DANCER JEAN BUTLER'S LEGS ARE WORTH £2M
BUT SHE CAN'T STAND THEM.
The other star of Riverdance is shy about her shapely muscles.

Exclusive by Neil Michael
Deputy Showbusiness Editor
'Sunday Express'.
September 12th 1999

They may be insured for £1million each, but Jean Butler can't stand showing off her perfectly formed legs. Much to the dismay of her male admirers and despite having a figure most women would be only too willing to flaunt, the former Riverdancer refuses to have them photographed in the flesh.

Friends say this is because Jean, who returns to the London stage in November after a three year absence, feels more feminine in trousers. "She has muscular legs which are more noticeable when she wears short skirts" said one.. "People wonder why she is never photographed in a short skirt and that is it. She's more of a trousers and trainers person, she's more comfortable and feels more feminine in them."

Jean's legs first came to the attention of the world five years ago in Ireland. She partnered Michael Flatley in a seven-minute interval piece during the Eurovision Song Contest which caused such a sensation it was extended into a full-scale show - the phenomenally successful Riverdance. After Flatley left in 1995, she continued for another year with nine-times world champion dancer Colin Dunne, with whom she has created her new show, Dancing on Dangerous Ground.

After Riverdance ended, Jean, 29, who was born in New York, embarked on a year-long bid to become an actress. However, apart from a role in the film The Brylcreem Boys alongside her friend Gabriel Byrne, she was largely unsuccessful. "It just didn't happen for me" she said. "I found myself in a position where I didn't want to spend 10 years trying to make it. I'd love to do a great film one day but ideally as a person rather than solely as a dancer. One of the aspects about my auditions was the way I would find myself being greeted by directors and simply asked for an autograph."

She admits to having been frustrated during her time in Riverdance because she felt she was playing second fiddle to Flatley and was not given the opportunity to do what she felt she was able to. She has not spoken to him since he quit.

Jean says Dancing on Dangerous Ground, choreographed with Dunne, marks her lifetime's ambition. Based on an ancient Irish myth, it tells of the love between a warrior and a princess. The £2 million show opens in London on November 30th, and will be taken on a 40-date tour of America. It has an element not usually associated with the world of Irish dance - sex. The posters show Jean naked from the wait up in a passionate clinch with Dunne, whose arms reach across her breasts. "The dance in Dancing on Dangerous Ground will be more free-form and sensual that that seen in more regimented shows like Riverdance and Lord of the Dance," she said.

"I don't know what it is that drives me on, but I do believe that success for myself is secondary to the success of the dance and my passion to share this talent with other people."

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Article and photos courtesy of Rob Craine