August 2009 Newsletter:January 2008 Newsletter ... - Dance Ireland

AUGUST 2009
dance ireland NEWS

Dance Ireland is the trading name of the Association of Professional Dancers in Ireland Ltd. Established in 1989, Dance
Ireland is a membership-led organisation, operating on an all-Ireland basis, dedicated to the promotion of professional dance
practice in Ireland. Incorporated in 1992 as a not-for-profit company with limited guarantee, the organisation has evolved
into a national, umbrella resource whose core aims are the promotion of dance as a vibrant artform, the provision of support
and practical resources for professional dance artists through our training and development programmes and advocacy on
dance and choreography issues.
Dance Ireland manages DanceHouse, a purpose-built, state-of-the-art dance rehearsal venue, located in the heart of
Dublin’s north-east inner city. DanceHouse is at the heart of Dance Ireland activities, as well as being a home for professional
dance artists and the wider dance community. Studios are available for hire. In addition to hosting our artistic programme
of professional training and development, performances, exhibitions, special events and a fully equipped artists’ resource
room, DanceHouse offers a range of evening classes to cater to the interests and needs of the general public.
BOARD MEMBERS
Adrienne Brown Chairperson, Cindy Cummings, Megan Kennedy secretary,
Lisa McLoughlin, Anne Maher, Fearghus Ó Conchúir, Gaby Smith
DANCE IRELAND PERSONNEL
Paul Johnson, Chief Executive
Siân Cunningham, General Manager
Elisabetta Bisaro, Development Officer
Inga Byrne, Administrator
Kelly Chen, Book Keeper
Brenda Crea & Glenn Montgomery, Receptionists/Administrative Assistants
Dance Ireland, DanceHouse, Foley Street, Dublin 1.
Tel: 01 855 8800 Fax: 01 819 7529
Email: info@danceireland.ie Website: www.danceireland.ie
Dance Ireland News is published 12 times a year
Published by Dance Ireland, DanceHouse, Foley St, Dublin 1, Ireland.
Printed by CRM Design + Print, Unit 6, Bridgecourt Office Park, Walkinstown Ave., Dublin 12, Ireland.
ISSN 1649-9506
Disclaimer
Dance Ireland reserves the right to edit or amend all articles or notices published in this magazine. The views
expressed are those of contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of Dance Ireland members.
Cover: Getting Lost
Photo: Fionn McCann
Deadlines for next edition:
September 2009 Copy & Photos: Friday 14 August Inserts: Friday 21 August
All photos submitted must be accompanied by appropriate credits and acknowledgements
2

News
INTRODUCTION
August is residency month at DanceHouse; Dance Ireland is delighted to offer such an important
professional development opportunity to 16 of our members, who will undertake self-directed research.
The artists are: Fiona Quilligan, Deirdre Murphy, Muirne Bloomer/Emma O’Kane, Libby Seward, Liadain
Herriott, Fergus Byrne/Peter Duffy, Jane Magan, Nathalie Grand, Cristina Goletti, Michael Cooney, Emma Meehan,
Antje Schneider, Laura Murphy and Ailish Claffey.
To facilitate these residencies, there are no morning classes for three weeks; classes resume on 24 August with
ballet taught by Joanna Banks, making a welcome return to teaching for Dance Ireland. This is followed by guest
artist Janis Claxton, who is also offering a series of workshops for professional and amateur female dancers,
interested in her performance project Sweet Love. Classes continue for the rest of the year with a range of exciting
national and international teachers, including Mitia Fedotenko, Lee Clayden, Michael Martin Dolan and Tim O
Donnell. Other highlights in September include a Dance & Health seminar, and a sound and movement
installation: happensdance by Animated State Dance Theatre Company. In October we are organising a one-day
forum: Dance Artists: Making Work, Sustaining a Practice. The forum is supported by the Arts Council’s European
Cultural Contact Point, and is a joint initiative between Dance Ireland and the Irish World Academy of Music
and Dance.
For the second year, Culture Ireland is supporting three of our members present their work at the Edinburgh
Fringe Festival: Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre with Raw; Rex Levitates Dance Company with Unsung; and
Dialogue - Fearghus Ó Conchúir’s collaboration with Chinese choreographer Li Ke and composer Yin Yi, which
premiered at DanceHouse last July. All three works are presented in association with Dance Base; booking details:
www.dancebase.co.uk.
Of course, it’s not all happening abroad – as always, we carry news and reports from our members throughout
the country, including items from Chrysalis, junk ensemble, Legitimate Bodies and ponydance; audition notices
from CoisCéim and Irish Modern Dance Theatre. Also worth noting is the article by Fearghus O Conchúir on Public
Art commissioning opportunities.
It is with sadness that we mark the recent deaths of Myrtle Lambkin and Pina Bausch. In their own unique worlds,
both were tenacious and innovative artists.
Myrtle Lambkin will be remembered by many as an inspiring and dedicated teacher. At her own request, she was
buried privately. Donations, if desired, may be made in her name to The Christina Noble Children’s Foundation.
www.cncf.org. While Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch never performed in Ireland; our connection to her work
is strong; her vision inspired many of us, artists and audience members to travel to experience her work. Deirdre
Mulrooney who spent time in Wuppertal observing both the choreographer and company, has written a tribute
to Pina Bausch, which we carry on our website: www.danceireland.ie entitled: Pina Bausch, and the ‘Out of the Blue’.
A Future for Arts Touring in Ireland 20010-2015
New Policy on Touring
The Arts Council has published its new policy on touring, accompanied by
The Touring Experiment Report which informed the policy.
Documents are available on-line: www.artscouncil.ie.
3

