Dancer Damien hot foots it home
A NORTHERN Irish dancer who has followed in the footsteps of Michael Flatley will be coming home for a spectacular show this week.
Damien O'Kane is the male lead in Lord of the Dance, the stage extravaganza which returns to Northern Ireland tonight.
And the man from Swatragh in Co Londonderry will be lacing up his dancing shoes for a performance in front of a familiar crowd.
"We're really looking forward to it – it will be good to be back on home soil again performing the show," he said.
Damien took up Irish dancing at the age of nine, making him a fairly late starter.
"My sister went to dancing first – she was two years younger than me – and I was more curious about it than anything else.
"People start at three or four years of age, but I was winning competitions within a year or so, and that really spurred me on to keep dancing.
"I was always striving to be better."
Damien joined Lord of the Dance in 1996, after rigorous auditions.
"It was a four-part process – I had to go once a week for four weeks – but I ended up with a part in the chorus," he said.
A year later, Damien won the part in a touring production of the show.
"It was a big thing for me to be filling Michael Flatley's shoes in Lord of the Dance, especially at such a young age."
The then-19-year-old Damien was fronting the US version of the show.
When Michael Flatley left the European tour 1998, Damien took over from the star and has been leading the troupe since.
Now 31, he has been with the production for 13 years.
"It's been a great life," Damien said.
"It's something you couldn't do if you didn't enjoy it.
"Obviously, we're well paid and get to travel the world but you have to love it to do it."
Despite leaving Lord of the Dance more than 10 years ago, its creator Michael Flatley has a continuing involvement with the production.
"Michael is still artistic director of the show and producer, he does pop in from time to time to check that everything's going right," Damien said.
"Like any long-running show, it has to be reviewed from time to time to make sure it's still delivering.
"Michael's a perfectionist, and a hard taskmaster but he's a good guy, we've been working for him for 13 years so we do get on."
While he is now a performance dancer, Damien didn't quite leave his competing skills behind when he joined Lord of the Dance.
"A year after I came into the show, I went back into competition and won the All-Ireland championships.
"Dancing in shows is a lot different to competition dancing, it's a different level of fitness and discipline – one is about competing and the other is about entertaining.
"To go back after being in a show was a huge achievement for me, and it's the one thing I'm most proud of."
Spending so long with the one production is unusual for a performer, but Damien has no plans to quit.
"There will come a day when I have to hang up my shoes but, for the medium term, I'm going to continue with the company," he said.
He also met his wife, Bernadette Flynn, on Lord of the Dance.
She is the female lead, meaning the two perform, travel and spend a considerable amount of time together.
"It would be stressful for some couples to spend so much time with their other half, but it works out brilliantly for us, we really enjoy each other's company," Damien said.
Being part of a major stage production, especially one which puts so much demands on the performers, means the cast must be in peak physical condition.
"The show involves anything from four to six performances a week, and that keeps you fit, but you do other things as well, such as going to the gym," Damien said.
"You can't wind down – it's such a rigorous routine.
It is a punishing schedule but one Damien enjoys.
"Maybe I'll quit later on in life when my legs pack up and I can't dance, but I'm happy doing this right now," he said.
Lord of the Dance has been seen by more than 50 million people in 60 countries, and it is 18 months since the show was last in Northern Ireland.
"Lord of the Dance knows no language barriers," Damien said.
"We've been to China, Taiwan, Japan, Hawaii, South Africa, Dubai and all over Europe – it's a worldwide phenomenon.
"Every audience is completely different, though we get an adrenaline rush every night from the reaction and that really spurs us on."
And Ulster fans who experience Lord of the Dance in Londonderry this week are in for a treat.
"It's an audience-friendly show, it has something special and it's great for all the family.
"The good-versus-evil storyline appeals to everyone – you have music, hard-shoe tapping dance, great performers and a great set – it's a fantastic show."
Lord of the Dance is at the Millennium Forum, Londonderry, until Sunday. For more information, or to book tickets, contact the box office on 7126 4455 or log on to www.millenniumforum.co.uk
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Tuesday 14 February 2012
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