My name is Nick P. I am devoting my blog to one of the greatest entertainers in the world, Michael Flatley. Here I will critique his shows, talk about my experiences with them. the history behind them, and what I would do if I was the producer of them.
Here's an interview with two of the leads of Lord of the Dance circa early 2000s in Vegas. I've just got one question: WHY HAVE I NOT SEEN THIS BEFORE?!?
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On Thursday, March 17th, Michael made his final stage appearance ever. For over 22 years, 7 shows {Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames, Feet of Flames 2000, Celtic Tiger, Lord of the Dance- The Return of Michael Flatley as Lord of the Dance, and Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games}, this legendary performer is hanging up his shoes for good. I am disappointed I never saw him perform live, but I am happy to say I have witnessed several of the shows he crafted. I don’t think Irish Dance, or the whole dance world for that matter, would be the same without you. You are forever dancing in our hearts. Thank you for sharing your dreams with us. Here’s to the next chapter of your life.
Guys....... sorry for not being on in forever. Life got in the way. Anyways, I can't believe I am saying this, but somebody has to. Michael Flatley needs to step down as producer of Lord of the Dance after I discovered the atrocity he just committed to the legacy of the show. Now, I can't confirm that this is the case for ALL the music from the show, but I do know this: both music pieces for Cry of the Celts and Breakout have been scrapped since the Bucharest show. COTC has been replaced with the melody of "Firedance II" (I call it Firedance II because there were two versions of Firedance back when FOF2k was on tour. One was by Hardiman and the other was by Gerard Fahey.) Although "Firedance" does sort of marry the display on stage, the most unfortunate part is that the rest of the music doesn't. All of the mystery and magical beauty of the intro (what I have started calling The Dawning since a few years ago) is gone with a more lighthearted tune that you would probably hear coming out of any Irish pub. It is TOTALLY out of character for the show. The same is with the new version of Breakout. Overly lighthearted and not as energetic and boisterous as the original. What really irritates me is that this is an absolute slap in the face to the work of Hardiman. Here are links to the new versions of the music For The Dawning/Cry of the Celts: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCIXvuPXrv8) For Breakout (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_U47HLBEe4&list=UUMQMhfZ424SGtLEJzkFZgHg) Celtic Dream appeals to me (dangit), however, the transitions are WAY to abrupt. They aren't as intentional. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb9noDqN5-8) Gypsy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0No9rWDpjRs) MEDIOCRE at best. Ugh what a tragedy. The character of Morrighan has gone from amazing, to good, to crap in just fifteen years. Ugh bye bye to the days of her being a foil for Saoirse. Warriors (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnbTQG6mPs4) Just as mediocre as Gypsy. No umph. No sense of evil or any fear instilled. More to come as I watch them. So upset you all. So upset. Michael has basically ripped the hear out of the show now. He's changed the choreography, the costumes and NOW the music. Is nothing about this show important? Apparently not.
Had to break from tumblring for a while since I started school again back in August and had a lot of change happen! I should be working on my English essay, but I had to come here and give an update for all of you. I PROMISE I WILL FINISH THE COSTUMES OF FOF 98 POST ASAP.
BUT FIRST I HAVE SOME AMAZING INFO:
John McCulgon and Moya Doherty, the power couple behind the groundbreaking phenomenon of "Riverdance: The Show", have recently launched promotional material for a BRAND NEW SHOW entitled, "Heartbeat of Home". The show is choreographed by Lord of the Dance veteran John Carey and features music by Brian Byrne. Leading the ensemble is Lord of the Dance alumnus Ciara Sexton. The show is said to feature Afro-Cuban, Latin, and Irish music and dance. You can find out more about the show and its upcoming WORLD PREMIERE on its official website heartbeatofhome.com/
More news also about changes in the LOTD troupe line-ups, as well as a continuation on Feet of Flames 98 history, etc.
FINALLY finished with all the screen caps I needed to get for the costume design segment of my FOF 98 blog post. Yeesh. That was not fun. I will have that new post up soon. I am trying to decide if I should do drawings of the costumes to further explain the designs, but I am unsure if I want to take the time to do that. Fear not though! This blog is not dead!! Haha
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irishdancerswalkalittletaller - I want to follow you all!!!!!!!!!!!! and see roughly how many there are on tumblr. Sorry Irish dance blogs only! I will follow you all no matter how many there are so reblog this!!!
