Jan 26

Follow Your Dream, Day #589: The OG Australia Journey

The first #LordOfTheDance rampage across the planet -- bookended by two videos (Dublin 1996 and London 1998) -- was a record-shattering adventure like nothing else seen in the history of stage shows. The ultimate improbable underdog-to-triumph journey despite all the odds, including even a rival show's promoters insisting on a barring clause which prevented Team Lord from performing in certain territories and venues when they wanted to, Lord of the Dance took commercial #IrishDancing into the stratosphere. No longer was this nascent genre limited to theatres; this was a full-throttle rock concert, playing arenas and stadiums, appearing at the Oscars, and outselling major acts such as U2 and the Rolling Stones.

Part of that magical time was the first Australia tour. Rather than going straight to America after conquering Ireland and Britain, Michael Flatley opted to tour Australia, making Lord of the Dance the first commercial #IrishDance show to hit that country. And the results were, quite simply, staggering.

Today, in 2021, we are beginning the 25th anniversary year of Lord of the Dance. Twenty-five years of standing ovations -- and the journey has just begun.

#FollowYourDream