DESCRIBED as both “a goodbye letter to a former self and a moving ode to dance”, French artist Laura Dannequin brings her own created work, ‘Hardy Animal’ to Dance Limerick next Wednesday 12, 8pm.
A renowned dancer who experiences chronic, acute back pain – at times to the point of immobility – Dannequin’s performance is rooted in defiance. She “interweaves text and movement, retracing a brutal journey of loss and hope”.
‘Hardy Animal’ comes here through Dance Limerick’s membership of the elite Aerowaves international dance network. Having applied three years ago, the Limerick resource centre is the sole Irish member outside of Dublin Dance Festival, with whom it shares the vote in curating Aerowaves’ programme.
“Aerowaves is based out of the UK and is EU funded,” explains Jenny Traynor, director at John’s Square. “It’s great they have embraced Dance Limerick as a member as they want the network to be meaningful. It is not about paying your subs and joining”.
The outcome is it “allows peer exchange and we [Dance Limerick] are here to facilitate the development of dance and dance artists”.
Working together, members select just 20 performance works from up to 600 proposals that go on to circulate between their venues and countries, according to invitation. Representatives of these host organisations whittle through to the finest and boldest of solo and group works annually who then benefit from this EU-wide platform for emerging acts.
Traynor is thrilled with securing Laura Danniquin for Limerick, having seen her video: “How moving it was, how poignant, and that she worked with Daghdha Dance Company here a few years ago with Michael Klein. She did ‘Dancing with Ink’ in 2009 so I thought that ‘Hardy Animals’ was a nice resonance with what has gone before.”
The French woman has scaled up her collaborations and performances since Daghdha days, working with top companies to make work that is “present, live and raw and that explores bodily, being in the world”.
8pm for 40 minutes, book at www.dancelimerick.ie and at the door of John’s Square.
