For the nickname for Irish economic growth, see "Celtic Tiger

Celtic Tiger

Celtic Tiger is a term used to describe the economy of Ireland during a period of rapid economic growth between 1995 and 2007. The expansion underwent a dramatic reversal from 2008, with GDP contracting by 14% and unemployment levels rising to 14% by 2010...

"

Celtic Tiger Live or more often known "Michael Flatley's Celtic Tiger" or just "Celtic Tiger" was an Irish Dance

Irish dance

Irish dancing or Irish dance is a group of traditional dance forms originating in Ireland which can broadly be divided into social dance and performance dances. Irish social dances can be divided further into céilí and set dancing...

 show.

History

Michael Flatley

Michael Flatley

Michael Ryan Flatley is an American Irish dancer, choreographer, actor, musician and occasional television presenter. He became internationally known for Irish dance shows Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames, and Celtic Tiger...

, famous for his Lord of the Dance

Lord of the Dance (musical)

Lord of the Dance is an Irish musical and dance production that was created, choreographed, and produced by Irish-American dancer Michael Flatley, who also took a starring role...

and Feet of Flames

Feet of Flames

Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames is an Irish dance show directed by Michael Flatley and scored by Ronan Hardiman.-Feet of Flames:Hyde Park:Feet of Flames was created in 1998 by dancer Michael Flatley, made famous by the musical Riverdance...

shows, created Celtic Tiger. After being retired for 4 years, Michael announced he was going to tour with a new show. In the summer of 2004 Michael Flatley started the rehearsals of a new show in the SFX Theatre in Dublin, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. In the autumn of 2004 the rehearsals moved on in the Shepperton Studios in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. 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 extravaganza Celtic Tiger in June 2005. The first 500 fans who emailed the website's administrators got free tickets to one of its preview shows in Birmingham, England. The rest of the tickets were only for fans/friends and dancers and crew.

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 July 9, 2005 in the Puskás Stadion

Stadium Puskás Ferenc

Ferenc Puskás Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Budapest, Hungary. It is situated on the Pest side of the capital between the Stadionok and the Keleti Palyaudvar metro stations. It is currently used mainly for football matches. The stadium is going to be demolished sometime in 2012 and...

 (formerly the Népstadion) in Budapest

Budapest

Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...

, Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

. Another preview show was planned for Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 in the Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

, but at the last minute that show was canceled, the official reason given being that 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 September 24, 2005, followed by a gala performance in New York City's Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...

 on September 27, 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 November 26, 2005.

Celtic Tiger started its European World Tour on April 20, 2006 at the Point Theatre in Dublin. That show was the first time Michael Flatley had danced in the Point Theatre

Point Theatre

The Point Theatre was a concert and events venue in Ireland, that ran from 1988–2007, enjoyed by in excess of 2 million people. It was located on the North Wall Quay of the River Liffey, amongst the Dublin Docklands...

 since he debuted Lord of the Dance

Lord of the Dance (musical)

Lord of the Dance is an Irish musical and dance production that was created, choreographed, and produced by Irish-American dancer Michael Flatley, who also took a starring role...

. On November 15 of 2006, the Fall plans for the Celtic Tiger tour of Europe were canceled when Flatley was hospitalized for a viral infection for two weeks. His website claimed that Michael would release future touring dates in early 2007 but never did. It is assumed now that, for the time being Celtic Tiger has been put on hold while Michael spends time with his wife and son Michael St. James.

Meaning

"Celtic Tiger portrays the oppression of a people 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." – Michael Flatley.

"Michael explains the show as a story that chronicles the journey of the Celts. It starts with the arrival of the Christianity, taking it further through the Norman invasion, the coming back from the destruction, the Famine in 1840, the British occupation and then the struggle for the independence and finally having to leave and go to the new world, which was America, and starting at the very bottom. All the signs said "No Irish wanted" everywhere, and they had to rise to become the JFK's of America, so again they came from nothing." – www.CelticCafe.com

Credits

• Director – Michael Flatley
  Michael Flatley
  Michael Ryan Flatley is an American Irish dancer, choreographer, actor, musician and occasional television presenter. He became internationally known for Irish dance shows Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames, and Celtic Tiger...
  
  
• 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 Red Coats
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

1. Freedom
2. A New World
3. The Last Rose
4. Celtic Kittens
5. Capone
6. Forever Free
7. Cowboy Cheerleaders
8. These Colors Don’t Run
9. Yankee Doodle Dandy
10. Celtic Fire II
11. The Celtic Tiger

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
• Damien O’Dochartaigh
• Roisin O’Donnell
• Andrew O'Reilly
• Ian Oswald
• Zoltan Papp
• Gary Pender
• Katie Pomfret
• Sarah Redmond
• Margaret Revis
• Sarah Spratt
• Keagan Van Dooren
• Bryana Verner
• Scott Walker
• Stephen Walker

Band

• Declan O'Donoghue - Drums and Percussion (tour)
• Jason Duffy - Drums and Percussion (DVD)

• Niamh Gallagher - Fiddles
• Maire Egan - fiddles (DVD)

• Aongus Ralston - Bass Guitarist (tour)
• Gavin Ralston - Guitar (DVD & tour)

• Cora Smith - Fiddles (DVD & tour)
• Gary Sullivan - Keyboards (DVD and tour)
• Brenda Curtin - fiddles (DVD)

• Niamh Gallagher - fiddles (DVD)
• John Colohan - Guitar (DVD)

Tour dates

• June 17 - NIA
  National Indoor Arena
  The National Indoor Arena is a large indoor arena and is owned by the NEC Group. It is situated in central Birmingham, England and was opened in 1991, as the largest indoor arena at the time in the UK...
  