DANCE IRELAND PROGRAMME
Source: Jess Ferrone
PROFESSIONAL MORNING CLASS
Ballet
24 - 28 August
10 -11.30am
Morning class resumes on the 24 August with a week
of ballet taught by Joanna Banks. A founder member
of APDI; Joanna is one of the foremost classical ballet
teachers working in Ireland today. Joanna trained
with the Royal Ballet in London and went on to
perform with many companies throughout the world,
including Irish National Ballet. Joanna is now passing
on this invaluable legacy to a new generation of
dance students as Artistic Director of the College of
Dance.
INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE
PROGRAMME
Dance Ireland/Dance House Glasgow
Janis Claxton/Sweet Love Project
31 Aug – 05 September
Following her first successful residency in 2007,
choreographer and teacher Janis Claxton returns to
DanceHouse from 31 August to 05 September to
introduce the working processes of Sweet Love, a
multi-generational performance piece for women.
Sweet Love was originally developed through a
Choreographic Development Residency at Dance
House Glasgow and resulted in a studio performance
for 14 women at the CCA, Glasgow in February 2008.
Sweet Love
It takes inspiration from the bittersweet tales and
heartfelt lyricism in Appalachian Folk songs and
country music, and the personal and universal
themes of women’s lives. For more information on
Sweet Love, please visit www.janisclaxton.com.
In addition to teaching morning class, Janis will offer
three exploratory workshops: 02 September, 12-2pm;
04 September, 12-2pm; 05 September, 10.30am-
2.30pm, which are open to both professional and
amateur female dancers of any age who are
interested in exploring mixed generational work with
a performance focus.
For all those interested in participating in the
afternoon workshops, please contact
reception@danceireland.ie or tel: 01 855 8800.
Dance Ireland/ Le Pacifique|
CDC Grenoble
Mitia Fedotenko
14-18 September
As part of our ongoing International Exchange
programme with Le Pacifique|CDC Grenoble, Dance
Ireland will host dance artist Mitia Fedotenko for a
week-long residency from 14 to 18 September.
Originally from Russia, Mitia trained at the Moscow
Theatre for Contemporary Dance before moving to
the Centre National de Danse Contemporaine in
Angers and then at the Centre Chorégraphique
National in Montpellier. In 1999, he founded the
company Autre MiNa. He has worked with Mathilde
Monnier, François Verret, Julyen Hamilton and Didier
Théron among others. Parallel to his choreographic
work, Mitia regularly teaches for the Centre
Chorégraphique National, the School of circus
Balthazar, the CDC and Maison de la Culture in
Grenoble, the school of Nicolas Ogrizkov in Moscow
and other international training centres.
During his residency, Mitia will teach professional
morning class and have access to studio time to work
on a new project provisionally called ‘Today.Phèdre’,
based around Marina Tsvetaeva’s homonymous
4

