Michael Flatley Biography
Michael Flatley is an Irish-American dancer, choreographer, and musician who was born on July 16, 1958, in Chicago, Illinois, the United States as Michael Ryan Flatley. Michael became internationally known for Irish dance shows Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames, and Celtic Tiger Live. Michael’s shows have played to more than 60 million people in 60 countries and have grossed more than $1 billion.
Michael is credited with reinventing traditional Irish dance by incorporating new rhythms, syncopation, and upper body movements, which were previously absent from the dance. Michael is in the Guinness World Records for tap dancing 35 times per second and his feet were at one time insured for $57.6 million. Flatley retired in 2016 due to constant spinal, knee, foot, as well as rib pain.
10 Quick Facts About Michael Flatley
- Name: Michael Flatley
- Age: 63 years
- Birthday: 16 July
- Zodiac Sign: Cancer
- Height: 5 feet 9 inches
- Nationality: Irish-American
- Occupation: Dancer, Choreographer, and Musician
- Marital Status: Married
- Salary: Under Review
- Net worth: $350 million
Michael Flatley Age
Michael is 63 years old as of 2021, he was born on July 16, 1958, in Chicago, Illinois, the United States as Michael Ryan Flatley. He celebrates his birthday on the 16 July of every year and his birth sign is Cancer.
Michael Flatley Height
Michael stands at a height of 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall.
Michael Flatley Weight
Michael has a weight of 143 lbs (65 kg).
Michael Flatley Education
Flatley studied at Brother Rice High School, an all-boys Catholic private school on Chicago’s Southwest Side.
Michael Flatley Parents
Flatley is the son of Michael Sr. and his wife Elizabeth Eilish Ryan. His parents were both born in Ireland but immigrated to the United States in 1947. His father was a plumber.
Michael Flatley Siblings
Michael is the second-born of five children. He has three sisters, Ann-Marie, Eliza, and Thomasina, and a brother, Patrick.
Michael Flatley Wife
Michael married his wife Niamh O’Brien on October 14, 2006, through a Roman Catholic ceremony in Fermoy, County Cork. The couples are proud parents of a son, Michael St. James born in 2007.
Michael Flatley Net Worth
Michael has an estimated net worth of $350 million dollars as of 2021. This includes his assets, money, and income. His primary source of income is his career as a dancer, choreographer, and musician. Through his various sources of income, Michael has been able to accumulate good fortune but prefers to lead a modest lifestyle.
Michael Flatley Measurements and Facts
Here are some interesting facts and body measurements you should know about Flatley.
Michael Flatley Wiki
- Full Names: Michael Ryan Flatley
- Popular As: dancer, choreographer, and musician.
- Gender: Male
- Occupation/Profession: dancer, choreographer, and musician.
- Nationality: American
- Race/Ethnicity: Not Available
- Religion: Not Known
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
Michael Flatley Birthday
- Age/How Old?: 63 years old as of 2021
- Zodiac Sign: Cancer
- Date of Birth: July 16, 1958
- Place of Birth: Detroit, Michigan
- Birthday: 16th July
Flatley Body Measurements
- Body Measurements: Not Available
- Height / How Tall?: 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall.
- Weight: 143 lbs (65 kg)
- Eye Color: Brown
- Hair Color: Blonde
Flatley Family and Relationship
- Father (Dad): Michael Sr. Flatley
- Mother: Elizabeth Eilish Ryan
- Siblings (Brothers and Sisters): Ann-Marrie, Eliza, Thomasina, and Patrick
- Marital Status: Married
- Wife/Spouse: Married to Niamh O’Brien
- Children: Sons (Michael St. James)
Flatley Net Worth and Salary
- Net Worth: $350 million dollars
- Salary: Under Review
- Source of Income: Choreographer, Dancer, and Musician
Flatley House and Cars
- Place of living: To be Updated
- Cars: Car Brand to be Updated
Michael Flatley Riverdance
After attracting the attention of Ireland’s president, Mary Robinson, and dance-show producers, Michael was invited to help create an intermission show for the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. Michael, alongside co-choreographer and fellow Chieftains performer Jean Butler and vocal ensemble Anúna, performed a seven-minute show for the interval act of the contest, which was held in Ireland.
After receiving worldwide acclaim, he pushed to turn the show into a full-length production which became Riverdance. The show was produced by Moya Doherty, with principal choreography by Michael and lead performances by Flatley and Butler.
In September 1995, after the show sold out, Michael left Riverdance to pursue what would eventually become Lord of the Dance. Michael had been in a dispute with the producers over his salary and royalty fees. Michael was fired the night before the show was set to open in London and replaced with Colin Dunne.
Michael also did not work well with Butler, who later said that, although he was “extremely charming”, she wasn’t attracted to him and he was put off by that. On the split, Flatley said, “I just wanted control over the work that I had created myself. That’s all. I don’t think that that’s too much to ask. I felt like I built it and they took it, and that’s the end of it… and it hurt.”
Michael Flatley Lord of the Dances
Immediately after the Riverdance split, Michael decided to create his own show, Lord of the Dance, which was capable of playing in arenas as well as stadiums aside from traditional theaters. It premiered in June the year 1996 at the Point Theatre (now 3Arena) in Dublin then made its U.K. premiere at the London Coliseum. The music for the show was composed by Ronan Hardiman. In 1997, Michael earned £36 million, ranking him 25th among the world’s highest-earning entertainers.
In 1998, Michael created an expanded version of the show called Feet of Flames which served as its one-off performance and his final performance in Lord of the Dance. It was performed outdoors in the Rotten Row area of Hyde Park, London on a gigantic four-tier hydraulic stage, with a live band, as well as over 100 dancers performing on all four levels of the stage during the finale. Ronan Hardiman’s music from the original Lord of the Dance was used again along with new compositions, also by Hardiman himself. The show featured 6 new numbers; one of which is Flatley’s solo.
Following the success of the 1998 Hyde Park show, Michael produced another version of Feet of Flames in the year 1999, which included half of the original show and half new material. Titled Feet of Flames: The Victory World Tour, the show was performed a single-level stage and toured Europe in 2000 and the U.S. in the year 2001.
Frequent Asked Questions About Michael Flatley
Who is Michael Flatley?
Michael is an Irish-American former choreographer, dancer, and musician well known for his Irish dance shows, Feet of Flames, Lord of the Dance, Riverdance, and Celtic Tigers.
How old is Michael Flatley?
Flatley is 63 years old as of 2021. He was born on July 16, 1958, in Detroit, Michigan, United States of America.
How tall is Michael Flatley?
Michael stands at a height of 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall.
What happened to Michael Flatley?
Flatley retired in 2016 due to constant spinal, knee, foot, rib pain.
Is Flatley married?
Michael married his wife Niamh O’Brien on October 14, 2006, through a Roman Catholic ceremony in Fermoy, County Cork.
Is Michael alive?
Michael is still alive and in good health despite his constant spinal, knee, foot, rib pain.
How much is Flatley’s worth?
Michael is an Irish-American choreographer and dancer who has a net worth of $350 million.
Michael Flatley Social Media
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