LOTD 25 Years of Standing Ovations: Planet Ireland Mashup (featuring Matt Smith and Cathal Keaney)

Let's have some fun: a Planet Ireland mashup featuring both of Michael Flatley's handpicked successors: Lord of the Dance Matt Smith and Lord of the Dance Cathal Keaney!
One year ago today, Michael Flatley's 25th anniversary show, 25 YEARS OF STANDING OVATIONS, was announced. It was the first new Lord of the Dance show since 2014's Dangerous Games. Beginning in London on St. Patrick's Day 2022, Team Lord has so far toured 25 cities to celebrate 25 years, giving the world a good look at this new generation of Irish dancing superstars.
LOTD25 is the first iteration of the show Michael himself is not performing in at all; with Dangerous Games, which ran from 2014-2020, there was a two-year passing of the torch onstage from Michael to James Keegan in order to ensure the continued success of the show. Indeed, Michael used to joke to the press that in his line of work, retirement came with twenty years' notice; having formally moved completely behind the curtain in 2016, he in fact did exactly that. But now, in 2022, half a dozen years later, there's no warm handoff; the show has to sell tickets based solely on the talent on that stage.
Fortunately, today's Team Lord, led onstage by Matt Smith and Cathal Keaney, are up to the job.
Thanks to social media, a new audience is discovering Irish dancing for themselves; but when it comes to commercial Irish dancing -- actually selling tickets to a completely bespoke two-hour touring show -- the king of the ring is still Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance, having grossed over one-billion dollars and climbing.
Make no mistake: the pressure on the shoulders of any performer wearing the Lord of the Dance title belt is multiple orders of magnitude beyond anything else in the Irish dance world. Stepping onstage as the Lord of the Dance means you're the guy who can light up an audience that's constantly comparing you to Michael Flatley as you perform his choreography in his show and win that audience over so hard that they're cheering you on and leaving feeling like that was money well-spent.
Consider it this way: imagine being the guy who has to go perform a Michael Jackson concert -- sing as well as him, dance as well as him, perform all his material in a show he created -- put your own spin on it, and do it so brilliantly that at the end, an audience that has something rose-tinted from twenty-five years ago freeze-framed in their heads is so blown away by you that they want to come see it again.
That's what Matt Smith and Cathal Keaney do.
For months, you've seen videos of them individually performing -- but now, for the first time, we're mashing them together into one video. Lord of the Dance is blessed to have the greatest Irish dance pros in the world, capable of performing for the highest stakes every single night; and now, one year after announcing LOTD25 and nearing the end of the UK leg of the 25th anniversary tour, it's time to take a victory lap. Let's salute these brilliant performers.
Planet Ireland arises! Tickets on sale now to the 2022 continental Europe tour of Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance. See the classic magic -- with a new generation.
#LordOfTheDance #IrishDance #IrishDancing #LOTD #LOTD25 #PlanetIrelandArises #MattSmith #CathalKeaney

[@HanW1980]

Awesome editing for this vid ❤️

[@MichaelFlatleysLordoftheDance]

Always nice when someone notices the editing! :3

[@lindab8397]

Brilliant 👍🇬🇧 no wonder they all have slim legs 😁😁😁😁 I love this kind of dance 💃🕺

[@rainerdorr2939]

One word: FANTASTIC 💖

[@Emilia-ps2th]

Standing ovation! Thankyou.

[@gecxjo125]

Bona knabo, sed superi Michael Flatley estas treege malfacile! Mem spektaklo estas superba!

[@Carol-sx6rg]

Can't wait to see you all in Rotterdam this year 💖💖💖

[@carine4318]

The focus, the energy, the commitment is pure genuine

[@peterscherer2867]

Das ist immer klasse war schon einige male im Konzert in 2jahren wieder liebe 💘 dieses Konzept

[@user-yg4ec9vn6v]

Unique! Fantastic!!

[@beatricericard120]

Bravo magnifique artistes et talentueux merci 💐🕊🌻👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@user-dy9rg2wb9o]

Нескончаемые аплодисменты из России,Санкт-Петербург!Браво!!!На бис!!!

[@marieelizalde5278]

It' vert beautiful !!! Bravo !!!😀👏🌈

[@wiebkekoster7474]

Cathal Keaney the best LORD OF THE DANCE!!!

[@kdggs]

Couldn't have picked 2 better successors ❤

[@gulliver5406]

Просто супер магия!

[@arzumc3487]

Great as usual ☘️ Obair iontach 🇮🇪

[@Dragonfly_dance_]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Please come to the states!

[@valerieselau7384]

🥰

[@kdggs]

Will this tour make it to the us or has it concluded? Amazing

[@antoniosimoes3247]

✨💯✨

[@darryldonnelly5363]

Doesn't James Keegan do this anymore

[@MichaelFlatleysLordoftheDance]

James got promoted to the show's Creative Manager (basically Michael's right-hand man) and is now retired from stage performing, working 100% behind the curtain.

[@irishballetdancer]

@@MichaelFlatleysLordoftheDance Congrats to him, but also sad for us - he was great!