BACK IN SEPTEMBER, famed Irish dancer Michael Flatley was eagerly anticipating a new production of the Lord Of The Dance.

Lord Of The Dance debuted in The Point, now the 3Arena, in July of 1996 and went on to tour the world.

Speaking to reporters in September, Flatley said the 30^th anniversary tour would involve a “brand new set and a fabulous new lighting design, new sound designs, new musical numbers, and a couple of new dance numbers”.

But just weeks before the show was set to return to the 3Arena, it was warned in a Belfast court that the upcoming shows were in “grave danger of falling apart”.

After a legal order blocking Flatley from engaging with the production was today overturned, Flatley said he’s ready to ‘lift the roof’ for the first show on Thursday.

Why was Flatley in court?

The 30^th anniversary tour of The Lord of the Dance is due to play in the 3 Arena on 5 February, continuing in 2026 in the UK and a number of other European countries.

However, entertainment company Switzer Consulting took legal action against Flatley and claimed he was in breach of an agreement reached in July 2024 for it to run the multi-million euro production.

Switzer also secured a temporary injunction to stop Flatley from interfering with, cancelling or postponing the shows.

The court heard that the legal dispute hinged on a terms of service agreement under which Flatley transferred intellectual property rights for Lord Of The Dance to Switzer.

Switzer in turn were then required to provide business management services to Flatley in respect of the production, such as accounts and payroll.

But Switzer claimed that Flatley “went on a solo run” towards the end of last year and tried to restructure this deal.

The company said the injunction was necessary because Flatley’s financial situation would have left him unable to pay damages.

Flatley’s barrister said the firm had carried out an attack on Flatley’s character and ability to run a business which had nothing to do with the issues about the agreement.

On 16 January, Flatley’s legal team told the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast that the shows were in “grave danger of falling apart” if Flatley couldn’t speak to the dancers on the tour.

His barrister also told the court that if Flatley couldn’t speak to the dancers, then losses would be inevitable because Flatley’s “artistic direction” is a vital component.

Terms of Service agreement

For the business management services agreed to, Flatley’s legal team said he agreed to pay Switzer £35,000 (€40,400) per month for the first 24 months, rising to £40,000 (€46,190) a month thereafter.

David Dunlop KC, representing Flatley, told the court on Tuesday that Switzer wanted a right to “control and demand and dictate what happens in relation to Lord Of The Dance” when all it was entitled to was a “right to be paid for services”.

Dunlop later added: “Switzer is saying, ‘we require an injunction to stop Mr Flatley exercising any control’ in circumstances where Switzer is nothing more than a management agent entitled to a fee.”

However, it was claimed in court that Flatley has a history of running tours at a loss and liquidating companies.

Switzer boss Joe Gallagher also claimed in an affidavit that Flatley stripped the business of money to support his personal lifestyle, while complaining the show was being sold too cheap.

In court yesterday, Gary McHugh KC, for Switzer, read a statement by Flatley’s former financial advisor Des Walsh who said the dancer “knows why he finds himself in this position”.

He said that Flatley “has lived the lifestyle of a Monaco millionaire” by borrowing money.

It was claimed in this statement “many promoters were reluctant to deal with Michael directly as he has an industry-wide reputation for not paying his bills”.

“At the time Michael was advised that he should not move into that wealth circle as he simply did not have the resources,” the statement read.

“Michael ignored this advice and has essentially maintained this facade of wealth using other people’s monies ever since.”

His affidavit also claimed Flatley’s “appetite for lifestyle cash was insatiable”, and he borrowed €75,000 for a birthday party and €50,000 to join Monaco Yacht Club.

David Dunlop KC, representing Flatley, pushed back on these claims and told the court that Switzer “has the financial difficulties in this case”.

He said that “overnight” Flatley had cleared €500,000 that was being held by a solicitor in Dublin that would pay for damages to end the contract with Switzer.

‘We’re going to lift the roof’

The legal order blocking Flatley from engaging with the Lord of the Dance production was today overturned and Flatley told reporters outside of court that he is “100%” back in control of the production. 

He added that the dancers will “lift the roof on Thursday” for the production’s first show in the 3Arena.

Speaking outside court, Flatley blessed himself as he said: “I’d just like to say thank God, I’m delighted with the judge’s decision today.

“This will be the greatest version of this show that you will ever see, I’m absolutely delighted.”

-With additional reporting from Diarmuid Pepper