You’ve disappointed me. You’re supposed to be portraying a strong female lead, as you have been since I first watched you back when I was in elementary school. Instead, you come off like a ditz with that one hand always up like you’re interrupting someone. Plus, what happened to...
And here I thought I was the only one! Actually @thatsupergleekywholockianhead it's not her fault. It's Michael's for having the feel of the dance changed. And don't even get me started on like all of the costumes showing off waaaaaaaaaaaay too much fanny.
Feet of Flames boasted a 200 ft (61 m) stage, "the biggest ever built", to showcase the new show at the Route of Kings in Hyde Park, London, UK.
An extravagant piece, the stage was set as a castle courtyard featuring a working portcullis and catwalk.
The set also featured two jumbo trons so that attendees further back could see all the action from a further distance.
Stage Breakdown Diagram 1:
Key: Red- Band "pits" (Keys and drums are stage left. Fiddles, bass, electric guitar, etc. stage right)
Blue- Above stage walkway (accessed from backstage)
Green- Stage entrances (these are shifted to not show the celtic knots after Lord of the Dance number before the Little Spirit enters for "Dangerous Game" by the monks. Then they are shifted back to normal during Don Dorcha's short celebration of dispatching the Lord of the Dance.)
Pink- Draw bridges
Peach- Speaker clusters
Yellow- Aerial camera (used for aerial group shots and whatnot. Although necessary, I HATE this camera because it blocks the beautiful unicorn emblem)
Stage Breakdown Diagram 2:
Key
Chorus line reference- The reference line for the dancers so that they can perfectly line up flush for the "Lord of the Dance" number.
Stage edge boundary line- Self explanatory. Could also be used as a warning line for pyros.
Red- Spark pyro nozzles.
Orange- Flame pyro nozzles
I also believe that there are two fog pyros on the center platform for when Michael "disappears" after "Cry of the Celts". Gotta go back and watch the video to be sure!!
Yellow- Hydraulic stage lift
Blue- center platform trap door (Used by Michael at the end of "Feet of Flames" solo)
Red- Lift trap door (Where Michael is "magicked" back by The Little Spirit.)
Black- Center stage reference line
^ Pillars moved to open sides. These are later moved back to their previous positions seen at the top of the show just before The Duel.
Also, once it got dark enough, the black backdrop becomes bedazzled with numerous shimmering stars. It is able to part from the center and be used as an entrance (which is done three times in the show. Once for the Monk Choir, another time for Saoirse's entrance for Dance of Love, another for the Staircase of Doom, and lastly for the troupe's entrance for Planet Ireland.)
Daire Nolan (Don Dorcha) Standing in one of the pillars. I believe this was the pillar furthest stage right, and was also the only one allowing human access.
As you can see, there are eight torch columns on stage. These were placed like so in order to not be easy to seem earlier in the show when they aren't lit, and easy to spot when they are. They are a fine addition because they add to the whole castle courtyard feel of the set.
The Stairs of Doom: Though a fairly small set piece, this stair is one of the most important pieces of the show. The staircase is flanked by two torch bowls, and has a celtic knot rail on the back. It is also pre-rigged with two flame nozzles when Dorcha aims and fires at the Lord of the Dance. Although it is not quite visible in the film footage from the DVD of Feet of Flames, I am pretty sure there is a trap door at the top of the stairs for Michael to "disappear" during the pyro explosion.
Flame pyros going off as Michael finishes "Feet of Flames". Wow it looks like there are three rings of fire here. One lining the stage, another around the trap door Michael falls into, and a third around the thrust.
PLANET IRELAND's multi tiered stage:
Step 1: First a green panel is slid in and set into place behind the first hydraulic. After being locked into place, the floor piece begins to rise.
First hydraulic rising.
At full height the first teer reveals a white banner. The next teer then begins to rise and reveals a red orange banner. Thus, the Irish flag is formed once the teers reach their full height.
One of my favorite angle shots during Planet Ireland. You really get the a sense for the size of the set here.
