Kaila Lee McManus
FROM a young age, dancing queen Kaila-Lee McManus has been taking the Riverdance world by storm – and now her dreams have come true as she is travelling around the UK as part of ‘Lord of the Dance.’
Kaila-Lee from Enniskillen turned professional with a show called ‘Murphy’s Legacy’ and became the leading female dancer.
She explained, “Murphy’s Legacy then toured in the Middle East in places such as Dubai, Oman and Qatar which enabled me understand and experience what it takes to be a professional dancer. I then decided to spend my summer touring around China for three months and when I got home I found out I was the newest member of Lord of the Dance and here I am now touring the UK.”
“I used to dream of meeting Michael Flatley or to even be able to dance like his dancers. I used to watch his DVDs over and over in amazement and to think that I’m now a part of his show and work for him is overwhelming,” said Kaila-Lee.
She said the show itself was unbelievable.
“Dancing is what I love to do, I have been doing it my whole life and to be able to call this a job is a dream come true.”
Already in professional mode, she practices and prepares meticulously for each show.
“It can get very stressful at times, having to learn routines in a short period of time and perform them on stage a short while after can be difficult. It can also get physically tiring dancing shows every single night, sometimes double show days but nothing a few amino acids, protein and icebaths can’t sort out!
“Preparing for shows doesn’t only mean the weeks prior to the tour, it goes as far back to all the work my mum put in to bring me all around the country for practises, competitions and the time and money she dedicated towards me for years before hand. As far back as my dad bringing me to dancing when I was just a little girl not knowing what it was going to lead to and to my aunt and uncles for constantly supporting me from the beginning.
Dancing in front of hundreds every night she says has been a real highlight, although she hasn’t quite got used to people are waiting for pictures and autographs.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that! Also, when my mum flew over to surprise me and watched the show and gave me some home comfort, it was nice to know I made her proud,” said the Enniskillen dancer.
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