''Celtic Tiger Live'' or more often known ''Michael Flatley's Celtic Tiger'' or just ''Celtic Tiger'' was an
Irish dance
Irish dance refers to a group of traditional dance forms that originate in Ireland, encompassing dancing both solo and in groups, and dancing for social, competitive, and performance purposes. Irish dance in its current form developed from vari ...
show.
History
Michael Flatley
Michael Ryan Flatley (born July 16, 1958) is an Irish-American dancer. He became known for Irish dance shows ''Riverdance'', '' Lord of the Dance'', ''Feet of Flames'', and ''Celtic Tiger Live''. Flatley's shows have played to more than 60 milli ...
, known for
Riverdance
''Riverdance'' is a theatrical show that consists mainly of traditional Irish music and dance. With a score composed by Bill Whelan, it originated as an interval act during the Eurovision Song Contest 1994, featuring Irish dancing champions Jean ...
,
Lord of the Dance and
Feet of Flames
''Feet of Flames'' is an Irish dance show directed by Michael Flatley and scored by Ronan Hardiman. Flatley was known for the shows ''Riverdance'' and ''Lord of the Dance (musical), Lord of the Dance''.
History Hyde Park 1998
The Hyde Park sho ...
, created ''Celtic Tiger'' which debuted in 2005. After being retired for four years, Flatley announced he was going to tour with a new show. In the summer of 2004 Flatley started the rehearsals of a new show in the SFX Theatre in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, Ireland. In the autumn of 2004 the rehearsals moved on in the Shepperton Studios in London. Michael tried his best to keep the details including the name of the show a secret. Michael announced on his website in April 2005 that he was going to have a preview show of his new show Celtic Tiger in June 2005.
''Celtic Tiger'' had its first performance at a private, invitation-only performance at the NIA Birmingham, England on 17 June 2005. The show was first performed for the public on 9 July 2005 in the
Puskás Stadion (formerly the Népstadion) in
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
, Hungary. Another preview show was planned for
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
in the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
, but at the last minute that show was cancelled due to the venue (which included a massive stage specially built for the show) was unsafe for the dancers.
The next show, a preview show for the US tour, was held in Worcester, Massachusetts, on 24 September 2005, followed by a gala performance in New York City's
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
on 27 September 2005, the show's official US premiere. The show then toured through Canada and sections of the US, with the final 2005 performance at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia on 26 November 2005.
''Celtic Tiger'' started its European World Tour on 20 April 2006 at the Point Theatre in Dublin. That show was the first time Flatley had danced in the
Point Theatre
The Point Theatre (sometimes referred to as the Point Depot or simply as the Point) was a concert and events venue in Dublin, Ireland, that operated from 1988 to 2007, visited by in excess of 2 million people. It was located on the North Wall Qu ...
since he debuted ''Lord of the Dance''. On 15 November 2006, the Autumn and Winter tours for the ''Celtic Tiger'' tour of Europe and Asia were cancelled when Flatley was hospitalised for a viral infection for two weeks. Flatley claimed in his website that he would release future touring dates in early 2007 but never did.
Meaning
In the press release announcing the European preview of the show, Michael Flatley explained Celtic Tiger'' portrays the oppression of the Irish people through the ages and the tiger symbolises the awakening of their Spirit and their struggle for freedom. ''Celtic Tiger'' is my finest work to date. Budapest is one of my favourite cities in the world and I can think of no greater place to preview my new show."
Celtic Cafe
/ref>
Credits
* Director – Michael Flatley
* Producer – Michael Flatley
* Choreographer – Michael Flatley
* Leading role – Michael Flatley
Numbers
Act 1
1. The Heartbeat of the Tiger
2. Dancing in the Dark
3. St. Patrick
4. The Sleeping Tiger
5. The Vikings
6. Celtic Fire
7. The Garden of Eden
8. The Redcoats
9. The Famine
10. Four Green Fields
11. Bloody Sunday
12. A Call to Arms
13. The 1916 Rising
14. The Banshee
15. A Nation Once Again
Act 2
16. Freedom
17. A New World
18. The Last Rose
19. Celtic Kittens
20. Capone
21. Forever Free
22. Cowboy Cheerleaders
23. Yankee Doodle Dandy
24. Celtic Fire II
25. The Celtic Tiger
26. Encore - Yankee Doodle Dandy Reprise
Cast
* Michael Flatley
* Thomas Badger
Dancers
* Lisa Anderson
* Thomas Badger
* Desmond Bailey
* Lynsey Brown
* Cherie Butler
* Ciaran Connolly
* Martin Connolly
* Siobhan Connolly
* Arlene Cooke
* Sarah Doherty
* Alison Epsom
* David Folan
* Odette Galea
* Jason Gorman
* Damon Griffiths
* Cassandra Halloran
* Louise Hayden
* Mark Hennessy
* Niall Holly
* Laura Jones
* Joanne Kavanagh
* Megan Luke
* Maeve Madden
* Debbie Maguire
* Rachel Martin
* Owen McAuley
* Kathleen McCarthy
* Brian McEnteggart
* Leigh Ann McKenna
* Kevin McVittie
* Niamh O’Brien (later married to Flatley)
* Damien O’Dochartaigh
* Roisin O’Donnell
* Andrew O'Reilly
* Ian Oswald
* Zoltan Papp
* Gary Pender
* Chris Piper
* Katie Pomfret
* Sarah Redmond
* Margaret Revis
* Sarah Spratt
* Keagan Van Dooren
* Bryana Verner
* Scott Walker
* Stephen Walker
Band
* Jason Duffy — Drums and Percussion (DVD)
* Gary Sullivan -Drums and Percussion (Canada & US tour)
* Declan O'Donoghue — Drums and Percussion (tour)
* Niamh Gallagher — Fiddles
* Maire Egan — fiddles (DVD)
* Aongus Ralston — Bass Guitarist (tour)
* Gavin Ralston — Guitar (DVD & tour)
* Cora Smyth — Fiddles (DVD & tour)
* Brenda Curtin — fiddles (DVD)
* Niamh Gallagher — fiddles (DVD)
* John Colohan — Guitar (DVD)
Vocalists
* Una Gibney (DVD & tour)
* Paul Harrington (DVD and tour)
Tour dates
Cancelled shows
References
External links
''Celtic Tiger Live'' – Homepage
{{Michael Flatley
Irish dance
Touring theatre