Source: Vladimir Lupovskoy
Mitia Fedotenko
poem. The residency will culminate in a studio
showing at the end of the week.
Our opposite number in the exchange is Elena
Giannotti, who will undertake a residency at Le
Pacifique in December. Elena will teach morning class
and work on a new solo based on the outcomes of
her choreographic bursary research. She will also
perform her improvisation solo series One Girl
B.A.N.D.
DANCE & HEALTH SEMINAR
11 September
2-4pm
DanceHouse
Admission free
Dance is a demanding activity, and research shows
that dancers often work through pains and injuries
that should receive professional attention. The topic
of dance health has been underexplored in Ireland.
Come along to find out about the state of dance
medicine and science research, and how social,
cultural and economic factors shape the decisions
dancers make about their health. This seminar will
also include a practical session encouraging
participants to think about their own experience of
pain and injuries in relation to dance.
Dr. Jen Tarr is Lecturer in Sociology at Trinity College
Dublin. From 2005-2007 she worked as a researcher
on Pain and Injury in a Cultural Context: Dancers’
Embodied Understandings and Visual Mapping
(www.danceinjuries.org), funded by the UK’s Arts and
Humanities Research Council. The research explored
how dancers make sense of their experiences of pain
and injury and distinguish between them, and the
consequences this has for their bodies and careers.
Admission is free but places are limited. Please book
your place by contacting reception@danceireland.ie
or 01 855 8800.
SUMMER RESIDENCIES @ DANCEHOUSE
A short report from Jane Magan; in residence from
22 June to 02 July:
During my residency at DanceHouse I had some set
goals in mind to achieve, but I also wanted to allow the
space and environment itself to play a part in guiding
me. I began each day with a warm up in the form of
ballet class and then proceeded to work on material.
Music has always been a big influence for me when
creating material but I was interested in going against
my natural instincts and out of my comfort zone. I
wanted to try to approach things from different angles
and use new tools. Having worked with Dance Ireland’s
guest ballet teacher Elizabeth Corbett earlier in June, I
incorporated some of her teachings including Forsythe
Improvisation Technologies, Laban cube, retrograding
and traceforms. I also surrounded myself with various
images, postcards, photos, quotes which acted as visual
aids sparking ideas and possible starting points. I tried
to stay aware of the space around me, the atmosphere I
was creating and how efficient I was being. When I
became tired or distracted I tried to go back to some
simple improvisation and just listen to what my body
needed at that time. I found it difficult at times working
alone and one of the days I spent a few hours sharing
and discussing practices with Justine Cooper who was
working simultaneously in another studio. It proved a
valuable experience and we both agreed that it gave us
some new points to progress from and give thought to.
The availability of studio space gave me a chance to reestablish
my interest in choreography, to assess the skills
and tools I possessed and to develop new material. In
general I was very happy with my time and the results
that came from my time in the studio. Should I have the
opportunity again I feel it would be necessary to have
more dancers join in the process at certain points to
move the experience on to the next level. I was delighted
to have the opportunity to work freely in the studio and
be able to investigate new ways of approaching
choreography. It was also a great help in discovering
and clarifying an approach that best suited me. I look
forward now with more confidence to producing new
material and I would like to thank Dance Ireland for a
very enjoyable and productive residency.
Jane Magan
Source: Jane Magan
5

COMPANY NEWS
Source: Stephen Macken
CHRYSALIS DANCE
www.chrysalisdance.com
Having completed
their very successful
nationwide tour in
spring, receiving rave
reviews and often
standing ovations,
Chrysalis Dance are
delighted to have
gained support from
the Arts Council again
for 2010. This summer
the
company
commences work on a
new piece by
choreographer Tanya
Nurture
McCrory. Having
completed an MA in
contemporary dance performance in Limerick,
American choreographer and dancer, Tanya, spent
three years as Galway dance artist in residence. She
presented her piece Reveries in Project 06 and her
work The Projector of Dreams in GAF 07. Chrysalis is
pleased to be adding another, new choreographer’s
work to their repertoire.
www.danceireland.ie
CÓISCEIM DANCE COMPANY
Male & female dancer required
Auditions 16/17 August
jenny@coisceim.com
Male and female dancer required with strong
contemporary, contact and release techniques along
with good improvisation skills and performance
experience. Auditions will be held on 16/17 August
and will be by invitation only. If you are interested in
attending audition please apply in writing including
a recent photograph, CV and show reel (if available)
before Friday 07 August to the above email address.
CoisCéim Creative Steps
Young People’s Dance Theatre
Auditions 20 Sept/ Year Starts 28 Sept
2-6pm
Annual membership fee €300
philippa@coisceim.com
CoisCéim Creative Steps is open to people aged
15-25 interested in choreographing, creating and
performing dance theatre. Participants train in
contemporary dance and physical theatre
techniques, partner work and improvisation.
Throughout the year, the group works with different
professional choreographers and artists in other art
forms such as film to devise new work. Creative Steps
have performed in a variety of events and
environments from St Patrick’s Day Festival, Sonraigh
Youth Dance Festival at Wexford Opera House to a
filmed dance performance in CoisCéim’s changing
room. Experience required in any form of dance or
theatre. The group meets weekly Mondays: 6 - 9 pm.
The Choreography Project
18 August – 13 September
Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 6-9pm
€130
info@coisceim.com
The Choreography Project will be led by
choreographer Muirne Bloomer, who is a long-time
CoisCéim performer. It is for people interested in the
choreographic process through to performance. The
theme of this choreography project is the use/abuse
of power and control. Responding to tasks set by
Muirne participants will be encouraged to explore
new ways of generating movement in the creation of
solo and group work. Through play and
experimentation the focus will be on the reinterpretation
of movement, and how meaning can
change dramatically depending where it is
positioned within a piece.
The Choreography Project is open to: adult
professional and non-professional dancers with a
minimum of one year’s experience in dance. The
Choreography Project will culminate in a public
6

