Damien O' Kane, a down-to-earth 24-year-old who has not let success go to his head, has been lead dancer for the past four years in the Europe-Asia troupe of Lord of the Dance. One of three touring companies known separately as "Lord of the Dance," it grew out of the original show created by its star dancer, multi-millionaire Michael Flatley. O'Kane joined at the age of 18, when he rejected a place at university. Within 18 months he had risen to the top, effectively becoming a "Lord of the Dance." Last week, the show came to Moscow, where its 36 dancers took the Kremlin Palace Theater by storm with its imaginative version of traditional Irish dancing.

Is it true that Michael Flatley has retired?

Yes, we did his last tour, which was called"Feet of Flames," with him in America for eight weeks last summer. It was really good working with him again. The other two troupes are in America. One tours North and South America, and one stays in Las Vegas, Nevada, permanently.

Michael designed the role of the Lord of the Dance for himself. Has he readapted it in any way to suit you?

Well, really it's up to me to adapt it. Michael would do certain things as Lord of the Dance that I probably wouldn't do. I have to stick to a regime of about 70 percent of what he did. But the other 30 percent of what I do brings out my personality in the role. Even if I did everything exactly the same as Michael, I would never look the same anyway, because he's a different person. It's the personality and flair of the individual dancer that comes out on stage. The footwork is almost the same, but I am free to do what I like with everything else. Of course we also have a choreographer – Marie Duffy – who guides us as well.

You've been doing the same show for five years. Isn't that tiring?

We get breaks now and then, although it does get very tiring sometimes because we travel a lot. We've just traveled from Germany to Japan – we spent two weeks there, and we were just getting over jet lag when we came to Russia last Wednesday, and tomorrow we leave for Estonia and then go back to Germany, France and Belgium.

How can you keep your sense of enthusiasm going?

I don't really see it like that – we are seeing so much of the world. Also, every audience reacts differently to the show, and it's great to be able to bring Irish culture to so many countries. Russians reacted really well. They were very responsive to what we do. They like to cheer and clap and laugh at the right moments. We were really pleased. Everybody reacts to the show, because it is so audience-friendly, but when we went to Australia, for example, the audiences were comparatively reserved. The best audiences we've ever had have probably been in Germany. Americans are also very good. Germans are really responsive. They are really loud and shout and clap and stamp their feet. The greatest reaction is probably at the end of each number or when we tap faster. Every audience is amazing in its own way.

On stage, the more you give the role, the more the audience will react. I always try to give it everything I have. Lord of the Dance is a very simple story about good against evil. ...You basically want people to leave it feeling like they have enjoyed a really good night out. I wouldn't want to pay money to go and see a show and come out of it feeling depressed. I'd want to say, "That was amazing!" and that I'd love to see it again.

We want the show to be very fast-paced and for people to be impressed and want to see it again. We have fans – especially in Germany and America – who have seen the show 70 or 80 times. After a show, there are always fans there to greet us and ask for autographs. It's nice to feel we're appreciated. Whatever you put in, the audience gives it back 100-fold. Especially at the climax at the end of the show, when you have 6,000 or 7,000 people – as we had the first night at the Kremlin Palace – screaming for another encore. It hits you like a ton of bricks, because you're on a high, especially as the lead dancer, because you are there to raise the audience and get them to their peak.