Michael flatley world record

Michael Flatley was born July 16, , in Chicago.

Where was michael flatley born

His parents, immigrants from County Sligo, Ireland, instilled in their children a love and respect for the traditions of their homeland, especially music and dance. Michael learned from his mother the rudiments of Irish step dance, a highly stylized form in which the upper body is held rigid, the arms vertical at the sides, while the legs and feet perform with athletic and rhythmic virtuosity.

At the age of 11, Michael tried to take formal lessons but was told that he was already too old to learn properly. He moved the cars out of his parents' garage in the Oak Lawn suburb of Chicago and spent hundreds of hours there learning the basic steps and practicing. The Irish kids eat, drink, and sleep step dancing, and they are way ahead of anyone else.

Irish step dancing is indeed highly competitive. Contests begin at the local level and work up to national competition, ending in the annual All-World Championships in Ireland. Flatley is the undisputed champion of modern Irish step dancing.

Michael flatley children

At 17, he became the first American to win the title of All-World Champion at the annual international competition in Dublin. He also gained a major position in the field of Irish flute music, winning the All-Ireland Concert Flute Championship for three consecutive years, In he retired from general competition as a musician and dancer, having compiled an unsurpassed record of technical and aesthetic excellence that included first-place championships.

Flatley was a Golden Gloves boxing champion as well and considered becoming a professional boxer. But an offer from the Irish musical ensemble the Chieftains made him reconsider, and he joined the group for a worldwide tour. My heart started to beat real fast and my hands started to shake.