performance for friends and family at CoisCéim
studio – 12 & 13 September. There will be rehearsals
at weekends closer to the time of performance.
To book download the booking form:
www.coisceim.com or call 01 878 0558.
Capoeira teacher required
CoisCéim Dance Theatre is looking for a professional
Capoeira teacher to lead a regular class on Saturdays
from September. For further information please
contact Philippa Donnellan; tel: 01 878 4063 or
email: philippa@coisceim.com.
Making Moves
Source: Echo Echo DTC
Source:
DANCE THEATRE OF IRELAND
Autumn Term
28 September - 05 December
www.dancetheatreireland.com
Dance Theatre of Ireland has completed their four
month tour of BLOCK PARTY! performing for
thousands, giving 18 performances in Korea, 5 in the
UK and 10 in Ireland, and finishing with final
performances at the Woking Dance Festival, (Summer
Shorts) on the 25 July. Dance Theatre of Ireland is
grateful for the support of Culture Ireland and the
Arts Council for the 2009 tour. View the Block Party!
trailer on our website dancetheatreireland.com.
Dance Theatre of Ireland’s next term of classes start
28 September. This is a 10 week term of daytime,
weekend & evening classes. New classes include
Swing Dance with Jamie Furler (USA), Modern Dance
for 5-7 year olds and their parents, Ballroom & Social
Dancing - a fantastic introduction to eight of the most
popular forms of Social Dancing including the Waltz,
Foxtrot, Cha-Cha, Rumba, Quick Step, Jive & more.
All welcome. For further information, or registration
contact Dance Theatre of Ireland at 01 280 3455; or
email: danceire@iol.ie.
Block Party! Mirjan
ECHO ECHO DANCE THEATRE
COMPANY
Making Moves in partnership with the University of
Ulster
03- 21 August
Echo Echo Dance Studio & Foyle Arts Building
www.echoechodance.com
Making Moves in dance education for 16- 18 year olds;
Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company and the
University of Ulster’s Dance department will be
offering a Youth Dance Development Course called
Making Moves to give young people aged 16-18 a
unique opportunity to experience contemporary
dance with a professional company before possibly
pursuing it in Higher Education.
Making Moves is a pioneering project; the first of its
kind in Northern Ireland, and the final phase will take
place in August with a 3-week intensive course led by
local and international artists to be held at the Echo
Echo Dance Studio and Foyle Arts Building at the
Magee University Campus.
The course will culminate in a performance at The
Waterside Theatre, Derry on 20 August and those who
complete it will receive accreditation from the
University of Ulster’s School of Creative Arts.
For full details, contact Echo Echo Dance Theatre
Company on 028 7134 2266; email
info@echoechodance.com. Funding for the Youth
Dance Development Course has been provided by
the Clore Duffield Foundation through its Clore
Performing Arts Awards.
FEARGHUS Ó CONCHÚIR
Public Art: An opportunity for dance
www.publicart.ie
This month, a piece I have been working on for two
years with the artist Dan Dubowitz, opens in the
Martello tower in Skerries. The work is an installation
7

of 12 films of solo performances on top of each of the
Martello towers in Fingal. It was commissioned as
part of Fingal’s Per Cent for Art scheme.
It is not the very first piece of public art to involve
dance. I believe that honour goes to a work that
Catherine Young made in Kerry in 2007. Last year,
Dublin Youth Dance Company was awarded a public
art commission by Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County
Council and the resulting work is currently in
development.
However when you consider how much money has
been spent on public art in the past few years, it is a
shame that dance has not benefited more. It is
certainly the case that in the early days of public art
commissioning, that the brief was written in a way
that was not welcoming of dance. The assumption
was that public art should be a large sculpture on a
roundabout and the language of the brief was
shaped by that assumption. However public art
commissioners have responded to the variety of arts
practices that could contribute something in the
public art context and, in recent times, the resulting
briefs are explicitly welcoming of dance.
And yet when Kildare County Council invited
applications from artists to become part of the panel
to which it would award commissions, only one
dance-based artist applied. Since I was that artist and
am very happy to have been selected to join the
panel, it may seem strange to be encouraging what is
ultimately competition for my future applications; but
it seems to me that there are opportunities to
develop dance-making in Ireland that are being
missed out. At a time when Arts Council funding will
be scarce, I do not think we can afford to miss those
opportunities. We are also missing out on a chance to
raise the profile of dance beyond the theatre setting,
to engage with specific communities and thereby
draw more people into an understanding of our artform.
Unfortunately, local authorities are also under
financial pressure and there may not be as many
commissions or much money in the schemes as
before. Nonetheless there are opportunities. Mayo
County Council has announced a call for applications
to its public art commissions, see the box ad. It is
offering commissions up to €64,000. I will be
applying but if I do not get selected, it would make
me happy to know that a fantastic dance proposal
was being realised with that money. Maybe you have
an idea…
FERGUS BYRNE
Body/Landscape workshop
13 - 19 September
Body/ Landscape in the Burren
Seamus Dunbar/ Frank van de Ven
€320/€280 (concessions)
www.bodyweatheramsterdam.blogspot.com
A week-long Body/Landscape workshop will take
place from 13-19 September in the Burren, County
Clare. The workshop proposes strategies to confront
Body Landscape
Source: Fergus Byrne
PUBLIC ART COMMISSION OPPORTUNITY
Opportunity in County Mayo - calling artists of all disciplines
Mayo County Council has issued an open call out for artists interested in working on Public Art
Commissions. Artists are invited to apply for a place on a public art panel, from which a wide
variety of public art commissions will be awarded in 2009 - 2011 (budgets up to €64,000). The
panel is open to a wide range of disciplines, including music, dance, drama, literature, film, visual
and performing arts. There will be two categories within the panel, one pertaining to commissions
of €10,000 to €64,000 and the second pertaining to commissions of under €10,000.
The deadline for application is Thursday 13 August 2009
An application form is available on www.mayococo.ie
or contact Gaynor Seville on 094 90 47561, Email gseville@mayococo.ie.
8