The hydraulics at full height. The completed effect creates a four tiered level stage allowing every dancer to be seen and for the show to end with some major spectacle!
Sparks fly and fireworks go off as the show ends with Michael's shoes being left at center stage.
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I have tried to grasp what it must have been like to have seen the show on that summer's eve in Hyde Park so that I could fully appreciate every performance. Sadly I wasn't. Nontheless, here I go.
First of all, I've read many statements on YouTube and other places about this show and how they didn't like how some of the performers changed their dancing. My response to them is to not be so hasty. There is a reason for that. Consider the size of the crowd and the venue. There were 25,000 people in attendance. Every single dance had to be understood by each person in the audience. That means you have to make your movements more noticeable. So obviously the dancing is going to look a bit different.
MICHAEL FLATLEY
Michael definitely brought his "A" game for this show. It's amazing to see a guy at 40 hauling butt across (what was then) the largest stage ever built. His performance here is definitely one all Flatley fans remember. It's always a pleasure to see someone do something well and also fully enjoy it. (Watch closely and you will notice moments where he is practically holding back tears.) He never slouches one bit. Never gives half of what he could. He lays it ALL on the stage. And that is what every successful performer does right? Not only does Michael show his prowess as a dancer here, but also as a musician. (I also have to say that you can tell he had become a better actor since Lord of the Dance).
BERNADETTE FLYNN O'KANE
Hands down an amazing performance! From the first moments of her opening solo, you can see how much she had grown in two years of touring. Her moves flow more, her arm movements aren't awkward at all, and she looks even more gorgeous than before. In Dance of Love, she shows she can still be just as fluid in hardshoe as in soft. This is truly the best performance I ever have seen her do. (Pay special attention to her rocks. They are PERFECT.)
GILLIAN NORRIS
It's easy to see why Gillian was cast in the role of Morrighan with this performance. Gillian took this role up a couple notches, bringing a more outright flirtatious and fiery nature to the role of Morrighan in Feet of Flames as compared to her more mysterious and sexy performance in Lord of the Dance. The moment she first hits the stage clad in red, you know that you are about to witness something amazing. You can see how comfortable she is in the role, and how much fun she is having! As far as the technical side of her dancing, if you compare footage of LOTD to FOF you will see her dancing has gotten much sharper, and she has improved on her speed and hang time immensely. I truly believe Gillian's performance here is unmatched. There have been dancers who have come close (ie Ciara Sexton), but have not fully grasped the character.
DAIRE NOLAN
Daire owns the role of Don Dorcha in Feet of Flames. He brings a threatening fierceness to the role in not just his dancing, but also the way he acts while on stage. Intimidating, brash, forceful, there's never a doubt that this guy is the Dark Lord.
ANNE BUCKELY
Even more stunning than before, Anne again takes the stage for the musical intervals for the show- I Dreamt I Dwelt, An Magidhean Mara, and Carrickfergus. Michael said he'd never seen someone move one muscle at a time like Anne could. With a voice that's stronger than ever, she gives a wonderful performance. (My favorite being An Magidhean Mara.)
HELEN EGAN
It's clear from the moment she awakens from her slumber, that Helen Egan truly is The Little Spirit. She personifies this performance so well. One of my favorite moments is when she literally cries after receiving her mended flute from the Lord of the Dance. I have to agree with Michael. She truly was the star of the show.
MARIEAD NESBITT AND CORA SMITH
Two true Irish rockstars. With fiddles. These two work the crowd in their lively Act I number "Dueling Violins". Both of them are such skillful performers (but if you ask me, Mariead outshines Cora. She seems to be having a lot more fun with it.). In Act II they play "Lament" and then are featured in the "Celtic Fire" jam session with the band.
At the culmination of the show, Michael made sure to thank all of the principals involved, and brings them center stage for recognition from the audience. Which obviously, they truly deserved! What a cast!
Feet of Flames in Hyde Park debuted seven brand new numbers in the show with five of these being new musical intervals. (In order of appearance:)
MARBLE HALLS
Anne Buckley sings the first of three newly selected ballads for Feet of Flames just after the rousing opening "Cry of The Celts". The song has to do with a woman describing to her lover a dream that she had. Erin (Anne's character) describes the feelings of all of the lady's of the tribe who have welcomed the men of the tribe home from their scouting abroad (which occurred in COTC). "Marble Halls" is originally from an opera titled The Bohemian Girl and Celtic Women) in several modern day pieces.
