Tapping out a Living

A glimpse into the future: A TV set spews a commercial for Playstation 5 - now with cranial implants- before cutting back to VH4's I Love the '90s: What's Eating 1996? On the screen, a head-banded, frosty-haired figure dances a nervous jig, all the while his arms stapled to his side as two more dancers, seemingly suffering from the same spastic disorder, join him. An Olsen twin, the one who's not an alcoholic, pops onto the screen, interrupting the symphony of soles slapping against wood floors to regale the viewing public about the time that Michael Flatley greeted her with a shake of his foot backstage at her short-lived Vegas extravaganza.

For the decade that might just sneak by the lampooning and harpooning that previous ones have suffered, The Lord of the Dance might just slow it down enough to place it in the mouth of the nearing culture vultures. Despite fueling late-night monologues for years and years to come, Flatley did something right. Since it launched in 1996, Flatley's LOTD has skyrocketed in popularity and taken him on a worldwide jaunt, which included meeting such dignitaries as President George W. Bush; Russian President Vladimir Putin; UK Prime Minister Tony Blair; and Jiang Zemin, the Chinese head of state. On the financial side of things, the tour - three troupes covering the globe - earned Flatley the honor of being the highest paid dancer in the world, the best-selling artist in the history of South Africa and Pollstar International's box office champion, beating mainstream stars such as Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears.

For Flatley, born to Irish immigrants in Chicago, first success didn't come on stage but in the boxing ring when he won Golden Gloves at 17. Dancing, however, would call him back to his roots, especially when he visited his parents' homeland. His mother and his grandmother alike were Irish dancing champions, and he would cement his name in the record books for the first time when he became the first American to win the All-World Irish Dancing Championship. Later, he would thrust his name into the headlines by departing from Riverdance, another successful Irish dance showcase. Just 11 days later, he began building his own program, which debuted July 2, 1996, in Dublin. He had such love and devotion to the project that he invested his entire financial resources. It paid dividends: On top the success of his tours, he recently inked a four-year residency deal with Las Vegas' Venetian Hotel for $250 million.

Before his retirement, he would add more paragraphs to his page in the record book when he set the record for taps per second at 28. Later, he beat his best, scoring 35 at the age of 39.

Now back to I Love the '90s, brought to you by Soilent Turquoise: It's what's for brunch!