our bodies with the multiplicity, unpredictability,
directness and autonomy of the natural environment
and the aim is to explore and develop consciousness
of the body itself being an ever evolving landscape
within a greater surrounding landscape. Training is
lead by Dutch dancer and choreographer Frank van
de Ven and is aimed at artists and advanced students
working in the fields of performance, dance, land
art/sculpture, architecture, visual arts, biology and
natural history. For more information contact Seamus
Dunbar at 071 9856148, e-mail:
seamusd62@eircom.net.
FIDGET FEET
Raw
Aug 14-16, 18-23, 25-27 @ 9pm
Aug 15-16, 22-23 @ 2pm
£12 (£10)
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
www.fidgetfeet.com
Fidget Feet hope to see you all at this year’s
Edinburgh Fringe Festival; for those of you who
cannot make it pass the word to those lucky enough
to come along and support us there. Or make the trip
to Cork for a pre-Edinburgh performance at Firkin
Crane on Saturday 01 August at 1pm.
Breathtaking circus and gravity-defying aerial dance
work in a theatrical experience that is unforgettably
Raw. Sensual, fragile and fierce, Raw is an electrifying
and dreamlike evocation of nightlife culture. As the
story unfolds, it explores the razor’s edge between
strength and vulnerability, violence and harmony,
laughter and tears.
Directed by David Bolger, Double Fringe First Award
winner with CoisCéim; Raw is funded by Cultural
Ireland and Donegal County Council. Tickets can be
booked through Richard Wakely at
rwakely@eircom.net
Raw Aerial Workshops
See the show, try out the moves with an aerial
workshop on the set of Raw with Lucy Deacon,
graduate of Rogelio Rivel School in Barcelona,
specialist in aerial work. Get £5 off your show ticket
when booking for a workshop.
Introductory Level Workshops
Aug 17, 19, 21, 24, 25, 26 I 11:45 (2 hours) I £15 (£12)
Improvers Level Workshops
Aug 18, 20 & 27 I 11:45 (2 hours) I £15 (£12)
Tickets and information: 0131 225 5525 |
www.dancebase.co.uk (no booking fees)
Source: Firkin Crane
Source: Jym Daly
Pull Up
Blank Canvas
FIRKIN CRANE
Blank Canvas 2010
Deadline: 30 September
www.firkincrane.ie
The Firkin Crane is inviting applications for the
second year of its annual professional dance
residency programme Blank Canvas. Blank Canvas
offers artists incubation time and space to research,
develop and explore their creative endeavours within
a generously supported environment, without
emphasis on a finished production. Blank Canvas
allows the creative process to be given breath in ways
which suit artists’ needs. We will provide studio time,
technical and administrative support. In some cases
small pockets of funding may also be available.
Artists are encouraged to apply for match funding
from other sources to support their application.
9

In 2010 The Firkin Crane will be particularly interested
in supporting projects of a collaborative nature
between artists across art forms.
Multidisciplinary works that aims to push the
boundaries of artists comfort zones and encourage
artistic exchange. We would also encourage
applicants to choose a mentor for their work process.
This programme is supported by the Arts Council.
FLAMENCO IRELAND ACADEMY
SUMMER TERM AUGUST
For application form/further details please contact
the Firkin Crane; tel: 021 4507487; email:
dance@firkincrane.ie or download an application
from our website.
IRISH MODERN DANCE THEATRE
Audition
22 August
DanceHouse
www.irishmoderndancetheatre.com
Irish Modern Dance Theatre Artistic Director John
Scott will hold auditions for our 2010 season on
Saturday 22 August in DanceHouse. We are seeking
male and female dancers and apprentices with a
strong technical base, an open spirit and ability to
improvise. Interested dancers should contact the
office on imdt@iol.ie. A second audition is scheduled
for 05 September in Brussels.
IMDT is also delighted to announce a collaboration
with Adrienne Truscott which will start in 2009 and
continue in 2010. Adrienne is one of NYC’s most
exciting young choreographers, and we look forward
to presenting her European debut. See
www.adriennetruscott.com. IMDT is continuing its
development of a major new work with video-artist
Charles Atlas, also to be presented in 2010.
Source: Jack Hartin
Yolanda Gonzalez sobrada
Guest Teacher:
Yolanda Gonzalez Sobrado
www.yolandagsobrado.com
Three week workshop
Sunday August 09, 16 & 23
Time 12.30pm till 3.30pm
12.30 level 1 Beginners
14.00 level 2 Medium/Advanced
Source: Irish Modern Dance Theatre
Irish Modern Dance Theatre
Technique & Choreography (Alegrias & Tangos)
Workshop Prices
€30 per class 1.5 hrs or
€50 for both classes or
€130 for 9 hrs (3 weeks)
Saint Nicholas of Myra Parish Centre,
Carman’s Hall, off Francis Street,
Dublin 8
For information, bookings and registration please
contact Joyce on
Mobile: 0879696541;
Email: flamencofire@eircom.net.
Website: www.flamencoireland.com.
10

