Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance is the most commercially successful dance show of all time. This is its finale number, Victory: Then and Now. There is nothing else in the world that looks or sounds like a Michael Flatley Irish dance number. The rhythm patterns, the formations, the careful buildup of elements to a fantastic climax -- all of it is simply timeless. Few numbers exemplify this better than Victory. Though Lord of the Dance as a show has evolved tremendously over its twenty-five ye

Today there are only two Lords of the Dance in the world, handpicked by Michael Flatley as his successors for the 25th anniversary tour: Matt Smith and Cathal Keaney. This is Matt Smith and Team Lord rehearsing the show's title number. Matt Smith: the boy who followed his dream. As a small child he saw the original 1996 #LOTD video with Michael Flatley, pointed to the TV screen, and told his mum, "I want to be that." Fast-forward a quarter of a century, and Matt Smith *is* the Lord of the Dance.

From Team Flatley: (Before we begin: a reminder that posts labeled "From Team Flatley" come from Michael's social media team, not Michael himself.) Here's why you should follow your dream: In 1994, no one had heard of a professional Irish dance show. The very idea of buying tickets to see an obscure cultural step dance was ludicrous. In 1995, no one thought the marketplace could sustain more than one major professional Irish dance show; it was simply lightning in a bottle, brought to life by Mic