  , Birmingham, England - DVD filming by David Mallet
  David Mallet (director)
  David Mallet is a British director particularly noted for his work on music videos, including David Bowie's innovative "Ashes to Ashes", Rush's "Distant Early Warning, and Queen's "Radio Ga Ga" and "I Want to Break Free" videos. He has also served as a producer on television programmes including...
  
  .

2005 World Tour-North America (Preview Shows/United States/Canada).

• July 9 - Nepstadion/Puskás Ferenc Stadion Budapest, Hungary - second DVD recording, concert and rehearsal scenes on DVD.
• September 24 - Worcester, Massachusetts.
• September 27 -Madison Square Garden, New York .

2005 Celtic Tiger North American World Tour.

• Sep 24 - Worcester, MA-USA.
• Sep 27 - Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA.
• Sep 29 - Montreal, Canada.
• Oct 03 - Halifax Metro Center, Halifax, Canada.
• Oct 05 - Corel Center, Ottawa, Canada.
• Oct 06 - John Labbat Center, London, Canada.
• Oct 07 - Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, Canada.
• Oct 11 - MTS Center, Winnipeg, Canada.
• Oct 12 - Credit Union Center, Saskatoon, Canada.
• Oct 14 - Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary, Canada.
• Oct 15 - Rexall Place, Edmonton, Canada.
• Oct 17 - GM Place, Vancouver, Canada.
• Oct 18 - Save on Foods Memorial Centre, Victoria, Canada.
• Oct 20 - Everett Events Center, Everett, Washington, USA.
• Oct 22 - Arco Arena, Sacramento, CA, USA.
• Oct 25 - HP Pavilion, San José, CA, USA.
• Oct 27 - iPayOne Center, San Diego, CA, USA.
• Oct 29 - Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, CA, USA.
• Oct 30 - Glendale Arena, Glendale, AZ, USA.
• Nov 03 - Savvis Center, St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
• Nov 04 - Iowa State Center, Hilton Coliseum, Ames, IA, USA.
• Nov 05 - Qwest Arena, Omaha, NE, USA.
• Nov 08 - Target Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA
• Nov 10 - Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH, USA.
• Nov 11 - Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
• Nov 12 - Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH, USA.
• Nov 17 - Bradley Arena, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
• Nov 18 - All State Arena,, Chicago IL, USA
• Nov 22 - Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT, USA.
• Nov 25 - Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
• Nov 26 - Patriot Center, Fairfax, VA, USA.

2006 World Tour-Europe-Summer (Europe and Asia).

Date Venue City/Country.

• April 20 The Point Theatre Dublin, Ireland.
• April 22 Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle
  Newcastle upon Tyne
  Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
  
  , England.
• April 23 Hallam FM Arena, Sheffield
  Sheffield
  Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
  
  , England.
• April 26 Wembley Arena
  Wembley Arena
  Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
  
  , London
  London
  London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
  
  , England.
• April 27 The NIA
  National Indoor Arena
  The National Indoor Arena is a large indoor arena and is owned by the NEC Group. It is situated in central Birmingham, England and was opened in 1991, as the largest indoor arena at the time in the UK...
  
  , Birmingham
  Birmingham
  Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
  
  , England.
• April 28 MEN Arena, Manchester
  Manchester
  Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
  
  , England.
• April 29 SECC Glasgow, Scotland.
• May 1 Sportpaleis Antwerpen, Belgium.
• May 2 Sportpaleis Ahoy' Rotterdam, Netherlands.
• May 6 König-Pilsener-Arena Oberhausen, Germany.
• May 8 Schleyerhalle Stuttgart, Germany.
• May 10 Color Line Arena Hamburg, Germany.
• May 11 Hallenstadion Zürich, Switzerland.
• May 12 Stadthalle Wien, Austria.
• May 15 Schleyerhalle Stuttgart, Germany.
• May 16 Festhalle Frankfurt, Germany.
• May 17 König-Pilsener Arena, Oberhausen, Germany.
• May 19 Forum Copenhagen, Denmark.
• May 20 Löfbergs Lila Arena Karlstad, Sweden.
• May 21 Oslo Spektrum Oslo, Norway.
• May 23 Globen Stockholm, Sweden.
• May 25 Hartwall Arenna Helsinki, Finland.
• June 3 RDS Dublin, Ireland.
• June 10 Chung Shan Soccer Stadium Taipei
  Taipei
  Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
  
  , Taiwan.
• June 11 Chung Shan Soccer Stadium Taipei, Taiwan.
• June 13 Chung-Chun Stadium Kaohsiung
  Kaohsiung
  Kaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...
  
  , Taiwan.
• June 17 HKCEC Hall 3, Hong Kong
  Hong Kong
  Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
  
  , China.

2006 World Tour-Europe-Winter.

The Cancelled Tour.

• Nov 14-15 Vorst National Brussels, Belgium.
• Nov 17 Hallenstadion Zürich, Switzerland.
• Nov 18 TUI Arena Hannover, Germany.
• Nov 19 SAP Arena Mannheim, Germany.
• Nov 21 Olympiahalle München, Germany.
• Nov 23 Arena Leipzig, Germany.
• Nov 25 Velodrom Berlin, Germany.
• Nov 26 Schleyerhalle Stuttgart, Germany.
• Nov 27 Kölnarena Köln, Germany.
• Nov 28 Color Line Arena Hamburg, Germany.
• Dec 05 MEN Arena Manchester, England.
• Dec 06 Wembley Arena London, England.

External links

• Celtic Tiger Live - Homepage