Source: Lucia de Nile
Source: Fionn McCann
Drinking Dust
a beautifully designed working electrical power plant
and 150 audience members attended. Drinking Dust
will next tour to Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris on
November 19 & 20: www.centreculturelirlandais.com.
Aires Flamencos Dance Company
JOYCE RICHARDSON
Festival of World Cultures
29 August
Dance Theatre of Ireland
4.30 -5.30pm
www.flamencoireland.com
Dance Theatre of Ireland will host a one hour
Sevillanas dance class taught by Joyce Richardson.
This class will cater for all ages and levels of dance
experience. This could be a chance for those of you
who have no previous dance experience to find out
more.
JUNK ENSEMBLE
Drinking Dust
19 & 20 November
Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris
www.junkensemble.com
junk ensemble recently returned from working in
Brussels with Firefly Projects, performing at the
Mechelen Festival in Belgium; My Name Is Amen is
written and directed by Orla Barry, and plans to tour
in the future.
junk ensemble’s Box Film was recently shown at The
Lighthouse Cinema, as part of Dublin Dance Festival’s
Dance on Film series.
junk ensemble recently performed Drinking Dust in
Bytom, Poland at Teatromania Festival with support
from Culture Ireland. The performance site was within
LEGITIMATE BODIES DANCE COMPANY
From Now on all our pieces will be about sex or the
environment
14 August
Birr Theatre & Arts Centre
www.birrtheatre.com
In August Legitimate Bodies will take up a four week
Blank Canvas residency at the Firkin Crane. This will be
a timely opportunity to continue the research and
development of company work including Dream
desk, a new duet between Nick Bryson and Damian
Punch, supported by Dance Ireland. Arno
Schuitemaker will also be continuing the
development of his new duet with Cristina Goletti
and Oscar Padrosa to be premiered in the Dublin
Fringe Festival in September. Thanks to the Firkin
Crane for the residency.
Nick and Cristina will also premiere a new short dance
theatre duet entitled From Now on all our pieces will be
about sex or the environment at the opening of Birr
Vintage week on 14 August in Birr Theatre and Arts
Centre.
PONYDANCE
Where did it all go right?
06-20 September @ 6pm
Pantibar, Capel Street
Dublin Fringe Festival
www.ponydance.com
See ponydance at this year’s Dublin Fringe Festival
performing their new work, Where did it all go right?
Where did it all go right? sees four people in a bar,
trying to get out of it. You’ve probably met some of
11

Source: Pony Dance
Where did it all go right?
them before and one could be your… Nearly
outrageous, mostly clever, always inventive, a hearty
lumpy mix of humour, honesty, careening and
cavorting. The ever industrious ponydance,
champions of comedy dance theatre and all things
brilliantly average, serve up their latest and tastiest
performance. Where did it all go right? is a confection
of moves and movement to a soundtrack of garish
music and nervous tension. Four outstanding
performers dance their way into hearts, minds and
underwear. You’ll laugh and cringe! This runs 06-20
September (except Monday 14 September) at 6pm in
Pantibar on Capel Street.
In other news, big congratulations to ponydance who
won the Ulster Bank Pick of the Pick ‘n’ Mix. This award
is the audience choice award at the Pick ‘n’ Mix
Festival in Belfast which took place in June. The
festival
provides
an opportunity for companies to share works in
progress; the ponydance showing was so well
received they have also been invited to perform a full
length show at the Belfast Festival at Queens: 16-18
October at the Old Museum Arts Centre.
ponydance, good looking, funny, charming… what’s
not to like? Find them on facebook.
REX LEVITATES DANCE COMPANY
Upcoming events
www.rexlevitates.com
Rex Levitates have just finished performing Getting
Lost by Liz Roche with Ashley Chen and Katherine
O’Malley as part of Re-Presenting Ireland at the Dublin
Dance Festival.
Looking to the summer the company will be perform
Unsung in the Picture Gallery Wing of Kilkenny Castle
during the Kilkenny Arts Festival on 15 August (9pm),
16 August (3pm & 8pm); Dance Base Edinburgh 6pm
daily during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 19 – 22
August. Performers touring include Micheal O’
Suilleabhain, Iarla O’ Lionaird, Kate Ellis/Jane Hughes,
Kenneth Edge, Liz Roche, Mathew Morris, Grant McLay
and Katherine O’Malley.
Unsung is supported by the Arts Council, Culture
Ireland and Deis and was originally co-produced with
Eigse Carlow Arts Festival 2008. Rex Levitates
acknowledges the support of RTÉ and the Arts
Council in commissioning, under RTÉ Dance on the
Box, the short film Unsung from which this project has
been developed.
Rex Levitates then returns to Dublin to present a new
evening of dance for the Dublin Fringe Festival. 12
Minute Dances is a collection of short works which are
the result of a year-long period of movement
reflection and investigation by Liz Roche with a core
group of Rex Levitates dancers. The works appear as a
wash of colour, movement, rhythm and emotion;
human embodiment as a dynamic event. The
audience completes the picture.
A picture lives by companionship, expanding and
quickening in the eyes of the sensitive observer. Mark
Rothko (painter 1903-1970). Katherine O’Malley,
Grant McLay, Cliodhna Hoey, Lee Clayden and Liz
Roche will perform 12 Minute Dances with music from
composers Joel Mellin, Julia Wolfe and Edward
Rosenberg.
Rex Levitates will be holding a daily company class
and workshops during the performance period.
Dance professionals are invited to attend. Please
email admin@rexlevitates.com if you are interested in
signing up.
SOUTH TIPPERARY EXCEL ARTS &
CULTURE CENTRE
End of 2008/09 dance residency
Jazmin Chiodi & Alexandre Iseli
Iseli Chiodi Dance Company
iselichiodi@gmail.com
Our first dance residency has come to an end with a
workshop taking place in July. A warm thank you to
everyone who supported our creative and teaching
work by taking part, promoting, or in any other way.
We are delighted to announce that the Arts Council,
South Tipperary County Council and Excel Arts &
Culture Centre have extended support to the
residency, which will recommence in September 09.
12

