the Dance", he would go on to do the Feet of Flames World Tour, and now Celtic Tiger.Lord of the Dance today
In 2008, Lord of the Dance still has two troupes on tour. Troupe 1 tours Europe and Asia, while troupe 2 tours the US, Canada and South America.
Michael Flatley, while still the creator, producer and director of the production does not perform with either troupe. He is currently dancing in his new show, Celtic Tiger.
The Lord of the Dance 10th Anniversary Party was held in June 2006.
Lead Dancers
Over the years, along with several troupes, the lead dancers have changed.
Original characters (1996 show)
*Lord of The Dance:Michael Flatley
*Saoirse, the Irish Cailín:Bernadette Flynn
*Morrighan the Temptress:Gillian Norris
*Don Dorcha:Daire Nolan
*The Little Spirit:Helen Egan
*Fiddlers:Máiréad Nesbitt andCora Smyth
*Erin the Goddess:Anne Buckley Bernadette Flynn is still touring with the show. Gillian Norris left the show in early 2000. Daire Nolan left the show shortly after its first run in
Epcot in 1999. Nesbitt is now with the Celtic bandCeltic Woman . Smyth is touring with Flatley in Celtic Tiger. Buckley has left the show and has made her own solo album.how Acts
Act 1
* Cry of the Celts
* Erin the Goddess
* Celtic Dream
* The Warriors
* Gypsy
* Strings of Fire
* Breakout
* Warlords
* Erin the Goddess
* The Lord of the DanceAct 2
* Dangerous Game
* Hell's Kitchen
* Fiery Nights
* The Lament
* Siamsa
* Our Wedding Day
* Stolen Kiss
* Nightmare
* The Duel
* Victory
* Planet IrelandTour Dates
Michael Flatley starred in the show from 1996 to early 1998 before going on to
Feet of Flames .This incomplete list includes Troupe 1, Troupe 2, Troupe 3, and Troupe 4.1996 - with Michael FlatleyJune 28 to December 30: Ireland premiere, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand
1997 - with Michael FlatleyJanuary 3 to November 27: United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia
1998January 11 to December 10: England, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, South Africa, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Austria, France, Norway.
1999January 9 to December 19: Israel, Germany, England, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, France, Portugal.
2000January 26 to December 16: Japan, South Africa, France, United States, Germany,
2001January 21 to December 22: Germany, France, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, England, the Netherlands, Japan, Russia, Estonia, Belgium.
2002February 16 to December 31: France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Lebanon, England, Finland, Russia, Ukraine,
2003January 1 to December 16: France, Portugal, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Belgium, England, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Spain,
2004January 13 to December 19: Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, Switzerland, France, Greece, Czech Republic, South Africa, Israel, China.
2005January 12 to December 31: Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Macedonia, England,
2006January 1 to June 26: England, Chile
2007Troupe One --- March 1 to December 22nd: United Kingdom, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Greece
ee also
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