Lord of the Dance: Michael Flatley's Shoes

The shoe that fits one
person pinches another;
there is no recipe for living
that suits all cases.
~~Carl Gustav Jung~~

I was watching one of my favorite DVD's last weekend: Lord of the Dance. I cannot get enough of those dancing shoes. I remember the first time I "ALMOST" had a chance to see the performance. It was the summer and I was in downtown Toronto and saw that the performance was playin at the Royal Alexandra Theatre. I had no idea. I was walking down the street around mid-day, happened to look up and saw that big marquee! Boy was I mad at myself for not knowing sooner. I did try to call and see if any tickets were available. What was the answer? SOLD OUT!!! Waaaaahh!

Royal Alexandra Theatre
The crown jewel of Toronto's active theatre scene, it's hard to believe
this 1907 landmark was slated for destruction a few decades ago.
Saved from the wrecking ball by flamboyant retailer "Honest" Ed
Mirvish (Mirvish also owns the Princess of Wales Theatre) the Royal
Alexandra boasts an opulence of days gone by. From the glinting
lights of the marquee, to waist-coated ushers, to sumptuous velvet
seats and curtained private boxes, audiences enjoy the royal
treatment.

Later that evening I was having dinner at Le Royal Meridian King Edward and I saw all the beautiful people begin to arrive for the evening performance. I was still depressed. It would come and go before I could see it live.

Later in 1999 I was in the states visiting and decided to go on a trip to Walt Disney World and lo and behold guess what was being performed on a special stage for a limited period of time at Epcot????? Lord of the Dance!!!! Who would have thought it would be there? Who knew? I sure did not.

Well...I bought those $65 a seat tickets for everyone in my family so we could be right up front and had the most wonderful night at Epcot watching Lord of the Dance. It was magnificent! No words can describe it. I still see it in my mind's eye to this day. dirty Fila was mesmorized and pretended that she was an Irish dancer for the remainder of the night. I decided I had ot have the DVD to watch it anytime I want. I do.

Since that live performance Lord of the Dance has been performed on PBS along with Feet of Flames. I have seen them all but nothing quite compares to the original Lord of the Dance with Michael Flatley. They have a great website: check the title link. I like to see if it is coming anywhere near me in the states or in Canada. I would love to see it live again.

I did find this sad article about one the the dancer's in the production being killed. It sounds like he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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Lord of the Dance man killed in South Africa

29.06.2004 1.00pm
JOHANNESBURG - The Lord of the Dance troupe is in shock over the killing of one of its employees in South Africa and many of the young dancers will be flying home, the show's founder Michael Flatley says.

Daryl Kempster, a 37-year-old British merchandiser with the famed Irish dance group, was shot dead early on Sunday near the hotel where the performers were staying in central Johannesburg, viewed by many as a virtual "no-go zone" at night.

Local media reported that he was robbed of a laptop and a shoulder bag.

South Africa is plagued by some of the world's highest rates of violent crime, and the murder of a foreigner associated with the high-profile dance show is sure to add to the country's frightening reputation.

"Some of our dancers are still in shock...They're coping but some are not in very good shape right now," the flamboyant Flatley told a news conference after flying in from the United States. "We're devastated by what happened."

The troupe has finished the Johannesburg leg of its South African tour, and Flatley said some of the 28 shows in other cities would likely be rescheduled as the traumatised dancers are sent home and others are brought in to replace them.

The cast and crew have moved out of central Johannesburg to a smart hotel in the prosperous Sandton financial district.

Lord of the Dance is a popular show rooted in Irish folk dancing.

- REUTERS

Whenever I hear "It can't be done,
I know I'm close to success."

Michael Flatley