Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames is an Irish dance show directed by Michael Flatley and scored by Ronan Hardiman.
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History
Feet of Flames:Hyde Park
Feet of Flames was created in 1998 by dancer Michael Flatley, made famous by the musical Riverdance. First created for Flatley's last show as the "Lord of the Dance", the show was a one-off performance in London's Hyde Park on July 25, 1998, playing to approximately 50,000 people. The show itself closely resembles its predecessor, Lord of the Dance. However Feet of Flames doubles the dancers, adds new numbers, and a new stage with multi-level tiers for the dancers. 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's of London were used for the first time in this show. TV screens on both sides of the stage were also installed and now used in all the shows that feature Flatley. Film of the Hyde Park show was later distributed on VHS and DVD.
Feet of Flames 2000 World Tour
On September 21, 1999 Michael Flatley announced a Feet of Flames world tour for 2000. This tour began on Wednesday, March 1, 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.[citation needed] Both the original female leads Bernadette Flynn and Gillian Norris were replaced by Sarah Clark and Leigh Ann McKenna. Also the role of the Dark Lord was changed from Daire Nolan to 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. Saroise the "good girl" became The Swan. Also Morrighan the Temptress (the "bad girl") became Cleopatra. Helen Eagan's part as the little spirit expanded into a bigger role as she became the Court Jester in the World Tour. The Highlight of the 2000 tour was Flatley and the Troupe performing in Budapest to over 100,000 people. The European part of the 2000 World Tour concluded on July 29, 2000 in Stormont Castle, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Feet of Flames 2001 "Victory Tour"
The 2001 tour, dubbed the "USA Victory Tour", had a preview show on June 6, 2001 in the Bi-Lo Center, Greenville, South Carolina. The tour officially began on June 8, 2001 in the AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami, Florida. The highlight of the tour was Michael Flatley performing for the first time in Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 29, 2001. The Victory Tour ended on July 29, 2001 in Dallas, Texas in the American Airlines Center, the second event to be held at the venue. The last time Feet of Flames was performed with Michael Flatley was July 29, 2001. Michael Flatley was said to have retired that night[citation needed] but later in 2005 would come out with a new show — Celtic Tiger.
Feet of Flames 2008 & 2009 Tour
Feet of Flames will return to the world stage with lead dancers Damien O' Kane and Bernadette Flynn leading the helm. Michael Flatley will not be dancing for the first time in this show. This show will resemble the Hyde park version of the show, instead of the world tour version. At this point in time it will be a two-week tour in Taiwan. It is possible Flatley is testing the waters to see if this tour will be successful. Future tours may follow. The press release from Michael Flatley's company Unicorn Entertainment is as follows:
"Unicorn Entertainment proudly announces the return of Feet of Flames for a two week tour of Taiwan in January 2008. Damien O’Kane & Bernadette Flynn will be taking the lead roles accompanied by a company of over 100 people. The show dates are:
Jan 19-20 - Taipei Arena - 2 shows daily
Jan 25 - Tainan City Stadium - 1 show
Jan 26 - Kaohsiung County Stadium (Fengshan) - 1 show
Jan 27 - Taichung City Fulfillment Amphitheatre - 1 show"
FEET OF FLAMES 2009
Flatley returns to the stage for a limited engagement in Taiwan in December 2009.
Michael will once again star in his blockbuster production, Feet of Flames from December 16-22.