DANCE ABOVE THE RAINBOW
A new siamsa number was inserted just after "Gypsy". Here, the Lord's Court is celebrating the return of the tribe's army and a new time of peace.
DUELING VIOLINS
Clad in royal blue, Mairead Nesbitt and Cora Smith take the stage to saw out on fiddles a new lively tune that further expresses the joyous mood of the tribe. These two ham it up on stage, strutting their stuff and giving the audience quite a good time!
AN MHAGIDAN MARA (The Mermaid)
THE HIGH PRIESTS
A large group of hooded figures enter from under the portcullis. They are a mysterious group of men. They sing/chant a very eerie song in an unknown language, alluding to oncoming conflict.
WHISPERING WIND
As a temporary reprieve to the tension in the air, the Lord of the Dance plays a peaceful slow air on his flute. (This was a special piece Michael had arranged to perform for his mother. This song was first performed in Riverdance by Michael as part of the show.)
DANCE OF LOVE
One of the major highlights of the show came at this point with Saoirse's appearance at the top of a red velvet staircase. Led by the Lord, clad in sparkling black and white top and skirt, performs a hard-shoe routine to "King of the Fairies" re-arranged by Ronan Hardiman. It's an elegant piece, and considered by Flatheads (Michael Flatley Fans) to be as Bernadettes most memorable performance. This dance shows just how skillful she is/was as a multi-time World Champion dancer.
CARRICKFERGUS
Erin The Goddess takes the stage for the last time in the show. The song she sings is "Carrickfergus", but with some altered lyrics. This song serves the same purpose more or less as "Our Wedding Day" in Lord of the Dance.
FEET OF FLAMES
This was the icing on the cake for Feet of Flames. Before the grande finale, Michael takes the stage for a number that would go down in history. Crafted on Michael's 40th Birthday, Michael shows off his amazing skill.
At this time, the Lord of the Dance recounts his time going "through the fire" of the underworld after being defeated by Don Dorcha, and his journey back with the help of the Little Spirit.
Out of all of these numbers, "Dance Above The Rainbow" is the only one that was never performed after Hyde Park. "I Dreamt I Dwelt", "An Mhagidean Mara", and "Carrickfergus" went on to replace "Suil A Ruin", "Anach Cuin", and "Our Wedding Day" in Lord of the Dance. Michael performed "Feet of Flames" and "Whispering Wind" during the tour of "Feet of Flames 2000", the Taiwan Tour of "Feet of Flames (Hyde Park Version)" in 2011, and only a couple times during the "Return of Michael Flatley as Lord of the Dance" tour. "Dance of Love" was added into the "Return" tour and performed in Taiwan.
After the smashing success of Lord of the Dance, expanding to three separate troupes, and overseeing each production, Michael felt it was time to hang up his shoes for good and retire, but not before he created one last show that would be the biggest he'd ever created.
From Michael Flatley's Ireland:
The title 'Feet of Flames' was first applied to a Michael Flatley show in a unique, one-night outdoor event in London's Hyde Park, at the so-called Route of Kings, a natural hollow used for concerts at the Park Lane end of the park. Apparently the direct result of a casual conversation between Michael and his friend and business manager, Martin Flitton, earlier that year (1998), its original intent was as a Grande Finale extravaganza of Michael's own Lord of the Dance world tour, and as his stage 'farewell'. Two solid years of touring with Lord of the Dance, especially as that came straight after Riverdance, had taken their toll on Michael physically, mentally and emotionally, and he knew his manic schedule had to cease. At the time he was unable to see past the 'stop!' sign, particularly having had doctors tell him repeatedly how hard he had pushed his body and what danger he had put it in. Since Lord of the Dance had been created at speed and under severe financial pressure, he knew there was still much he wanted to do with it, and as the Hyde Park plan included making a new video of the performance and including a considerable amount of new material, it made sense to give the occasion its own special title. In the event, the Hyde Park 'Feet of Flames' proved to be not only a unique spectacle but to form both the climax of one Flatley creative era and the prelude to another.
