Michael Flatley: 5 Things About The ‘Riverdance’ Creator, 64, Diagnosed With An ‘Aggressive Form Of Cancer’

• Michael Flatley is an Irish-American dancer.
• He roseate to planetary fame successful the mid-1990s with his Riverdance performances.
• In 2023, astatine property 64, helium announced helium was warring “an assertive signifier of cancer.”

Michael Flatley, the Lord of the Dancer creator who acceptable the signifier afire with his accelerated footwork successful shows similar Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, and Feet of Flames, announced connected Wednesday (Jan. 11) that helium was battling cancer. “Dear friends, we person thing idiosyncratic to share,” work the connection connected his Instagram. “Michael Flatley has been diagnosed with an assertive signifier of cancer. He has undergone country and is successful the attraction of an fantabulous squad of doctors. No further comments volition beryllium made astatine this time. We inquire lone for your prayers and good wishes. Thank you.”

The quality comes astir 2 years aft helium told the Sunday Independent that helium battled tegument crab 2 decades prior. “I was diagnosed with tegument crab myself, and it was a precise scary time. I sympathize with anybody who is lying connected that furniture and facing the uncertainty of the future. It tin beryllium a frightening place,” helium stated. “It was a malignant melanoma that I was diagnosed with. It was astir 2003 and it was purely by accidental that it was noticed.”

Michael Flatley successful 1996 (David Fisher/Shutterstock)

As Michael continues his battle, here’s what you request to cognize astir this legendary dancer.

Michael Flatley Is A Dancer

Michael Flatley was calved to Irish-American parents connected July 16, 1958, successful Chicago, Illinois. His begetter was a plumber who founded the Frankfort-based Flatley’s Plumbing Express, according to the Chicago Tribune. Michael’s begetter besides loved Irish euphony and sent his lad to step-dancing classes. While astir Irish children increasing up successful Chicago’s Southwest Side ditched the creation classes for different hobbies, Michael kept astatine it.

“A woman said to maine connected TV 1 time: ‘You’re not Irish, you were calved successful Chicago. You’re American!'” Michael recounted to The Guardian. “I was reminded of that fantastic punctuation by Oscar Wilde: ‘I mightiness person been calved successful a barn, but that doesn’t marque maine a horse.'”

He Reportedly Set A World Record In 1989

In 1998, Michael acceptable a Guinness World Record of 28 taps per second, according to his website. His bio claims that helium bushed his ain grounds 9 years aboriginal successful 1998 by tapping 35 taps successful a 2nd (though this assertion would beryllium disputed by James Devine successful 2006, per The Scotsman).

“In general, it seems that radical spell aft Guinness records for the aforesaid crushed they bargain carphones: So they tin archer their friends, implicit and over, that they person one,” wrote the Chicago Tribune in 1989 aft Michael acceptable his archetypal record. “Flatley, however, was chasing thing grander than local-tavern glory. He is simply a superior dancer, the archetypal non-European to triumph the World Irish step-dancing title (in Dublin successful 1975), and the pat grounds surely won’t wounded his ambition to beryllium a benignant of Gregory Hines for the ’90s.”

Michael does person different Guinness World Record: “Highest Paid Dancer.” He earned $1.6 cardinal a week successful 2000 arsenic the prima of Lord of the Dance.

His Breakout Came At Eurovision

The 1994 Eurovision Song Contest was held successful Dublin, Ireland aft Niamh Kavanagh won the anterior twelvemonth with her opus “In Your Eyes.” The show’s producers included a seven-minute showcase of Irish creation led by Michael Flatley. The portion “began with the haunting vocals of the choral radical Anúna,” writes Irish Central, “followed by the accomplishment onstage of Jean Butler, emerging from a accepted Irish cloak to herald the opening of a full caller benignant of Irish dance. Michael Flatley…burst connected stage, dissimilar immoderate Irish dancer ever before. Their benignant and the onstage conflict betwixt the dancers and drummers brought thing caller to the Irish creation floor.”

The spectacle seemingly eclipsed the remainder of the night’s performances, resulting successful the instauration of a full-length amusement based astir Irish step-dancing. The resulting amusement was Riverdance, whose planetary occurrence helped motorboat Michael Flatley into the popular civilization pantheon.

Michael Flatley Retired In 2016

(Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

A quality with the Riverdance producers resulted successful Michael going his ain way. He created Lord of the Dance, a amusement that topped Riverdance in spectacle and container bureau success. He would besides oversee the instauration of Feet of Flames, Celtic Tiger, and Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games. He yet retired successful 2016, citing ongoing injuries from a beingness of dancing. He decided to measurement distant from dancing, but he’d proceed producing and directing. In 2017, Flatley’s creation troupe performed astatine the inauguration of Donald Trump.

“We are going connected 20 years, and I’m honored to contiguous this superb radical of dancers,” helium told the San Diego Union-Tribune in 2016. “I’ve ever said each nighttime volition beryllium our champion nighttime ever. People wage hard-earned money, truthful let’s enactment arsenic hard arsenic we tin to springiness them thing special. That’s wherefore we are inactive here.”

An MTV Viewer Spotted His Skin Cancer

Michael Flatley’s 2023 crab diagnosis came astir 2 decades aft helium fought melanoma. He told the Irish Independent in 2021 that helium learned astir this crab from an eagle-eyed MTV viewer. “We were astatine the 5th day of Lord of the Dance successful Las Vegas, and I did an interrogation with MTV,” helium said. “Somebody watched the interrogation and brought it to the attraction of my idiosyncratic adjunct and said: ‘Did you ever announcement the brownish spot connected the broadside of Michael’s face?’ I had ne'er adjacent noticed it.”

Michael went to a doctor, who took a sample. Flatley was connected his mode to Barbados the adjacent time erstwhile helium got a telephone from the doc urging him to spot him immediately. “He said if I had fto it spell a fewer much weeks, determination was astir apt thing helium could person done for me,” helium said. The crab was treated rapidly and near nary broadside effects.

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