''Feet of Flames'' is 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 vario ...

show directed by

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 ...

and scored by

Ronan Hardiman Ronan Hardiman (born 19 May 1961 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish composer, famous for his soundtracks to Michael Flatley's dance shows '' Lord of the Dance'', ''Feet of Flames'' and ''Celtic Tiger Live''. Early life Hardiman was born in Dublin o ...

.BBC
/ref> Flatley was known for the shows ''

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 ...

'' and '' Lord of the Dance''.

History

Hyde Park 1998

The Hyde Park show was first created as a one-off performance of Flatley's previous show, "Lord of the Dance". It premiered on 25 July 1998, playing to approximately 25,000 people at

Rotten Row Rotten Row is a broad track running along the south side of Hyde Park in London. It leads from Hyde Park Corner to Serpentine Road. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Rotten Row was a fashionable place for upper-class Londoners to be seen hors ...

(known as "Route of Kings"), an open-space arena-like riding track area located in the south side of London's

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

. Although closely resembling its predecessor, this show merged troupes, added new numbers, and featured a multi-level stage for the finale as well as an all-male choir and a live band. Amongst the new numbers is Flatley's solo – "Feet of Flames", which the show is based around. The show introduced some of the key elements that are now featured when Flatley performs. His silver-heeled shoes made by

Freed of London Freed of London Ltd, often referred to simply as ''Freed'', is a designer and manufacturer of pointe shoes and other dance shoes. The company additionally manufactures dance apparel, bridal, and fashion collections. Freed of London shoes are ha ...

were used for the first time in this show. TV screens on both sides of the stage were installed and are now used in all the shows that feature Flatley. Film of the Hyde Park show was later distributed on VHS and DVD.

2000-2001 World/Victory Tour

On 21 September 1999 Michael Flatley announced a "Feet of Flames" world tour for 2000. This tour began on Wednesday, 1 March 2000, in Germany. The show differed significantly from the original 1998 version. The show had new numbers, new leads, a new story line and a "whole new outlook" in the words of Flatley. Both the original female leads

Bernadette Flynn Bernadette Mary Flynn (born 1 August 1979 in Nenagh, County Tipperary, Ireland) is an Irish dancer best known for her work in '' Lord of the Dance'' and ''Feet of Flames''. Biography Flynn was born on 1 August 1979 in Nenagh, County Tipperary, ...

and

Gillian Norris Gillian Norris (born 29 December 1978) is an Irish dancer and model best known for her work in '' Lord of the Dance'' and '' Feet of Flames''. Norris was born in Kilmacthomas, County Waterford, Ireland on 29 December 1978 to Mary Norris and ...

were replaced by Sarah Clark and Leigh Ann McKenna.

Daire Nolan Daire Nolan (born 1 December 1968) is an Irish dancer and choreographer best known for his work in '' Lord of the Dance'' and ''Feet of Flames''. Nolan has been dancing since the age of ten under the guidance of his parents Rose and Tony Nolan ...

was replaced by Stephen Brunning. Both Daire Nolan and Gillian Norris went on to pursue their own careers after the 1998 show. Bernadette Flynn left to dance with Lord of the Dance troupe one until 2001. Some of the characters changed slightly in the show. Lord of the Dance became Firespirit, Saroise became The Swan and Morrighan the Temptress became Cleopatra. The Dark Lord was remained but there are sayings that they still used Don Dorcha as the name. Helen Egan's part as the little spirit became the Court Jester in the World Tour. The Highlight of the 2000 tour was Flatley and the Troupe performing 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 ...

to over 100,000 people. The European part of the 2000 World Tour concluded on 29 July 2000 in

Stormont Castle Stormont Castle is a manor house on the Stormont Estate in east Belfast which is home to the Northern Ireland Executive and the Executive Office. It is a Grade A listed building. History Stormont Castle was completed c.1830 and was reworked in ...

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, Northern Ireland. The 2001 tour, dubbed the "USA Victory Tour", had a preview show on 6 June 2001 in the

Bi-Lo Center Bon Secours Wellness Arena (formerly the BI-LO Center; The Well) is a multi-purpose arena in Greenville, South Carolina. The arena serves as the home of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL. History The Bon Secours Wellness Arena was buil ...

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

. The tour officially began on 8 June 2001 in the

AmericanAirlines Arena Kaseya Center (formerly known as American Airlines Arena from 1999 to 2021, FTX Arena from 2021 to 2023 and Miami-Dade Arena in 2023) is a multi-purpose arena located in Miami, Florida, along Biscayne Bay. It was constructed beginning in 1998 as ...

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. The highlight of the tour was Michael Flatley performing for the first time in

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 ...

in New York City on 29 June 2001. The tour ended on 29 July 2001 in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

in the

American Airlines Center The American Airlines Center (AAC) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the Victory Park neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena serves as the home of the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association and the Dallas S ...

, the second event to be held at the venue. The last time the show was performed was 29 July 2001. Michael Flatley was said to have retired that night but later in 2005 would come out with a new show,

Celtic Tiger The "Celtic Tiger" ( ga, An Tíogar Ceilteach) is a term referring to the economy of the Republic of Ireland, economy of Ireland from the mid-1990s to the late 2000s, a period of rapid real economic growth fuelled by foreign direct investment. ...

2008 and 2009 Tour

"Feet of Flames" returned to the world stage for a brief period with lead dancers Damien O' Kane and Bernadette Flynn taking the lead. This would mark the first time in the show's history that Michael Flatley did not star or dance in it. This show featured dances and costumes from 1998 Hyde Park show. Later in 2009 Flatley returned in the lead role.

