Lord of the Dance



	As you can see in the picture, my son Michael is the "Lord of the Dance" and you may never get a chance to talk to him, but on the other side, my son Patrick, Lord of the Plumbers, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week...that's what makes Plumbing Express a family business better than a franchise.

	But if you wanted to know a little about my son Michael and Lord of the Dances, you’ve come to the right place! Whatever spark was ignited in Michael Flatley at conception or birth has grown into a mighty and many-tongued fire. A concert flautist and dancer, his grace and athleticism have brought World Championships - as well as a Guinness Book world record for tapping speed. All of these things mark out and amplify the special talent that burst out on the Eurovision Song Contest; but none of them explains it.

		Michael became the first American to win the All-World Championships in Dancing and the honors have flooded his way. The youngest ever recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship from Ronald Reagan; recognition by the American National Endowment of Arts as one of his country's greatest performers; a Master of Dance Award for his contribution to his chosen art; in 1991 the National Geographic Society declared Michael a living treasure.

Since opening at The Point, Dublin on 2 July 1996, Lord of the Dance has collected numerous accolades. In the U.K., Lord of the Dance sold out four consecutive weeks at the Coliseum Theatre and then went on to play twelve sold-out shows at the legendary Wembley Arena. In Australia, ticket sales on the eight week tour out-grossed all other shows.

In the U.S.A., the show sold out two weeks at Radio City Music Hall, New York. Michael and the Lord of the Dance troupe also performed at the 1997 Academy Awards in Los Angeles, before completing the U.S. part of their tour.

The Lord of the Dance video was the 1996 Christmas number one title, and to date has collected twelve platinum sales awards. The Lord of the Dance soundtrack has sold in excess of one million CDs worldwide and the total gross for Lord of the Dance is fast approaching £150,000,000.

Michael and his dance troupe performed their 300th show on 21st January 1998 at Wembley Arena, London, just weeks before breaking the venue's performance record with 21 sell out shows. Michael then went to re-claim his title as the fastest dancer on earth by smashing the world tapping record with 35 separate taps in one second.

July 1998 saw Michael celebrate his last performance as the Lord of the Dance by staging his most ambitious production ever, the incredible "Feet of Flames" spectacular which was performed before an audience of 25,000 at The Route of The Kings in Hyde Park, London. The subsequent video and audio recordings of the event were released in November 1998 with Flatley announcing he will start production of his very first feature film in 1999.

Michael continues to be the Artistic/Creative Director of all Lord of the Dance Troupes throughout the world. 1999 saw the launch of Lord of the Dance in Spain, Italy, France, Switzerland, and Israel. There are now 3 permanent touring troupes, one in Europe, one in the USA and one resident in Las Vegas. In the summer two more Lord of the Dance troupes will be launched, the first at Disney World in Florida and the second for the summer season in Bournemouth, UK, making the Lord of the Dance the most popular touring dance production in the world.

For more Lord of the Dance information and to sign the guestbook, visit www.lordofthedance.com