In 1994 , Flatley , fellow Chieftains performer Jean Butler , and vocal ensemble Anúna were invited to perform a 7-minute show for the interval act of the Eurovision Song Contest 1994 , which was held in Ireland . The performance did something never done before in Irish dance - it " made the dance sexy " . After receiving worldwide acclaim , Flatley pushed to make the show into a full length performance . The show was called '' Riverdance '' , produced by Moya Doherty , with many numbers choreographed by Flatley . In September 1995 , after the show sold out , Flatley got into a dispute with producers over his salary and royalty fees and was fired the night before the show was set to open in London , replaced with Colin Dunne . Flatley , who had a playboy lifestyle , an ego , and wanted to take the spotlight , also did not work well with Butler , who had a different mentality
Eurovision Song Contest 1994
Eurovision Song Contest 1994
Michael Flatley