Sometime during the '90s the Irish became the world's most popular ethnic group on the strength of strong beer, full-tilt music, a poetic brogue and the exuberant precision of its dancers—including the high tech versions touring the concert circuit and led by the likes of River Dance and Lord of the Dance. Michael Flatley became the Jumping Jack Flash of the new Irish hoofers. Recently, Flatley performed in Dublin for his first hometown show in many years, documented on Lord of the Dance (out on DVD).
In the interview prefacing the concert, Flatley describes himself as a hard working dreamer—just the sort of bloke who can easily win the admiration of today's society. But of course, to watch Lord of the Dance is to realize there is nothing easy in the execution of Flatley's dream. A cast of up to 50 dancers, all of them sexy, move at lightning speed in a display of athleticism well suited to an age when the subtlety of classical ballet (or its modern off shoots) can easily get lost in the ruckus. Like ballet, Lord of the Dance tells elaborately costumed stories—wordless epics in motion. Flatley's fondness for mythic themes from the Celtic twilight is amped up and magnified with a light, sound and video show dwarfing most stadium rock acts—literally. According to Flatley, no less than 12 semi-trailers are required to haul the gear to the arena.
Why is Lord of the Dance so popular? The precision of the dancers can be breathtaking, but the towering grandeur and cold beauty of the production form a loud spectacle on a grand scale—something that can never be appreciated on a tiny iPhone screen.
