By Sandra Mallon

Copyright irishmirror

Lord of the Dance star Michael Flatley said he felt like he used to go 15 rounds in a boxing match when he started Lord of the Dance. Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, he said he put himself under immense pressure to be the stage legend that he is today. Now, Flatley has a rota for his performers to ensure their wellbeing is safeguarded during his Lord of the Dance tours, which will go back on the road in February to celebrate 30 years of the iconic show . He told us: “When I was dancing, sadly, I didn’t have that luxury. “I had to be on every night because Flatley was selling the show. “And so I was the only one in my show that never got a night off. And in 1997 I did nearly 300 shows. “But again, I wouldn’t trade it. I used to get into a tub of ice [after each show].” He said he used to be monitored regularly by health officials every time he danced on stage. Flatley added: “They were monitoring me, ‘danger, danger’. Yeah, it’s like you’re doing a 15 round boxing match, but every night. And I said, ‘So what?’ “They didn’t put me under any pressure. It was me and I’m glad I did it. And my son, I feel sorry for my son when he was a young lad. “It takes me a couple of minutes to straighten my back in the morning and my neck and to be able to walk in the mornings. And I didn’t want him to ever have to see that. “Having said that, it’s my honour, I traded everything I had for my dream. I made friends with pain. “I’m glad I did it, and I would never even now, even with the shape I’m in, physically, no chance would I take it back. Not a minute of it. “Look at those young dancers. They’re between 5 and 7% body fat, and they live for it. This is their dream. “They travel the world with me, promoting Ireland and Irish culture. And let me tell you, that’s the greatest honour that we could ever have.” Flatley, 67, was chatting ahead of Lord of the Dance going back on the road for the milestone anniversary with the mega dance troupe will perform at Dublin’s 3Arena on February 5 next year. Fans can expect thrilling new choreography, state-of-the-art staging, spectacular lighting and special effects, and the same heartbeat-pounding energy that made the original production a worldwide sensation. He said: “After 30 years I’m delighted and honoured to be back in Dublin. You may or may not be aware that it was Peter Aiken’s father Jim who gave me my start in this business, when everybody else left me for dead, when there was seemingly no chance to get up off the canvas, Big Jim stood by me, and he was the biggest name of the business. “And I’m proud to say we have the greatest dance team in the world, and for 30 years, we’ve been getting standing ovations all around the world, representing Ireland to the best of our ability, in a positive light, and bringing a little bit of joy everywhere. “I’m very blessed in life that I’m in that in the joy business. I’m in the joy business. What a wonderful thing to be able to go to cities you’ve never been in your life and leave people standing, clapping, stamping their feet and screaming for more. “And at the same time, employing over the years, thousands of young dancers, cast, crew, singers and fiddle players that have made us all very, very proud. “We’re coming back where it all started to the 3Arena.” The former Riverdance star also spoke about his ambition to produce another movie after the success of Blackbird. He said: “I know the couple of English fellas didn’t care about the film, but every person on the street in Ireland stops me, and they watch it, and they love it, and they say great things. “I have an offer to do something now there’s a possibility that I might look at that. It all depends. Let’s see how the tour goes. “Now that I’ve got a couple of other irons in the fire, and also my son just started university, and I want to, you know, be around for him to do that. “Once you go into any of these projects, it’s 100% focus, either focus and do it or don’t focus and do it at all. When I did Blackbird as an example, I wrote it and I directed it, and I produced it, and I starred in it. Why did they give me such a hard time? “I call them some ungrateful critics, but they don’t even seem to recognise that would be like me making a show. “And said, let’s see, Joe, you make up the part with the other line dancers. Susie, will you make up the part about the girls and Seamus, make up some kind of a storyline. You know? No, no, no, no. I couldn’t imagine Picasso painting a little piece in the centre and said, ‘All right, off you go, now you paint all the rest.’ “It’s either your vision or it’s not your vision. It has to be one person’s vision, for better or for worse. If the show is a success, I’ll take the credit. “If it fails, I’ll take the slack, and that’s how I see everything. Get up and get after it. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks.” Promoter Joe Gallagher of Joe Gallagher Entertainments said: “We are thrilled to be bringing Lord of the Dance back to Dublin for its 30th anniversary. Over the decades, Michael Flatley has done something extraordinary – he made Irish dance sexy, powerful, and utterly irresistible. He didn’t just create a show, he created a movement that continues to captivate the world.” The Lord of the Dance 30th Anniversary Live at 3Arena, Dublin Feb 5th. Tickets are €30, €45, €60, €70, €80 on sale tomorrow at 10am through Ticketmaster.ie . For further information checkout www.aikenpromotions.com . Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.