In early 1994 , de Gallaí received a call to audition for '' Riverdance 's '' Eurovision Song Contest interval act . It was here that he met Michael Flatley , and after just two weeks of rehearsals , he was picked as one of just 24 dancers for the performance . Around that time , de Gallaí and long-time friend Joanne Doyle set up their own dance company called '' Dualta '' . He and Joanne both went on to be part of the '' Riverdance : The Show '' premiere in Dublin in February 1995 , and both later starred for '' Riverdance '' as lead dancers for the Liffey Company . de Gallaí 's tenure with '' Riverdance '' spanned 9 ½ years , with his final gig for the show coming in 2003 at the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics at Croke Park , Dublin . As the lead male dancer for seven of those years , he performed in Europe , Asia , Australia and New Zealand , and performed live for Presidents McAleese and Robinson of Ireland , Queen Elizabeth , and Prince Charles . He was also honoured to perform for and to meet King Hussein of Jordan , the Emperor of Japan , the Crown Prince of Japan , Princess Diana , Prince Rainier of Monaco , and Queen Sonia of Norway . de Gallaí continued on with '' Riverdance '' as a dance director and later helped out behind the scenes with the 2010 DVD , '' Riverdance : Live from Beijing ''
Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1994
Breandán de Gallaí