Michael Ryan Flatley, Star of the Eurovision Song Contest interval act in 1994, Irish-American step dancer, choreographer and former Riverdance star was seriously ill ina London hospital last night. He created the initial choreography for Riverdance and, having as lead dancer Jean Butler, led the show to great success as the intermission act in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest.

Michael Flatley, last month had been receiving treatment in hospital for several days, although no conclusion on the nature of his illness. Last April he suffered of a facial cancer but this time his illness wasn’t related to it.

In a few days a European tour of his show Celtic Tiger was in scheduled to beginbut now all the twenty dates have been cancelled. He shot to fame in the Irish dance spectacle Riverdance, first performed in the intermission act of the Eurovision Song Contest in 30th April 1994, before going on to create his own shows Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames and Celtic Tiger. Flatley in 1975, at the age of 17, became the first American to win the World Championship for Irish dance. In 1989, he set his first world record for tap dancing speed, at 28 taps per second.

esctoday.com wishes Michael Flatley a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on stage in the near future.