Flat's back

The Lord of the Dance, 51, will play six shows before Christmas as he fights to retake his crown as the best dancer in the world.

Flatley has enjoyed an extended break from the stage with replacements filling in for him on his Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames shows as they tour the globe.

But now the father-of-one plans to defy doctors to make a comeback in the role of Feet of Flames when it hits Taiwan in December.

The Chicago-born entertainer will thrill audiences with sold out show at venues including the 40,000-capacity Kaohsiung Stadium and the Taichung Arena.

Flatley, who is worth an estimated €350 million, had been told to slow down after suffering a serious viral infection which hospitalised him in 2006.

And doctors warned him years ago that carrying on with his grueling stage performances could leave him crippled for life.

At one point he had to soak his legs in ice during breaks in his performances so he could keep going.

Now Flatley is determined to get back to doing what he does best.

He said: “I am so looking forward to playing Taiwan. I hope as many people as possible can get there to enjoy the show and the atmosphere.  See you all in Taiwan.”

A source close to the star said he was working hard at getting back in shape again.

As well as undertaking grueling dance routines, Flatley is also a talented boxer and spends hours in the gym sparring with training partners.

The source added: “Anybody who knows Michael knows he always gives  100 percent. If he didn’t think he was ready to do this tour then he wouldn’t do it. It’s all or nothing with him.

He will be doing six shows in the space of five days which is a lot considering how intense each show is.

He is a dad now, of course, but he has been putting the time in both at the gym and on stage to ensure fans get full value for money.

“Nobody walks away from a Michael Flatley show saying that he didn’t give it his all and it will be the same again this time around.”

Flatley spent some of the summer with wife Niamh and son Michael Jnr at the family’s sprawling Castlehyde estate in Cork.  But the entertainer has been mostly based in America and the estate has remained closed over the autumn.

The Feet of Flames show is a bigger version of the original Lord of the Dance but it has double the number of dancers with an on-stage cast of more than 100.

It has played to audiences around the world and received spectacular reviews since Flatley first produced it back in 2000.

As well as a number of American and English dancers, a large majority of the cast for Flatley’s eagerly awaited comeback shows will include loyal dancers from Ireland who have danced with the Lord of the Dance star for many years.

The source said: “Michael treats his people very well and they are very loyal to him.

“Only the very best dancers are asked to come back time and time again.”