Michael Flatley is looking and feeling fit and healthy as he prepares to bring his Lord of the Dance show back on the road. Despite releasing a statement last year saying he was diagnosed with “an aggressive form of cancer,” he shows no signs of slowing down.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk in advance of the new tour, entitled A Lifetime Of Standing Ovations, he chatted about his jam-packed schedule. However, he merely describes his condition as “something I have to live with”.
“Well, you know, it’s something I have to live with [cancer]. But I’m a very positive man. I feel great. There’s nothing going to keep me down and I feel terrific every day. I wake up every morning and have two espressos and I go straight into the ocean every morning – all year round every day and it makes me feel great and prepares me for the day.
“It gives me time to be with myself and say a few prayers and get guidance for what I’m going to do for that day, plan my day and what I’m going to do next. So my health is great, I’m fine. I’m great,” he smiles.
Michael doesn’t dance in the upcoming shows, having been forced to retire in 2016 – “if it wasn’t for my back and my neck and my legs, I’d still be there but my body couldn’t take the damage anymore,” he laments – but he is still very involved in the productions. The show has, to date, been seen by 60 million people in 60 countries on every continent and graced more than 1000 venues.
He says relaxation “isn’t in his DNA” and if anything his diagnosis seems to have spurred him on to work harder. “I only have one speed I’d never be able to do that [relax]. I might take a couple of weeks off. I’d like to bring my wife and son away somewhere. But this year alone.
“I’ve got the big UK tour of the show coming up and all those dancers are counting on me, to lead the way and to be there and to keep them all working. I’ve employed 1000s of dancers over the years between Riverdance and all the shows I created. I have to stay with that.
Alongside overseeing the upcoming tour of his show, which is running between July and November, he has numerous other projects on the go and has a packed schedule. “I’ve got a new Christmas show coming out – Michael Flatley’s Christmas dance spectacular,” he revealed.
“It’ll be coming hopefully this Christmas, if we can get a venue in the UK and if we can get a venue in Ireland and maybe Scotland and Wales. I finished creating it 10 years ago, but it’s only last year and this year that I put the final touches on it and gave it to the dance troops.
“So by the end of September, I’ll have two troops on the road because the demands are so big. By Christmas I’ll have three troops on the road. Plus I have just launched my new Irish whiskey in honour of my Father, God rest his soul, so that’s a big job and I have to do mountains of press and things for that. A lot of meet and greets and all the business that’s associated with that.
“I [also] have a new documentary about my life that is coming out later this year. Although I haven’t seen it I’m hoping and praying it’s good,” he said. He also revealed that he has been approached about more movie work following the release of his film Blackbird last year. It’s safe to say he likes to keep busy.
Despite all his achievements he admits: “When I was laying in bed on that gurney with cancer [I was] looking up at that ceiling and thinking to myself, have I done enough? Have I given enough? Have I tried hard enough? Have I fulfilled all the things I promised myself I would do in my life?
“I just love creating,” he said when asked what inspires him to continue. “I love that channel that opens when I’m working on something that might take hours or days but suddenly it opens and then it flows and I try to be aware and let that creativity come through. I like doing things that inspires me to get up every day [and I ask] what am I going to do today to help out other people and keep them working?
“That’s a big part of this. With my show there’s not just the dancers you see on stage. An army of people are employed backstage from lighting guys to sound guys to stage managers, costume people, there’s PR people there’s management, show booker’s…
“There’s just a whole lot of different people that work for me, and that travelled the world for me and they make a living because of what I’ve created and I have to keep that going. They’re counting on me and I can’t let them down. That’s for me that’s inspiring to be able to be in a position where I can do that.”
Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance: A Spectacular returns to UK stages with which begins in Edinburugh on July 16 and takes in cities throughout the UK until November 3.
