Actually, that type of Irish Step Dancing really should not be so "broadened" where an entire stage is full of folk hopping around.  The beauty of Irish dancing is in it's simplicity and thus we are brought to the wonderful old saying "Less is More".  Really true in this case.

To see Michael Flately or whatever his name is, prancing around on the stage sans shirt and offering the audience so much of his self indulgence really is pretty cheesy.

Don't get me wrong.  I truly love Irish music and the dance that goes with it.  The Chieftains, The Bothey Band, The Boys of the Loch, etc., are wonderful examples of traditional Irish music and it's really a treat to see any dancing to such music.  But Riverdance and Michael Flately simply take things too far.

I'm glad that such dancing is totally incompatible with Ballet.  Whew!  I'm really glad!