Music blaring. Lights flashing. Hearts pounding. Twenty-four dancers are on stage, each tapping out quick complicated rhythms with their feet touching the floor at exactly the same time. This is Michael Flatley's rock dance fusion "Lord of the Dance," a spectacular experience of an accelerated version of traditional Irish Dancing that showed Friday and Saturday at the Morris Performing Arts Center. Although the show's original creator no longer performs as the lead, the dance goes on.

The mystical performance begins with a troubled dream of the Spirit, a magical fairy, who senses an evil presence that has come to challenge the Lord of the Dance. In a vague good versus evil plot, the Spirit travels through time to help the Lord of the Dance protect his mythical people from the Dark Lord. A series of dance numbers introduce each main character and their dancing followers who represent each moral extreme and work their conflicts out through dance.

An evil temptress dances with a sexy suggestive flair, while the pure and fair heroine glides through the air with a delicate elegance. But the show is at its best when the entire company is out on stage dancing. The age-old elements of an Irish celebration stimulate the audience with an adrenaline pumping combination of infectious Irish music and energetic dancing.

"Lord of the Dance" combines traditional choreography to light jigs and beautiful patterns of customary group dances with glittering costumes, thunderous sound and fluorescent strobe lights to create a modern Irish spectacle that invades the senses. Sometimes the glitz is overwhelming and the hard shoe taps are so suspiciously over amplified that they sound pre-recorded.

The dancing numbers are broken up with Celtic songs performed by a woman who has a beautifully clear voice. But her songs take away from the momentum of the show and do not contribute to the plot at all. In fact, they seem completely random. Another musical break in dancing features a pair of violinists who play to taped supplemental music that distracts from their talented performance.

The story comes to a climax with a dance off between the Lord of the Dance and the Dark Lord. Of course, goodness prevails and the Lord of the Dance magically repairs the Spirit's flute and banishes evil. The incredible "Planet Ireland," a celebration of dance, caps off the show.

At one point during the show, the dancers tear off costumes that resemble traditional dresses to reveal skimpy black tops and spandex shorts. This dramatic gesture symbolizes the show's departure from the rigid traditions of historical Irish dancing. Michael Flatley, the show's creator believes that Lord of the Dance brings a new passion to Irish dance. A passion that he felt was missing in the contemporary Irish Dance scene. The immense public response proves that his vision is a magical triumph.

Today, Michael Flatley is a world superstar. But even before "Lord of the Dance" he had a history in the spotlight. A Chicago native, he became the World Champion Irish Dancer in 1975 at age 17 — the first non-European to win the title. He broke the world record for fastest tap dancer with 35 taps per second. A featured dancer and flutist, Flatley traveled with the famous Irish musical group The Chieftains in the early nineties. But Flatley was destined for massive mainstream success.

Many of Flatley's achievements can be attributed to his competitive attitude and his determination to achieve perfection. But he has also been criticized for being a strict authoritarian and a power hungry egomaniac.

This reputation emerged when he left the Irish dance phenomena "Riverdance" in which he was a lead dancer and choreographer. "Riverdance" exploded on the world scene as a seven-minute piece in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994. But Flatley had to share the spotlight and after six months he left the show blaming issues of artistic control. He claims the producers of "Riverdance" wanted to incorporate all different nations into the show, while Flatley believed that an all Irish show could stand on its own. Unable to agree on any settlements, Flatley sued the producers of "Riverdance" for a percentage of the revenues that he believed were rightfully his.

When Flatley began to envision his own project, he knew that he wanted the successor to "Riverdance" to be more of a rock concert than a theatrical performance. With an original score by Ronan Hardiman and talented Irish dance champions from all over the world, Flatley began to see his detailed vision come to life. With his name above the title in "Lord of the Dance," Flatley became the star of the show — oiled, bare-chested and performing as the hero and savior of Irish dance with two beautiful women competing for his attention in a flashy, male fantasy world.

Since its world debut in Dublin on July 2, 1996, "Lord of the Dance" has met extreme international success. It broke London's famous Wembley Arena's performance record, selling out 21 shows. Opening in the United States at Radio City Music Hall where it sold out its first 13 performances, "Lord of the Dance" went on to perform at the 1997 Academy Awards. As a result of the success of the show, Flatley can afford to get over any hard feelings he had for "Riverdance" since he has his own revenue sensation. In 2000, with an exhausting schedule and rumors of failing health, Flatley performed in a final show of his tour "Feet of Flames," a magnified version of "Lord of the Dance" he created to draw attention to his final performance.

Today, Flatley serves as artistic director and continues to oversee all aspects of the show and the numerous "Lord of the Dance" troupes. There are two permanent dance troupes, one is currently touring Europe and the second is touring the United States. Flatley also recently signed a $250 million deal for the show to remain in The Venetian hotel and casino in Las Vegas. With an incredibly successful video and soundtrack CD, as well as overpriced merchandise — a dinky program costs $15 — total gross for Lord of the Dance is fast approaching $100 million.

While Flatley has lived his life with an attitude of extreme confidence, he has introduced the world to the power of Irish dancing. He is a hero for many Americans as a purveyor of Irish pride. Flatley awed the world and carried the show to its extraordinary success because of his incredible talent, but without his commanding stage presence as Lord the show seems to become nothing more than an extravagant moneymaker.

Contact Claire Kelley at kelley.38@nd.edu

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