Source: Iseli-Chiodi Dance Company
Creation and touring
Me seeing You was created in the spring in
collaboration with visual artist Elaine Hurley (video
work: Elaine Hurley, lighting design: Orla Kavanagh).
The piece was first performed in the Excel Centre in
May. We then received support from Culture Ireland
to perform in 3 international dance festivals in Korea.
The tour will also include, Terryglass Festival (19
August), and Cuernavaca (Mexico) and Maracaibo
(Venezuela) festivals in November, with more
performances in train.
Excel Centre and the County Council have
commissioned Iseli Chiodi Dance Company to create
a new 40 minutes piece in the autumn, under the title
Me seeing You 2 collaborating with choreographer Liz
Roche. As well, we are developing future projects with
Argentinean company La Compania in Buenos Aires.
The residency is a supportive frame to launch creative
work, which contributes to dance in the community,
as we could see from the attendance at our Excel
performance. We have been teaching 10 groups of
children (7 to 13 years old) in Monard, Cashel,
Knockavilla, Boherlahan and Anacarty schools. It has
been a very happy, rich and successful experience,
with very positive responses from both children and
teachers. These children were invited to a matinee
performance at the Excel. We have been teaching
regular dance classes and workshops, focusing either
on contemporary, tango, or holistic techniques. We
also taught dance in Cashel Day Care Centre.
Maintaining regular classes – contemporary Tues
6.30pm and tango Thurs 7.30pm; we will extend our
programme by providing more classes including:
dance in schools, workshops, and possibly classes for
children, and 50+ movement classes. We are also
planning to work with a regular group to develop a
short piece.
Iseli-Chiodi Dance Company
We are extremely happy with the outcome of this first
residency, and looking forward to meeting more of
you in the future.
THE DANCE INSTITUTE
Ballet & Jazz Summer Course
17-21 August
10am-5pm
DanceHouse
€225
www.thedanceinstitute.net
The Dance Institute is holding an exciting summer
course this August for all dance students aged 11+.
Students will be taught by teachers, including Lindsay
Ashe-Browne BA (Hons) ARAD, Kelsey Cobban BA
(Hons), Lyndsey Moosa BA (Hons), Zoe Ashe-Browne
ARAD and Jamie Carter.
Each day will begin with a 15 minute structured
aerobic warm up to wake up the body and mind and
help to prevent injuries. Morning technique classes in
ballet and jazz will follow where our teachers will give
individual and personal correction to each student.
Although these classes will concentrate on and
consolidate technique, our teachers will also be
encouraging artistry, performance, musicality and
most of all enjoyment through every aspect of
morning class.
Each afternoon there will be two workshops in
different dance disciplines. This summer workshops
will include ballet repertoire, contemporary, hip hop,
pilates, lyrical jazz, pointe work and musical theatre
repertoire. These workshops will be taught by
teachers who have performed on stage in Ireland, the
West End and abroad. With them they bring a wealth
of knowledge and experience to The Dance Institute
and all students are encouraged to ask them as many
questions throughout the course about their training,
professional contracts, injuries, touring, technique
and anything else they can think of.
The day will end with a cool down and stretch where
we will show students how to cool down carefully
after class to prevent injury and get the most benefit
out of their stretching. For application forms or any
further information please contact Lindsay Ashe-
Browne on 087 4152915 or email
thedanceinstitute@me.com.
THE FIRKIN CRANE
Blank Canvas 2009
www.FirkinCrane.ie
Phase two of the Blank Canvas 2009 residencies
ended successfully. We were thrilled to have three
13

