My new painting by Marty Kelly

How do you like my lovely new painting by Marty Kelly, which I got through barter with the Blue Leaf Gallery for contributing to Marty's Art London Catalogue (Just scroll down a few pages to see and read it). I'm rather happy to have this beautiful little elf for company as a result.

Dublin Dance Festival Symposium 2010 - Watch this Space.

"The Many Bodies of Contemporary Dance" is a symposium I'm curating with Gradcam, and Dublin Dance Festival, on May 19th in Dance House (on Foley Street, Dublin 1). Create, and Arts and Disability Ireland are also involved. Key note speakers are Festival Headliners Raimund Hoghe (who was last seen in Dublin as the swan in his version of Swan Lake, in DDF, 2006), and Tere O'Connor (whose solo with Jean Butler will be on at the Peacock Theatre), with a panel of very interesting dance practitioners and cultural commentators (watch this space). This is going to be a rich and thought-provoking conversation which will be recorded, and published, for posterity. We're developing an online forum for the interested public, on the "many bodies of contemporary dance", that will run throughout the festival too, so you can have your say (if you don't manage to book one of the 60 FREE seats at the event itself - BOOK NOW!). Will keep you posted on that. In the meantime, have a look at this year's fascinating line-up on www.dublindancefestival.com.

Interview with Oscar-nominee Kathleen O'Rourke aka Granny O'Grimm

A year ago I did John Boyne's short story writing course at the Irish Writer's Centre on Parnell Square. Afterwards, a few of us in the class decided to keep up a writer's group, and started to meet sporadically in Toddy's Bar at the Gresham (John's bar of choice). One day the conversation came around to what people did for their day-job, and Kathleen O'Rourke, one of us, declared she was on a career break from teaching to give her character, Granny O'Grimm a chance. Granny O'Grimm? Of course we had never heard of the old dear. When I looked her up on www.grannyogrimm.com, I immediatedly fell (around the place laughing) for her cynical world view and black humour. A soul sister! Next thing we knew, Granny was shortlisted for an Oscar nomination. Then the little old charmer was nominated for an Oscar. She was very disappointed to have to miss our writer's group meeting on February 15th, as it clashed with the Oscar nominee lunch in LA. OK, OK, we could do a raincheck. (Plus, her dreams were coming true, which, if you know Granny, you'll know would be very difficult for her to deal with. Life's not meant to behave like that in Granny-world!). Kathleen's now in LA, getting all dolled up for the Oscars tomorrow. I know, I know, she's doing it for all of us! The best I could do was to write this article (in twitter-style journalism: 40-word paragraphs), about her amazing, well-deserved success:

Spring Sprung Today

What do you know - Nice Moves was on RTE Choice again last Wednesday (among a host of other interesting international programmes):
Wednesday 24 Feb
5 00 AM	Radio Canada International (rcinet.ca)
6 00 AM	The World Today (BBC World Service) International news and current affairs programme from the BBC World Service. bbc.co.uk/worldservice
7 00 AM	Nice Moves (rte.ie/radio1/nicemoves) Nice Moves presented by Deirdre Mulrooney, is a new 5-part series which traces the history of the body on stage in Ireland. Irish people have always danced, but our first record
7 30 AM	Seascapes (rte.ie/radio1/seascapes)
8 00 AM	Car Talk Brothers, Tom and Ray Magliozzi, "Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers", dispense car advice, read puzzlers and make 4.3 million people laugh every week. www.cartalk.com
8 55 AM	Radio Prague The international service of Czech Radio (radio.cz)
9 06 AM	Wednesday Documentary (BBC World Service) Details at: bbc.co.uk/worldservice/documentaries/
9 30 AM	Monday 702 (1993-5) Tim Lehane's series from the mid-1990's
10 30 AM	Discovery (BBC World Service) Significant discoveries in science and technology. bbc.co.uk/worldservice
11 00 AM	The Sunday Forum A forum for the discussion of one of the topical issues of the week from an ethical point of view. Presenter: Myles Dungan www.rte.ie/radio1/thesundayforum