Lord of the Dance 30th Anniversary | Victory, Final Lord of the Dance & Standing Ovation

On 11th September, I finally fulfilled a childhood dream that I had carried with me for most of my life. I went to the Sunderland Empire to watch the 2:30pm performance of Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance 30th Anniversary tour. I had waited for this moment since I was around nine years old, and when the opening of the show began, the emotion completely got to me. I cried. Lord of the Dance has never just been a show or a collection of music to me. The music and performances have been something I have relied upon throughout so much of my life. Through good times, difficult times, travelling, memories and everything in between, it has always been there in my ears and in my life. Then, during the interval of the afternoon performance, I did something completely spontaneous. I booked a front-row seat for the 7:45pm performance that same evening. So I got to experience Lord of the Dance twice in one day, and the second time I was sitting right at the front. Being that close was something I will never forget. Looking directly into the eyes of lead dancer Lucas Lawton, and sharing those brief moments of eye contact with him and some of the other dancers while they were performing, is something I will genuinely cherish for the rest of my life. To finally see the show I had dreamed about seeing since childhood was emotional enough. To then experience it from the front row just hours later made the day something truly extraordinary for me. This video captures the final sequence of that unforgettable evening performance, beginning with “Victory”, followed by the final “Lord of the Dance” number with the full cast lined across the stage, before the final bows and standing ovation. Thank you to Michael Flatley for creating something that has become such an important part of my life. Thank you to every dancer performing that day, including Lucas, Katie and Olivia, and to every dancer who has ever stepped onto the stage over the past 30 years. Thank you as well to the musicians, crew, technicians, choreographers and everyone behind the scenes who keeps this incredible production alive. And thank you to all of the past dancers and performers who helped build Lord of the Dance into what it is today. You may never fully know what this show and its music have meant to people like me. For most of my life, it has been something familiar to return to, something to listen to while travelling, something that has lifted me, and at times simply something to hold on to. Nine-year-old me dreamed of seeing Lord of the Dance. Thirty years of Lord of the Dance later, I finally sat there watching it. And then I went back that evening and watched it again from the front row. A memory I will carry with me for life. ❤️ Thank you, ‪@MichaelFlatleysLordoftheDance‬. And thank you to everyone who has been part of this incredible journey. #LordOfTheDance #MichaelFlatley #IrishDance #IrishDancing #LordOfTheDance30 #SunderlandEmpire