The cast of Lord of the Dance, traumatised by the weekend murder of a colleague in Johannesburg, will all be flying home to their families, Michael Flatley said on Monday.
”Nothing is more important to me than the wellbeing of the dancers,” said Flatley, the founder of the dance show, while addressing a press conference at Sandton on Monday.
”They are not in very good shape. They are young dancers on the road. I love these kids and I need to get them home to their families.”
He had just got off a plane from the United Kingdom, having flown there from the United States.
The performances of the two last shows in Johannesburg on Sunday were cancelled.
Flatley left open the possibility that the cast might return.
”We shall probably reschedule some of the shows,” he said.
Promoter Attie van Wyk there were 28 more performance scheduled for which tickets had already been sold out in Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.
He said should the shows be cancelled, losses would be ”substantial”.
Flatley emphasised that the incident ”was not a reflection on South Africa”.
The country, he said, was on of the most beautiful he had visited.
”I shall be back many times, please God. I hope under better circumstances. While this was a horrible tragedy it could have happened in any city in the world.”
The crew of 49 had moved from the Parktonian Hotel — outside which the murder happened — to the Hilton Hotel in Sandton.
Flatley said he understood that Daryl Kempster (37) a merchandiser with the troupe, had chosen to walk from the Civic Theatre to the hotel in the early hours of Sunday without the usual security assistance that was provided.
”I believe he declined security for some reason. I don’t know why,” Flatley said, stressing that the incident should be seen as isolated.
He said the security around the troupe had otherwise been ”fantastic”.
Kempster, of Bedfordshire in the UK, was shot by unidentified gunmen in the early hours of Sunday morning. He was robbed of a laptop and a shoulder bag.
Johannesburg police spokesperson Sergeant Sanku Tsunke said police were ”following possible leads”. – Sapa