Lord of the Dance (musical)

Lord of the Dance is an Irish musical and dance production that was created, choreographed, and produced by Irish-American dancer Michael Flatley, who also took a starring role. The music for the show was written by Ronan Hardiman.

Background

Michael Flatley found his first fame starring in Riverdance, but he left the show in late 1995 after a disagreement over creative control. He dreamed of putting together a dance show capable of playing in arenas and stadiums instead of traditional theatres. He soon began thinking of rhythm patterns and steps for an a cappella number. This number would later become "Planet Ireland", the show's finale. The show took six 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 staged a premiere performance on June 27th 1996 - the video was filmed on July 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 the dark lord's invasion with 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 "Morrighan, the Temptress". The stories are based on ancient Irish folklore and some Biblical references; the title itself, along with the central musical theme, is taken from a contemporary hymn.

In March 1997, Lord of the Dance was performed at the Oscars. That November, Lord of the Dance expanded operations by forming several troupes of dancers which would tour North America and Europe. Flatley signed a contract with Disney for Lord of the Dance to perform at Epcot in Walt Disney World in the summer of 1999 and Lord of the Dance was asked back the following summer in 2000. Troupe 4 performed at the Disneyland Paris Resort in 2002 and 2003. There are currently two troupes of Lord of the Dance productions touring the world. Troupe 1; currently touring throughout Europe, whilst Troupe 2 is resident in the US.

Feet of Flames

On July 25, 1998 after two years of touring, Flatley created Feet of Flames, an expanded version of Lord of the Dance. Feet of Flames took the dancers from all the troupes and put them together, totalling almost 100. The final stage was 180 feet (55 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 a different version of the show would later go on tour in 2000–01 (only one troupe appeared on this tour). 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 after that Celtic Tiger. The Lord of the Dance 10th Anniversary Party was held in June 2006.

Further information: Feet of Flames

Lord of the Dance today

Lord of the Dance still has two troupes on tour. Troupe 1 tours Europe and Asia, while troupe 2 tours North and South America. Michael Flatley, meanwhile, is still the creator, producer and director of the production.^{[citation needed]}

Lord of the Dance recently played in Las Vegas at the Steve Wyrick Theatre. Dancers from Troupe One and Two merged together during this period.^{[citation needed]}

In December 2009, a troupe played in Taipei, Taiwan R.O.C.

In April 2010, he announced that he would be returning to headline the Lord of the Dance show, with performances in Dublin's The O₂, Belfast's Odyssey Arena, London's O₂ arena, Sheffield's Sheffield Arena, Manchester's MEN Arena, Birmingham's LG Arena, Nottingham's Trent FM Arena, Liverpool's Echo Arena, London's Wembley Arena, Newcastle's Metro Radio Arena in November 2010, with dates also announced in Germany, Switzerland & Austria, the first time he will have done so since 1998.

In mid-March 2011, there was a limited theatrical screening of Lord of the Dance 3D. The film shows the performances from The O₂ of Dublin and The O₂ of London.^{[citation needed]} A DVD and Blu-Ray of the film was released on June 28 in U.S. and Canada, on August 4 in Australia, September 12, 2011 in the U.K. and South Africa, and on October in Scandinavia, Beneloux, France, and Germany. The 3D version of the film was released only in Blu-Ray in late 2011. The film was shot in the O2 Arenas of London, Dublin, and Berlin.

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 and Cora Smyth
• Erin the Goddess: Anne Buckley

2010 Return of Michael Flatley tour

These cast members were on Michael's return tour throughout Europe and are on the 3D film which was later released on DVD and Blu-Ray.

• Lord of The Dance: Michael Flatley
• Saoirse, the Irish Cailín: Bernadette Flynn
• Morrighan the Temptress: Ciara Sexton
• Don Dorcha: Tom Cunningham
• The Little Spirit: Katie Pomfret
• Fiddlers: Giada Costernaro and Valerie Gleeson
• Vocalist: (unknown)

Bernadette Flynn toured with the show until 2010. 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 band Celtic Woman. Smyth toured with Flatley in Celtic Tiger until he cancelled the concert due to a viral infection. Buckley left the show in 2001 and has made her own solo album.

Show acts

The Little Spirit

Dancers

The Little Spirit and the Lord of the Dance

Act 1

• Cry of the Celts
• Suil a Ruin
• Celtic Dream
• The Warriors
• Gypsy
• Strings of Fire
• Breakout
• Warlords
• The Lord of the Dance

Act 2

• Spirit of the New World
• Fiery Nights
• The Lament
• Siamsa
• Our Wedding Day
• Stolen Kiss
• Nightmare
• The Duel
• Victory
• Planet Ireland

Tour 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 Flatley June 28 to December 30: Ireland premiere, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand

1997 - with Michael Flatley January 3 to November 27: United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia

1998 January 11 to December 10: England, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, South Africa, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Austria, France, Norway.

1999 January 9 to December 19: Israel, Germany, England, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, France, Portugal.

2000 January 26 to December 16: Japan, South Africa, France, United States, Germany, Argentina.

2001 January 21 to December 22: Germany, France, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, England, the Netherlands, Japan, Russia, Estonia, Belgium.

2002 February 16 to December 31: France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Lebanon, England, Finland, Russia, Ukraine,

2003 January 1 to December 16: France, Portugal, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Belgium, England, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Spain,

2004 January 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.

2005 January 12 to December 31: Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Macedonia, England,

2006 January 1 to June 26: England, Chile

2007 Troupe One --- March 1 to December 22: Poland,United Kingdom, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Greece

2010 --- Tour with Michael Flatley -- UK, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria

--- June 3 to June 9: Bulgaria

External links

• Official show site
• Official site of the 3D film of the show
• Lord of the Dance at the Internet Movie Database
• Lord of the Dance 3D at the Internet Movie Database