Feet of Flames is still considered Michael's most memorable and ambitious shows ever created.
I've been looking forward to sharing my knowledge and opinions of this show since it is my favorite. I plan to discuss:
-New numbers and how they integrate into the plot of Lord of the Dance.
I think LOTD will not be around for more than another five years because it has become "just another Riverdance". At least here in the US I believe that would be the case. I believe that it would lengthen the longevity of the show if it was re-designed with the original in mind. This would mean going back to creating a world of that looks like it is out of the long forgotten past.
Since I doubt that anyone else will, I've decided to do my own rendering of the show with this in mind, and post it on here for you to see.
Today Lord of the dance is a far cry from what we saw back in 1996. Why the change? I believe Michael wanted to make the show more hip so that it would appeal to a wider audience. However in doing so Michael lost the heart of the show. What is more the performance of the show is not as high-class as it used to be.
Original Show 1996
2012 Tour
The look and feel of the show today is more like a flashy Irish Dance review show, than an actual dramatic piece of Irish Folklore.
What do you think?
MY PROBLEMS WITH THE SHOW:
1. High tech set that overshadows the dancing and therefore distracts from the storyline.
2. Stage size and shape that limits the traveling abilities of the dancers and also crowds them in.
3. Sub par choreography and awkward changes (ex: arms out with bent elbows for Saoirse, posey moments, etc.)
4. Costumes- needlessly short skirts, Morrighan's latex bodysuits, TUXEDOES IN FIERY NIGHTS, Little Spirit's Jester costume.
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THE FILM "Lord of the Dance" was filmed over three nights at The Pointe Theatre (what is now the O2 arena). Overall, the film is an acceptable preservation of the show itself. However, their are some aspects of the film that are not appropriate. Most of the show is filmed with composite shots, close ups, irregular cuts, and worst of all: slow motion specials instead of taking a more simplistic approach to filming. The problem here is that Michael over stylized the film. He did not think to go for a more basic approach. In simpler terms, instead of taking a broader focus to shooting the film, the show was shot with too much attention to detail. The camera would go from a group shot with rapid cuts to feet, faces, wide shot of the stage, and then a wide angle aerial shot. What's even more distracting is how fast the cuts, or movements were. This style of filming is quite common with Irish Dance shows nowadays. The film would have been more enjoyable if it was shot more simply. Instead of rapid fire shots at different angles, or only showing half the body of a dancer, the camera would be focused more on the full body of the dancer as they travel the stage. And with large groups there would be more of a focus on the whole group in a full body shot, with only a few changes in camera position and angle. Besides that, the film had one little blooper. A good while after the banners fall and are taken off stage, they are seen hanging again! I cannot recall where this takes place in the movie, but when I do I will be sure to post where. The film comes with a behind the scenes look at the creation of Lord of the Dance with commentary from the production team, the dancers, and of course, Michael himself. THE SOUNDTRACK On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate the original soundtrack at about a 6.5. Here's why: Although the instrumentation, mix, and sound quality are stellar, there are several misfires on this CD: -Cry of the Celts begins right before Michael's solo and does not include the slow air version of the Lord of the Dance melody, or the music for the girls slip jig. - "Strings of Fire" is not featured on the CD - Instead of "She Moved Through The Faire" being featured on the CD, a new version with the same music, but different lyrics was used. (Our Wedding Day) The rest of the CD is quite good though. If you want to purchase the movie or CD or both, they can be found on any major bookstore website such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. The soundtrack can easily be purchased on iTunes also.
The Feet of Flames Taiwan Tour has it's opening night kickoff today. After checking the official Michael Flatley website, I found out that Bernadette and Damien O'Kane will be coming back to dance the lead roles for this tour. Tom Cunningham and Ciara Sexton will be performing the roles of Don Dorcha and Morrighan respectively alongside a troupe of 80 dancers. Kate Pomfret will play the Little Spirit, and Mary- Ann Roddy will be filling the role of Erin The Goddess. I will post YouTube videos and pics as soon as I can find them! Also, I am thinking of hiring an assistant to help me out with this blog. DM me if you are interested!
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