Dates and Times:
December 16 - 7:30pm December 22 - 7:30pm Kaohsiung Stadium Kaohsiung
December 18 - 7:30pm Taichung Arena Taichung
December 19-20 - 2:30pm - 7:30pm Taipei Arena Taipei
VHS and DVD releases
The Feet of Flames show from Hyde Park in 1998 was put on VHS and DVD. There were rumours about the 2000 and 2001 World Tour version of the show being put out on DVD. The Budapest show in 2000 was recorded for an actual full show DVD release. For an unknown reason however this never happened, instead clips of the show were put on Michael Flatley's autobiography/concert DVD Michael Flatley Gold. Included on the DVD are the numbers:
- The Court of High Kings
- Firedance
- Cleopatra
- Thunder and Lightning
- Stolen Kiss
- The Duel
- Victory March/Victory Dance
- Feet of Flames solo
The show was also recorded at certain venues during the 2001 Victory Tour in the USA. The Madison Square Garden show on June 29, 2001 in New York City as well as the American Airlines Center show on July 29, 2001 in Dallas, Texas were recorded. The American leg of the tour was filmed for an IMAX planned for release in 2002. In addition parts of the footage were going to be used in a film featuring Michael Flatley.[citation needed] The working title for the film was supposedly "Dream Dancer", a fictional love story.[citation needed] Clips of the rehearsal process for the movie can be found on Michael Flatley Gold. 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.[citation needed]
Credits for the 1998 DVD
- Directors — Michael Flatley, David Mallet
- Producers — Michael Flatley, Martin Flitton, Dione Orrom, Helen Parker
- Composer — Ronan Hardiman
- Lighting Designer - Patrick Woodroffe
1998 show
Performance dates
- 25 July 1998: Hyde Park, The Historic Route of Kings
Leading roles for the 1998 show
- The Lord of the Dance — Michael Flatley
- Don Dorcha, the Dark Lord — Daire Nolan
- Erin, the Goddess — Anne Buckley
- The Little Spirit — Helen Egan
- Morrigan, the Temptress — Gillian Norris
- Saoirse, the Irish Colleen — Bernadette Flynn
Numbers from the 1998 show
- Act I
- Cry of the Celts
- Erin the Goddess — Marble Halls
- Celtic Dream
- The Warriors
- Gypsy
- Siamsa-Dance Above The Rainbow
- Dueling Violins
- Breakout
- Warlords
- Erin the Goddess — Magdain Mara
- The Lord of the Dance
- Act II
- The High Priests
- Whispering Wind
- Saoirse-Dance of Love
- Dangerous Game
- Hell's Kitchen
- Spirit's Lament
- Fiery Nights
- Lament
- Celtic Fire
- Siamsa
- Erin the Goddess — Carrickfergus
- Stolen Kiss
- Nightmare
- The Duel
- Victory
- Feet of Flames
- Planet Ireland
2000/2001 World Tour
Performance dates
2000 tour
- March:
- 3-6: Messehalle, Erfurt, Germany
- 8-9: Arena, Köln, Germany
- 13-17: Schleyerhalle, Stuttgart, Germany
- 22-26: Sportpaleis, Antwerpen, Belgium
- 30-31: Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany
- April:
- 1-4: Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany
- 6-8: Arena, Oberhausen, Germany
- 14-15: Forum, Copenhagen, Denmark
- May:
- 2-7: Stadthalle, Wien, Austria
- 15-21: Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- 26-28: Messehalle, Leipzig, Germany
- 30: Arena, Köln, Germany
- June:
- 2-3: Sportpaleis, Antwerpen, Belgium
- 6-8: Ostseehalle, Kiel, Germany
- 10-11: Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany
- 13-18: Hallenstadion, Zürich, Switzerland
- 20-27: Olympiahalle, München, Germany
- July:
- 1-3: Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany
- 9-11: Preussag Arena, Hannover, Germany
- 13-16: Maimarkthalle, Mannheim, Germany
- 19: Stadion, Budapest, Hungary
- 22-25: Waldbühne, Berlin, Germany
- 29: Stormont Castle, Belfast, N. Ireland
2001, The Victory Tour
- June:
- 6: Bi-Lo Center, Greenville, SC
- 8: AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami, FL
- 10: Ice Palace, Tampa, FL
- 13:Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
- 15: United Center, Chicago, IL
- 16: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI
- 21:Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH
- 23: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH
- 25-26:First Union Center, Philadelphia, PA
- 27: MCI Center, Washington, DC
- 29: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
- July:
- 1: Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
- 11: Rose Garden, Portland, OR
- 12: Key Arena, Seattle, WA
- 14: Arco Arena, Sacramento, CA
- 15: Compaq Center, San Jose, CA
- 20: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
- 25: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
- 27: Compaq Center, Houston, TX
- 29: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Leading roles for the 2000/2001 World Tour
- The Firespirit — Michael Flatley
- 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 — Anne Buckley
Numbers from the 2000/2001 World Tour
- Act I
- The Court of the High Kings
- Firedance
- The Irish Queen — an Maghdainn Mara
- Dance of the Swans
- Warriors
- Cleopatra's Spell
- Fire Strings
- Strip Jig
- Warlords
- The Irish Queen — Marble Halls
- Kaleidoscope
- Celtic Fire
- Act II
- The High Kings
- The Jester's Capture
- Hell's Kitchen
- Shalamar
- The Swan's Dream
- Thunder and Lightning
- The Irish Queen — Carrickfergus
- Stolen Kiss
- The Jester's Nightmare
- The Duel
- Victory March
- Victory Dance
- Feet of Flames
- Planet Ireland
See also
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External links
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