Let's celebrate the bad guy! As we're getting close to Halloween and it's the 25th anniversary year of Lord of the Dance, it's time to spotlight everyone's favorite Irish dance villain: Don Dorcha the Dark Lord, performed here by Tom Cunningham and Zoltan Papp.
As with all Then And Now videos, we've combined the Feet of Flames videos from 2009 and 2020, since they were filmed on exactly the same stage set in exactly the same venue.
Tom Cunningham holds the record for the most number of appearances as the Dark Lord in LOTD videos, having starred as Don Dorcha in the 2009, 2011, and 2014 releases. Having joined Team Lord in 1997 and retiring only in 2019, he is one of the show's greatest legendary performers.
Zoltan Papp, meanwhile, is referred to by Michael Flatley himself simply as "The Master". A Hungarian who didn't come to Irish dancing until his twenties, Zoltan first joined Celtic Tiger in 2005 and has since gone on to become Team Lord's senior dance captain and de facto fitness sergeant. A certified physical trainer now in his early forties, Zoltan dances almost to the point of self-immolation, performing moves dancers half his age wouldn't even attempt.
You can't have good drama without a good villain, and here we have two completely different interpretations of what an Irish dance villain looks like. Tom's interpretation is that of a rival Celtic clan leader who wants to rule Planet Ireland; Zoltan's interpretation is more of a supernatural force of nature out to burn Planet Ireland to the ground.
Make sure to grab your tickets to see Lord of the Dance's new show, 25 YEARS OF STANDING OVATIONS, so you can see Michael Flatley's billion-dollar heroes-versus-villains Irish dance drama in person!
#LordOfTheDance #IrishDance #IrishDancing #FeetOfFlames #PlanetIrelandArises #25YearsOfStandingOvations