2009

In 2009, Michael Flatley reprised his role in the 2009 tour held in the

Taipei Arena The Taipei Arena () is a multi-purpose stadium located in Songshan, Taipei, Taiwan, and it is operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC). Built in 2005, the large multi-purpose stadium can accommodate major international sport ev ...

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

, Taiwan. It was filmed for DVD and later released as noted in his website. It was also released on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk by Playback HD in 2010. The 2009 return of Michael Flatley would later mark his return to his show, Lord of the Dance in 2010.

CD, VHS and DVD releases

The "Feet of Flames" show from Hyde Park in 1998 was released on VHS and DVD. A CD of the new music from the Hyde park show was released with the DVD. The Budapest show in 2000 was recorded for DVD release but this did not happen; however, clips of the show were put on Michael Flatley's autobiography/concert DVD ''

Michael Flatley Gold Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

''. Included on the DVD are the numbers: * The Court of High Kings * Firedance * Cleopatra's Spell * Thunder and Lightning * Stolen Kiss * The Duel * Victory March/Victory Dance * Feet of Flames solo The

show on 29 June 2001 in New York City and the American Airlines Center show on 29 July 2001 in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, Texas, were recorded. The American leg of the tour was filmed for an

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme F ...

planned for release in 2002. In addition parts of the footage were going to be used in a film featuring Michael Flatley. The working title for the film was supposedly "Dream Dancer", a fictional love story. Clips of the rehearsal process for the movie can be found on ''

''. The film was, however, never completed. The original film from the shows in allegedly tied up in ownership dispute between the filming company and Michael Flatley's company Unicorn Entertainment. The 2009 Taiwan tour was filmed for an actual DVD release and later released on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk in 2010 The chanting of the monks from the "Court of High Kings" (Victory Tour) is sampled on the first track of Michael Flatley's flute album "On A Different Note", which was released in March 2011.

Credits for the 1998 DVD

* Directors –

, David Mallet * Producers – Michael Flatley, Martin Flitton, Dione Orrom, Helen Parker * Composer –

* Lighting Designer – Patrick Woodroffe

Band members

* Michael Flatley - flute * Cora Smyth and

Máiréad Nesbitt Máiréad Nesbitt ( , ) is an Irish musician. She is known for performing Celtic and classical music and being the former fiddler for ''Celtic Woman''. She was also one of the two original fiddlers in Michael Flatley’s '' Lord of the Dance'' ...

- Fiddles * Eammon Byrne - bass * Paul Drennen - keyboards * Jason Duffy - drums (1998 Hyde Park concert) * Gary Sullivan - drums (2000 World tour and 2001 Victory tour) Dave Cooley Bass * Simon Phillips - drums (on one concert during the 2000 World tour) * Gerard Fahey - pipe whistle * Dave Keary - guitars * John Mckeon - choir leader

1998

Leading roles

* The Lord of the Dance –

* Don Dorcha, the Dark Lord – Daire Nolan * Erin, the Goddess –

Ann Buckley Ann Buckley is an Irish musicologist, born in Dublin. Buckley studied at University College Cork (B.Mus., 1971; M.A. 1972), Doctoraal (University of Amsterdam, 1976) and a Ph.D. (University of Cambridge, 1991). She has held academic positions ...

* The Little Spirit – Helen Egan * Morrighan, the Temptress –

* Saoirse, the Irish Colleen –

Numbers

Act I *1. Cry of the Celts *2. Erin the Goddess – Marble Halls *3. Celtic Dream *4. Warriors *5. Gypsy *6. Dance Above The Rainbow (Instrumental) *7. Dueling Violins nstrumental*8. Breakout *9. Warlords *10. Erin the Goddess – Maighdean Mhara *11. The Lord of the Dance (Instrumental) Act II *12. The High Priests *13. Whispering Wind *14. Dance of Love *15. Dangerous Games *16. Hell's Kitchen *17. Spirit's Lament *18. Fiery Nights *19. The Lament *20. Celtic Fire *21. Siamsa *22. Erin the Goddess – Carrickfergus *23. Stolen Kiss *24. Nightmare *25. The Duel nstrumental*26. Victory (instrumental) *27. Feet of Flames *28. Planet Ireland (Instrumental) and Encore

2000/2001 World Tour

Leading roles

* The Firespirit –

* The Swan (2000/2001) – Sarah Clarke * The Swan (2001) – Bernadette Flynn * Cleopatra – Leigh Ann McKenna * Alternating Cleopatra – Kelly Hendry * The Dark Lord – Stephen Brunning * The Court Jester – Helen Egan * The Irish Queen – Ann Buckley

Numbers

Act I *1. The Court of the High Kings *2. Firedance *3. The Irish Queen – an Maghdainn Mara (Instrumental) *4. Dance of the Swans *5. Warriors *6. Cleopatra's Spell *7. Fire Strings *8. Strip Jig (Instrumental) *9. Warlords *10. The Irish Queen – Marble Halls *11. Kaleidoscope *12. Celtic Fire Act II *13. The High Kings *14. The Jester's Capture *15. Hell's Kitchen *16. Shalamar *17. The Swan's Dream *18. Thunder and Lightning *19. The Irish Queen – Carrickfergus *20. Stolen Kiss *21. Jester's Nightmare *22. The Duel *23. Victory March (Instrumental) *24. Victory Dance (Instrumental) *25. Feet of Flames (Instrumental) *26. Planet Ireland (Instrumental)

Gallery

References

External links

Michael Flatley home page
{{Irish dance Irish dance Touring theatre