Michael Flatley yesterday revealed that his two RDS shows in June would be his last performances in Ireland. However, he refused to say whether he would be hanging up his dancing shoes.
At a press conference in the POD nightclub on Harcourt Street, Dublin, to announce the shows on June 26th and June 27th, the "Lord of the Dance" demanded a great leap of faith from the assembled media, saying only that he was "feeling like a tiger" and was taking things "one day at a time". Flanked by the show's promoter, Jim Aiken, and publicist, Chris Roche, Flatley parried questions about his plans, saying: "When I'm ready to tell you what I'm going to do, I'll tell you."
He did not comment on rumours that he was going to retire after the show's current tour and he declined to elaborate on speculation that he was about to embark on a film career.
On his plans for this year, he said: "I've had offers from the White House and the British royal family. The schedule seems to be filling up quickly. We have a second company up and running in the US, and they've just sold out Radio City Music Hall. Soon we'll have a third company to perform in Las Vegas in May." He promised that the two Irish dates, in the outdoor RDS Showgrounds, would be "bigger, better, brighter and more exciting" than his previous shows at The Point. Lord Of The Dance is currently playing for a record-breaking 27 nights in London's Wembley Arena.
"Coming back to Dublin is great. I feel proud - here is where it all started for me. I brought it up with the other dancers and there were lots of tears in their eyes. They want to come home and perform."
When asked why he had previously said that Lord Of The Dance would not be returning to Dublin, he said: "I was under a lot of stress at that time - I had just had an exhausting tour of Australia and I didn't want to make promises I couldn't keep." Elaborating on the illness which put him out of action for part of his Australian tour, he said: "I had a chest infection which developed into pneumonia. That's because I was stubborn and kept dancing against medical advice."
He said he was now fully recovered and fit and ready to keep dancing. "I'm feeling like a tiger," he said.
Since its debut in Dublin in July 1996, Lord Of The Dance has grossed close to $100 million, played to over two million people worldwide and was the top-grossing show in the US last year. The video has also done well, selling 2.5 million copies in Australia alone.
As he high-stepped out of the Harcourt Street venue, he seemed quietly confident that up to 30,000 fans would watch him dance on "home turf" one last time.
