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Flatley, Michael Ryan (1958- )| Irish-American dancer. The creator of the popular performance Riverdance (1995), he introduced flamboyance, sensuality, and touches of flamenco to traditional Irish step dancing, popularizing the genre worldwide. |
| Flatley was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Irish parents, and grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He took up step dancing at the age of 11, becoming a world champion in 1975. He first shot to fame as the principal dancer alongside Jean Butler (1971- ) in Riverdance, a striking performance of hard-shoe step dancing, at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, which brought international acclaim to traditional Irish dancing and led to the creation of a full-length stage show in Dublin in 1995. After leaving Riverdance in 1995, Flatley produced and choreographed his own spectaculars Lord of the Dance (1996-98), Feet of Flames (created 1998), and Celtic Tiger (2005), all of which incorporated dancing styles that were looser and more contemporary. |
| Flatley was educated by the Christian Brothers at the Brother Rice High School, and spent time in Ireland as a boy, where he was introduced to the art of step dancing; his grandmother had been a Leinster champion. Alongside his dancing prowess, he was also a prize-winning flautist and a champion boxer, winning the Golden Gloves championship in Chicago in 1975. |
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