Riverdance star Michael Flatley to retire after Broadway debut
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Riverdance star Michael Flatley to retire after Broadway debut

LORD of the Dance Michael Flatley looks set to finally hang up his dancing shoes at the age of 57.

Flatley is set to make his Broadway debut this festive season, with a number of special appearances in Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games at the Lyric Theatre in New York City.

The production will run from November 7 to January 3 in the theatre in Times Square and once the final curtain drops, Flatley will retire for good.

“My spinal column is in bad shape,” he told the Associated Press.

“Last year, I decided my legs and my back had taken such a beating over the years.

“I have a beautiful wife and a lovely, beautiful eight-year-old son and I said ‘I’ve got to spend more time with them.’"

Flatley, born in Chicago to Irish parents Michael and Eilish, began dancing at a young age.

Best known for his work on Riverdance and Lord of the Dance, Flatley has become one of the best-known and wealthiest dancers in the world throughout his career.

He hit the big time in 1994 when he was the breakout star of Riverdance as the interval act for the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest.

Over a career spanning three decades, Flatley amassed a fortune of more than £191m with large-scale productions.

And despite previous rumours of a retirement, Flatley is adamant that this will be his final time to take to the stage.

“I said, ‘You know, it’s time.’ It’s time. If this was a football match, I’d be in injury time now,” he said.

Watch Flatley in action here