Theatre South East

Morgan Comer is one of the three ‘Lords’ that dance as the Lord of the Dance in the current production of Dangerous Games. I spoke to him about how he started Irish Dancing, Lord of the Dance and what he thinks of Michael Flatley.

Hi Morgan! How wonderful it is to speak to you on St. Patrick’s Day of all days! I’d love to hear more about Lord of the Dance ‘Dangerous Games’. How long have you been with the company?

I will have been with the troupe for three years in May.

What made you want to become an Irish Dancer?

It was just by chance really. As a kid I played football and rugby in school and at local team level. Dancing was an after-school activity in primary school and my sister who was a year older than me joined. At the age of 5 I was did anything that she did and so I joined the club and it turned out I was good at it.

Is Irish Dancing a popular thing for boys to do in Ireland?

I was never bullied but there was someone in my dancing class that was but it doesn’t happen very often. Dancing is gradually getting more and more popular particularly now the shows have become so big. It has become a sport.

Do you dance any other type of discipline?

No, the only type of dancing I have ever done is Irish, I just played other sports.

Once you had progressed, how did you become involved professionally?

The teacher who took the after school activity did other dancing classes which I then joined. I started with the one at school and I ended up going about four times a week. From the age of about six or seven I started competing around the UK and then qualified for the world championships when I was eleven. I loved it and became dedicated to it.

Dancing of course is very hard on the body, but I hear Irish dancing is one of the hardest.

Yes, it is extremely physical and also draining. You have to look after yourself and keep hydrated. I have taken quite a few injuries over the years on the legs. I have had a couple of accidental injuries, where I’ve just landed awkwardly or slipped but I have also had a stress fracture due to overuse.

The world-renowned ‘Lord of the Dance’, how did you get involved in that?

I auditioned in Belfast when the show was performing there. They had a weekend at ‘The Waterfront’ and I asked to come and audition for the show. I got accepted but then I had to take a couple of months to finish my University Degree. I joined ‘Lord of the Dance’ two days after my last exam.

What were you studying at Uni?

I trained to be a physiotherapist.

Are your skills called upon to look after the rest of the troupe?

Yes and I can look after myself too!

You must have been elated to join ‘Lord of the Dance’.

I was over the moon. I had been watching it from the age of eight or nine when it became a worldwide phenomenon. I had been to see the show many times and I had a lot of friends who were already in the show. It’s lovely when you’ve worked all your life at dancing and you finally get to where you want to be.

The Dangerous Games Tour – what is different about this show?

Dangerous Games takes dancing to a whole new level. The biggest difference for someone who has seen Lord of the Dance before is the staging. The set and the lights have really gone high-tech. It is a completely different scene altogether.

What is Michael Flatley like to work for?

He is great to work with. He really is ‘one of the lads’. He really likes to get everyone going and have a good banter. Obviously though when it comes to the show he is very strict, he knows what he wants out of a dancer and he also brings out the best in us.

These are his final few performances! Presumably when he finishes dancing he will still be involved in the show.

I think so, he has such a love for the show, I don’t think he could ever just leave. It is part of his life and I think it will stay that way.

How will you celebrate St. Patrick’s tonight?

We are in Estonia at the moment and the local Prime Minister is taking us to the Irish Embassy to thank us for performing here so that is how we are celebrating. I hear that he has got some Guinness for us too.

Have a fabulous evening Morgan and thank you very much for speaking me at Theatre South East.

Lord of the Dance will be playing at the Dominion Theatre and is also on Tour with Morgan Comer. For full dates click here