April 2007 - Dance Ireland

Source: R.Wynneballet star Victor Povavarov - no strangers to Corkaudiences following the company’s tour inNovember 2006 - will perform the Black Swan pasde deux as well as an excerpt from Gorsky’sproduction of La Fille Mal Gardee. And the stage isset to come alive with a series of performancesdrawing on an eclectic range of classical andcontemporary influences and techniques in bothmusic and dance, with Jane Kellaghan’s balletWuthering Heights set to the music of Kate Bush,Alan Foley’s ballet Gira Con Me to the baritoneintonation of Josh Grobin, while Judith Sibley’sballet Rainwater finds accompaniment in thesongs of Paddy Casey. And last but certainly notleast, Irish ballerina Monica Loughman willperform the famous wedding pas de deux fromThe Sleeping Beauty with American principaldancer Todd Fox, who will also partner AmyLawson in Patricia Crosbie’s sensational balletBodyguard with music by Paul Simon.LONGFORD DANCE FEST 2007 –Backstage Theatre & Shawbrook, 13th& 14th AprilOn Friday 13th April the Irish National DanceAwards will take place in Backstage Theatre,Longford, during which over a hundred youngdance students will partake in a day of ballet, jazzand contemporary dance. This year the judges areSonia Rafferty, Dollie Henry and Cathy Sharp.The evening will commence with a viewing of TheShawbrookians, a film made by the National YouthSephiroth/Emanations,expandance9Dance Company under the guidance of FionaMcGinty, followed by a performance of Runningthe Line by Cathy Sharp Dance Ensemble andfinally concluding with the Awards Ceremonyproper. For info and bookings phone Backstagetheatre at 043 47888On the 14th April, the day starts with three masterclasses at Shawbrook taught by theaforementioned judges. Later on, Irish studentscurrently studying abroad will have a chance toshow us site-specific work in Shawbrook Theatre,this to be followed by the award of prize monies tostudents to assist with their studies. And afternightfall, we will witness our first ever forest danceperformance, as brought to us by expandance -Sephiroth / Emanations. Choreographed by RachelWynne and performed by Laurie Schneider andJody O’Neill, this is an invitation only event andit’s recommended that you bring raingear andwellies!For further info and to request invitation, pleasecontact Shawbrook directly at shawbrook@tinet.ieDIE FLEDERMAUS –Ballet Ireland Spring Season 2007Die Fledermaus, a delicious story of intrigue, love,humour and revenge which lends itself perfectlyto the medium of ballet, promises to be awonderful vehicle for Ballet Ireland. A coproductionwith choreography by artistic directorGünther Falusy and guest choreographer inresidence Morgann Runacre-Temple, this is agreat yarn with wonderful scope for great dancingby Ballet Ireland.The light-hearted story of Die Fledermaus tells ofthe revenge taken by a certain Dr. Falke (DieFledermaus) for a practical joke played on him byGabriel von Eisenstein, whose marriage Rosalindedoes little to prevent frequent dalliances with thelithe young ladies of the corps de ballet. On his wayto serve a brief jail term for insulting a publicofficial, Eisenstein attends Prince Orlofsky’s ball. Hewoos a glamorous Hungarian countess, who turnsout to be none other than Rosalinde, seeking (andgetting) her revenge for her husband’sindiscretions. True identities are revealed andconfusion dispelled in the final scene whenEisenstein philosophically declares… it’s best toblame it all on the champagne!For tour dates for April, see Listings at back.