Watch: Lord of the Dance opens at Cork Opera House with surprise guest
10-year-old Holly Fealey from Brosna, Co Kerry, pictured with Michael Flatley at the opening night of The Lord of The Dance at Cork Opera House. Picture: Michael O'Sullivan /OSM Photo
Cork Opera House was a riot of tapping and clapping on Wednesday evening as Lord of the Dance began its five-day run in the Rebel County — a homecoming of sorts according to show creator Michael Flatley.
Ahead of the performance, Flatley told the Irish Examiner he feels he has been welcomed into the local community in both East Cork, where he purchased Castlehyde estate in 2001, and in Cork city.
“That's the one thing I love about living in Cork: they make you feel welcome, like I’m part of the community,” he said.
“Our family is welcomed here and that's a nice feeling. We spend so much time travelling, so much time on the road, so much time in busy places like London and Monte Carlo, so it’s lovely to be able to come home here, it means the world to us.”
Opening the show to a cheering standing ovation, Flatley said it took over two decades to bring the show “home” to Cork.
“Twenty-five years of standing ovations, we have sold out every big venue from Toyko to Texas, from Mexico to Madison Square Garden in New York, and tonight we’re home,” he said, before revealing a “special surprise” to the audience.
A few weeks ago, Holly Fealey, 10, from Brosna in north Kerry, was offered the chance to dance with Flatley after a viral video of her freestyle routine caught the attention of the Lord of the Dance creator.
“I saw her video and thought ‘this young lady is going to be a star, she’s going to be in my show one day’,” he told the audience before introducing Holly and allowing her to perform her ‘Flatley Freestyle’ routine.
Wearing a stunning costume handmade by her mother, Roseann, Holly wowed the crowd and was dubbed a “star” by Flatley. Before the show, Holly met Flatley and the Lord of the Dance crew on the Opera House stage, presenting Flatley with a special gift that included a Brosna GAA jersey.
Lord of the Dance received a rapturous reception from an almost-capacity crowd at Cork Opera House and there was a strong connection between the performers and the appreciative audience, with the crowd loudly whooping and clapping at key moments during the show and the stars encouraging even more cheers and applause from attendees, ending in a standing ovation.
On this hot summer night in Cork, the atmosphere was electric and the crowd poured out onto Emmet Place with their toes tapping for more.
- Lord of the Dance runs at Cork Opera House until Sunday, August 13.
Ciara and Niamh Murphy, Glanmire, pictured at the opening night of Lord of The Dance at Cork Opera House. Picture: Michael O'Sullivan /OSM PHOTO
