Michael Flatley Michael Flatley Michael Ryan Flatley (born July 16, 1958) is a former Irish-American dancer, choreographer, and musician. He became internationally known for Irish dance shows "Riverdance", "Lord of the Dance", "Feet of Flames", and "Celtic Tiger Live". Flatley's shows have played to more than 60 million people in 60 countries and have grossed more than $1 billion. Flatley is credited with reinventing traditional Irish dance by incorporating new rhythms, syncopation, and upper body movements, which were previously absent from the dance. He is in the Guinness World Records for tap dancing 35 times per second and his feet were at
Mary Murphy (choreographer) Mary Murphy (choreographer) Mary Ann Murphy (born c. 1958) is an American ballroom dance champion, accredited dance judge, and a judge and choreographer on the Fox dance competition-reality show "So You Think You Can Dance". Mary Murphy was born in Lancaster, Ohio in an Irish family. She graduated from Northwest High School in Canal Fulton, Ohio. After graduating from Ohio University with a degree in physical education and a minor in modern dance, Murphy moved to Washington, D.C. to begin her career. She answered a newspaper advertisement for studio instructor trainees. She became an instructor after only one week, and