"Michael Flatley is a passionate man - passionate about dancing, about Ireland and about realizing his childhood dreams. It's a passion which has taken him from the back streets of Chicago to the world of amateur Irish dance championships, from a support role with The Chieftains to fronting his own spectacular show on the international stage. A passion which has made Michael Flatley into a legend. 

Today, at London's elegant Hyde Park Hotel, he is dressed all in black. A diamante hoop in his left ear reflects the sparkle of his blue eyes. Michael Flatley has presence and he knows it. It's easy to dismiss him as a prima donna especially after his split with Riverdance - but you soon realize on meeting him that he is a driven man. 

"The drive is certainly in me, but it comes from hard knocks," he reveals in a soft Irish-American accent "Anyone who constantly has to face obstacles in life learns how to be focused, determined and persevering." 

The knocks began early in life, Michael's parents left Ireland for tough area of Chicago. Michael's father sent him to boxing lessons so he could defend himself against the gangs of street kids. His mother sent him to Irish dancing lessons. Irish dancing was all about competition and Michael was good. 

But it was the World Amateur Irish Dance Championships in Dublin which really got him hooked. He won events in the States, but came nowhere that first time in Dublin. Already his style was more flamboyant than the looked-for-traditional, rigid steps. The second year, he came fourth and stayed on in Dublin to absorb how the Irish felt about dance and how strict their rules were. Then he came home and worked six to eight hours a day. The third year, he won. 

In his words, "It was brilliant!" After running his own dance school, Michael began touring with different Irish groups, among them the famous Chieftains. "I used to try things out with international audiences," he says "There had to be a certain way of dancing that had the drama, the power and the passion of Ireland." 

A TV appearance in Ireland led to the chance to choreograph a seven minute cabaret slot for the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest from Dublin. The result was Riverdance. The rest, as they say is history. A stage show followed and Michael became a household name. But just before the start of the second tour in Dublin, he walked out over contractual problems. 

"They wanted to own me and I'd worked too hard for that," he says firmly. 

It was Michael's father who convinced him he could build another stage show. So he did, conceiving, choreographing and financing Lord of the Dance. The memory of that first night in Dublin - the only place he felt it could possibly open - will stay with him for ever, even though Lord of the Dance is about to begin its second UK tour after sell-out performances in America. 

The physical and emotional energy which goes into each performance is a revelation. So what does he do to keep himself at peak fitness? 

"Drink a lot of Guinness." He grins "I work out three times a week and do a little bit of weights but I don't think you need to spend your life in the gym to keep fit. "Walking is a great way for anyone to keep in shape. As for the dancing, if you put in the hours, you get the results." 

He is not, he admits, particularly careful about his diet. "When I'm touring, I sometimes have to eat anything I can get my hands on just to retain body weight. Food is fuel for me. But I do love to go out to dinner if I get a night off." 

Free time, however is rare. Michael has lived out of a suitcase for the last three years - a life which can get pretty lonely. But, he says "It's the life I chose and I'm not complaining. It won't be for ever." 

Further than that he politely refuses to be drawn. Yes, he lost his wife because of his devotion to dance. No, he has no immediate plans to retire. But yes, he would like to settle down and have children. "I'm sure it's many people's dream - as it is mine to find the right girl and have children," he says diplomatically. "But right now, it's a luxury I can't afford. There are so many things I want to accomplish in life." 

Home, when he's not travelling, is a rented yacht in the south of France, whilst he looks at properties in Ireland and London. As for his next project, that will be a Hollywood film, a love story set in America and Ireland. There'll be music, dancing and Michael. "It will, I hope, encourage people of all ages and races to go for their dreams in life," he says.