Feet of Flames
Encyclopedia
Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames is an Irish dance
show directed by Michael Flatley
and scored by Ronan Hardiman
.
, 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 25,000 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.
. 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
and Gillian Norris
were replaced by Sarah Clark and Leigh Ann McKenna. Daire 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 never 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
to over 100,000 people. The European part of the 2000 World Tour concluded on July 29, 2000 in Stormont Castle
, Belfast
, Northern Ireland
.
, 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 the Feet of Flames world tour was performed was July 29, 2001. Michael Flatley was said to have retired that night but later in 2005 would come out with a new show — Celtic Tiger
.
in Taipei
, Taiwan
. It was filmed for DVD and later released as said in his website. It was also released in Amazon.com
later in 2010
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. 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 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.
The 2009 Taiwan tour was filmed for an actual DVD release and later released in Amazon.com later in 2010
The chanting of the monks from the "Court of High Kings" (Victory Tour) is sampled on Michael Flatley's flute album "On a different note" released March, 2011.
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 directed by 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...
and scored by Ronan Hardiman
Ronan Hardiman
Ronan Hardiman 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.-Biography:...
.
Feet of Flames:Hyde Park
Feet of Flames was created in 1998 by dancer Michael FlatleyMichael 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...
, made famous by the musical Riverdance
Riverdance
Riverdance is a theatrical show consisting of traditional Irish stepdancing, notable for its rapid leg movements while body and arms are kept largely stationary. It originated as an interval performance during the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, a moment that is still considered a significant...
. First created for Flatley's last show as the "Lord of the Dance", the show was a one-off performance 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...
's Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
on July 25, 1998, playing to approximately 25,000 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 GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. 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 Flynn
Bernadette Mary Flynn is an Irish dancer best known for her work in Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames....
and Gillian Norris
Gillian Norris
Gillian Norris is an Irish dancer and model best known for her work in Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames....
were replaced by Sarah Clark and Leigh Ann McKenna. Daire Nolan
Daire Nolan
Daire Nolan is an Irish dancer and choreographer best known for his work in Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames....
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 never 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
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...
to over 100,000 people. The European part of the 2000 World Tour concluded on July 29, 2000 in Stormont Castle
Stormont Castle
Stormont Castle is a baronial mansion on the Stormont Estate in east Belfast which is used as the main meeting place of the Northern Ireland Executive....
, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
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 CenterBi-Lo Center
The BI-LO Center is an arena located in downtown Greenville, South Carolina, that is used for concerts, football, and hockey. The arena is currently used by the Greenville Force of the Southern Indoor Football League and the Greenville Road Warriors of the ECHL.- History :The BI-LO Center was...
, Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
. The tour officially began on June 8, 2001 in the AmericanAirlines Arena
AmericanAirlines Arena
The AmericanAirlines Arena is a sports and entertainment arena located in Downtown Miami, Florida along Biscayne Bay. It was constructed beginning in 1998 as a replacement for the Miami Arena and was designed by the architecture firms Arquitectonica and 360 Architecture. The Arena is home to the...
, Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. The highlight of the tour was Michael Flatley performing for the first time in 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...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on June 29, 2001. The Victory Tour ended on July 29, 2001 in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
in the American Airlines Center
American Airlines Center
The American Airlines Center is a multi-purpose arena, located in the Victory Park neighborhood, near downtown Dallas, Texas.It is home to the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA, and the Dallas Stars of the NHL....
, the second event to be held at the venue. The last time the Feet of Flames world tour was performed was July 29, 2001. Michael Flatley was said to have retired that night but later in 2005 would come out with a new show — Celtic Tiger
Celtic Tiger Live
Celtic Tiger Live or more often known "Michael Flatley's Celtic Tiger" or just "Celtic Tiger" was an Irish Dance show.-History:Michael Flatley, famous for his Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames shows, created Celtic Tiger. After being retired for 4 years, Michael announced he was going to tour...
.
Feet of Flames 2008 & 2009 Tour
Feet of Flames returned to the world stage for a brief period with lead dancers Damien O' Kane and Bernadette Flynn leading the helm. This would mark the first time in the show's history that Michael Flatley would not be starring or dancing in it. This show featured dances/costumes from 1998 Hyde park version. Later in 2009 Flatley would return in the lead role.2009
In 2009, Michael Flatley reprised his role in the 2009 tour held in the Taipei ArenaTaipei Arena
Taipei Arena is an indoor sporting arena located in Taipei, Taiwan. Built in 2005, the large multi-purpose stadium can accommodate major international sport events such as ice skating, ice hockey, gymnastics, handball, basketball, tennis, badminton, table tennis, indoor soccer, boxing, judo,...
in 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
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. It was filmed for DVD and later released as said in his website. It was also released in Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
later in 2010
CD, VHS and DVD releases
The Feet of Flames show from Hyde Park in 1998 was put 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 an actual full show DVD release. However, this never happened for unknown reasons but 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
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...
show on June 29, 2001 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as well as the American Airlines Center
American Airlines Center
The American Airlines Center is a multi-purpose arena, located in the Victory Park neighborhood, near downtown Dallas, Texas.It is home to the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA, and the Dallas Stars of the NHL....
show on July 29, 2001 in Dallas, Texas were recorded. The American leg of the tour was filmed for an IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
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 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.
The 2009 Taiwan tour was filmed for an actual DVD release and later released in Amazon.com later in 2010
The chanting of the monks from the "Court of High Kings" (Victory Tour) is sampled on Michael Flatley's flute album "On a different note" released March, 2011.
Credits for the 1998 DVD
- Directors — Michael FlatleyMichael FlatleyMichael 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...
, David Mallet - Producers — Michael Flatley, Martin Flitton, Dione Orrom, Helen Parker
- Composer — Ronan HardimanRonan HardimanRonan Hardiman 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.-Biography:...
- Lighting Designer - Patrick Woodroffe
Musicians
- Fiddles - Cora Smith and Máiréad Nesbitt
- Bass Guitar - Eammon Byrene
- Keyboard - Paul Drennen
- Drums - Jason Duffy
- Pipe whistle - Gerard Fahey
- Guitar - Dave Keary
- Choir Leader - John Mckeon
Leading roles
- The Lord of the Dance — Michael FlatleyMichael FlatleyMichael 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...
- Don Dorcha, the Dark Lord — Daire NolanDaire NolanDaire Nolan is an Irish dancer and choreographer best known for his work in Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames....
- Erin, the Goddess — Anne Buckley
- The Little Spirit — Helen Egan
- Morrigan, the Temptress — Gillian NorrisGillian NorrisGillian Norris is an Irish dancer and model best known for her work in Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames....
- Saoirse, the Irish Colleen — Bernadette FlynnBernadette FlynnBernadette Mary Flynn is an Irish dancer best known for her work in Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames....
Numbers
- 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
Leading roles
- The Firespirit — Michael FlatleyMichael FlatleyMichael 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...
- The Swan (2000/2001) — Sarah Clarke
- The Swan (2001) — Bernadette FlynnBernadette FlynnBernadette Mary Flynn is an Irish dancer best known for her work in Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames....
- Cleopatra — Leigh Ann McKenna
- Alternating Cleopatra — Kelly Hendry
- The Dark Lord — Stephen Brunning
- The Court Jester — Helen Egan
- The Irish Queen — Anne Buckley
Numbers
- 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