There’s a tiger in Flatley’s tanktop
Ireland’s biggest booster brings back his rapid tapping
In 1994, Irish economist David McWilliam coined the term “ Celtic Tiger” to describe the economic boom that would make once- poor Ireland the second- richest country in the European Union by the end of the decade. That same year, Riverdance premiered during the intermission of the Eurovision Song Contest, introducing the Irish-step-dancing-on-speed that would become a multi- million- dollar worldwide phenomenon.
Coincidence?
Not to fleet-footed (he has twice set the the world record for foot taps per second) Michael Flatley, who rose to fame with Riverdance and went on to create Lord of the Dance
and Feet of Flames.
“I really believe that when I created Riverdance in 1994, I believe that was the beginning of the Celtic Tiger,” says Flatley flatly, during a recent spin through Toronto. “Ireland was at a point when it was ready to explode, and I think that might have been just a little thing that tipped the scales ... Ireland has taken off like a rocket ship ever since.”
Given the shaky world economy now, it’s a relief Flatley is returning to the stage after a four-year hiatus. Celtic Tiger begins a 10-city Canadian tour tonight in Montreal (Visit www. celtictigerlive. com).
“I see [the Celtic Tiger as referring to] the heart and soul and spirit of the Irish race of people, who have constantly had to come back against the odds and triumph over adversity,” says Flatley, who grew up in Chicago, the child of immigrants from County Mayo. The show tracks that spirit through the ages, from the building of the ancient Newgrange passage tomb that predates the pyramids to the arrival of St. Patrick in 432 to the great famine of 1845 to the 1916 Easter Rising. And that’s before intermission.
“It’s a whole new way to tell a story,” says Flatley, whose new show includes 50 dancers and a 72-ton TV screen, the biggest in the world. “ If you can imagine, it’s like going to the world premiere of a movie, except in front of the screen you’ve got arguably the greatest dance troupe in the world and a lighting show that would rival anything Pink Floyd ever did. And then you’ve got millions of dollars of beautiful costumes and set design.” (For those who have accused Flatley of having the secondego in the E. U., note his use of the word “ arguably.”)
Thanks to his success, Flatley has amassed a collection of James Joyce artifacts and first editions. Recently, he went to see the writer’s manuscripts at the National Library in Dublin and was fascinated by his tinkering with the last line of Ulysses. “Originally it was ‘ yes I said yes I would Yes,’ ” notes Flatley. “He crossed that out and put in ‘ will’ afterward.”
He says that, like Joyce, he will fuss over the details of the show he is working on, sometimes staying up at night thinking about a single spin. “ I never met anyone else who thinks the way I do like that.”