Friday 23 October. Watch this space for further
information.
We are now inviting applications for Blank Canvas
2010. For further information: www.FirkinCrane.ie
where an application form can be downloaded.
Source: Firkin Crane
Blank Canvas
international dance artists in residence for two weeks
in July.
Liz Lea worked on a new solo piece inspired by the
Ajanta Caves in India and her research into the early
dance pioneers Anna Pavlova and Ruth St Denis.
Specializing in the field of contemporary and classical
Indian dance Liz is currently an assosciate director at
QL2 Centre for Youth Dance in Canberra, Australia.
Matthew Morris who continues to work with Feargus
Ó’Conchúir and Mikel Aristegui in Dublin, Spain and
Berlin and has just finished touring Switzerland with
Hollwood Angst directed by Kylie Walters. In residence,
he began developing his own working project and
held two fantastic professional dance classes.
Carlos Cortes engaged with local dancers and
musicians as part of his continuous investigation into
how movement can be a liberating force, and can
help to engage with their physical environment, and
how audience and performers can become equally
involved in dynamics that change the way space is
perceived and or inhabited.
In August, phase three of Blank Canvas 2009
commences. The Firkin Crane welcomes Nick Bryson
and Cristina Goletti of Legitimate Bodies and Mairead
Vaughan of Shakram Dance. Both companies are
given the freedom to explore, research and develop
individual work processes. At the end of this
residency period they will present a short informal
sharing, open to all on Friday 04 September at 1pm.
In phase four of Blank Canvas 2009, Fidget Feet
returns in October. They will be developing a new
aerial dance piece, manifesting in reality, visions of a
trio moving in a sensual maze of fabric, film and
animation. There will be the chance to gain insight
into this work in progress in a sharing on
OTHER DANCE NEWS
COLLEGE OF DANCE
New term final auditions
28 August
www.collegeofdance.com
The College of Dance presented three highly
successful performances of Dance 2009 in July at the
O’Reilly Theatre. The end of year production was well
received by large audiences. The final performance
was followed by a graduation ceremony at which
17 students received their diplomas, 15 of whom will
be continuing their training at an advanced level
overseas, having won scholarships and awards to the
following colleges: London Studio Centre; Bird
College, UK; Urdang Academy, UK; Laine Theatre Arts,
UK; Performers Dance College, UK and Scottish School
of Contemporary Dance.
The final audition, for the new academic year, which
commences on 21 September, takes place on
Saturday 28 August. Prior registration is essential.
For further information tel/fax: 01 2304115 or
email: admin@collegeofdance.com.
CHOREOGRAPH.NET
Joseph Beuys, What is Art?
www.choreograph.net/thoughts
...every person continually performs material processes.
He continually creates interrelationships. Even when he
gives, when he defers to another, or the way he behaves
in a crowd, there are always, let’s say, form processes at
work. Dancers, after all, do nothing but move, on their
feet. And people on a crowded street are basically
dancers too.
www.danceireland.ie
14

DANCE IRELAND MORNING CLASS @ DANCEHOUSE
24 - 28 August Joanna Banks Ballet
31 Aug - 04 Sept Janis Claxton Contemporary
Class Fees:
DI Members: €7 per class / Non-members: €10 per class
Class card available
Time: 10.00am to 11.30am
PROFESSIONAL CLASS AT THE FIRKIN CRANE with Dance Ireland
Every Wednesday Contemporary Firkin Crane, Shandon, Cork
Time: 11am to 12.30pm
Fees: DI Members: €7 per class /
Non-members: €10 per class
For more information: Firkin Crane @ 021 450 7487
PROFESSIONAL CLASS AT SIAMSA TÍRE with Dance Ireland
Every Tuesday Contemporary Siamsa Tíre, Tralee, Co. Kerry
Time: 9am to 11am
Fees: DI Members: €5 per class /
Non-members: €8 per class
For more information: Catherine Young @ 087 266 0012
MAIDEN VOYAGE PROFESSIONAL CLASS with Dance Ireland
Every Wednesday Contemporary Dance Resource Base Studio,
35 Donegall Street, Belfast
Time: 6.30pm to 8pm
Fees: DI Members: £4 per class /
Non-members: £5 per class
For more information: Maiden Voyage @ 0044 2890 330925
MYRIAD DANCE PROFESSIONAL CLASS with Dance Ireland
Every Wednesday Contemporary Myriad Dance Studio, Wexford
Time: 10am to 12noon
Fees: DI Members: €8 per class /
Non-members: €10 per class
For more information: Myriad Dance @ 053 9174 665