“UNFOLDING through a rich tapestry of movement, music, photography and film” is telling of the layers to ‘Linger’. Taking place on Thursday February 4 at Dance Limerick on John’s Square, 8pm, ’Linger’ is a work commissioned by Dance Ireland from innovative choreographer/ producer Breandán de Gallaí.
In interview with de Gallaí about the concepts underpinning the production, his words suggest a play on the polarity between traditional and contemporary dance forms, between age and youth, sexuality and acceptance. An original score has been created to help groom mood and visuals, a soundscape of jazz, trad and baroque created by gifted musicians.
You may recall Breandán de Gallaí, a Gweedore man, from his days as lead dancer to ‘Riverdance’. He’s long gone from that juggernaut, reinvented as creator of powerful works such as ‘Noctú’ (naked) which was praised lavishly on the New York stage. His next, ‘Rite of Spring’ took off around about the time he finished his PhD in UL.
He sets the context for ‘Linger’ as a legacy project funded by the D121 scheme to mark Dance Ireland’s 21 years in operation. He and fellow performer Nick O’Connell spent a hardworking fortnight in Limerick developing it, again in Firkin Crane in Cork which is another stakeholder along with Project Arts Centre. Dublin will host the premier next week.
Linger? “The concept of anticipation, being on the cusp,” de Gallaí explains. “It grew out of a variety of different projects, different dancers, one of whom is Nick working with me here. Over time certain things became clear to me as to how to proceed as with things in life, negotiating my everyday existence, the tension and anxieties that go with this.”.
He feels that on witnessing this narrative of film, music, photography, the weaving of bodies in ‘contemporised’ Irish dance and other dance forms, people will read something of themselves and their own journey.
He’s open about the challenge in streaming his 40-something body from the culture of vertiginous and airborne forms of Irish dance into new choreographies, classical and modern. These are disciplines he arrived at later.
Some of de Gallaí’s quest is that he wants us to rake the scene and their bodies for movement defiant of the rigidity of Irish dance. “How to be true to an authentic idea of self, and to sexuality” is part of the exploration.
Collaborators are credited generously in this making of a visually beautiful work that sounds beautiful: fiddler Zoe Conway commissioned to compose and arrange music for quintet. Limerick based Paddy Mulcahy who manipulated the sounds and pauses in this rip through the canon of music. Gearóid O’Halloran at Dance Limerick who landed stage management through insightful input. Terry O’Leary on film sequences and Declan English for photography.
Thursday February 4 only, 8pm at www.dancelimerick.ie
