From early in his childhood, Michael was constantly in trouble for being a dreamer, and was already creating. He recalls constructing model sailing ships when very young, and while still at school worked on a stage show, going to far more imaginative and ambitious lengths than the average student would for such a production. Years later, when he finally got the opportunity to create a big show, with 'Riverdance', he revealed a unique vision of dance and drama, unlike anything the world had seen before. While he was still constrained by working with others on that show, once flying solo with 'Lord of the Dance' and subsequent productions, that vision has grown, matured, expanded and developed. Each show is different, yet all retain an unmistakable Flatley stamp, and take both dance and stage art to new levels.

Yet the brilliance of the dance, the colour and energy, is only the surface of Michael Flatley's shows. With each show, his creativity becomes more multi-layered and deep, richly textured with historical reference and subtle meaning. While usually choosing to say it is just a simple fairytale, Michael has said of 'Lord of the Dance' that the show could be read in a thousand different ways and he intended it like that. With 'Feet of Flames' he reached more deeply and definitely into Irish history, and with 'Celtic Tiger' he presents the whole saga of Irish history, at home and in the New World, encompassing vast timescales and widely contrasting settings, as he does so blending stage and film techniques in a completely new way. It is now almost essential to be an 'educated' viewer to appreciate his art, and exploration of all Michael's shows reveals unexpected and fascinating detail.

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