1943 - A Dance Odyssey at Druid Lane Theatre for Galway Culture Night!

I'm delighted that 1943 - A Dance Odyssey has been selected to be screened alongside greats like "Pina" and "NY Export: Opus Jazz" in "An Evening of Dance" at Druid Lane Theatre, Druid Lane, Galway on Culture Night - September 20th, 2013 from 6.00pm - 10.00pm

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Galway Dance Project was established in 2011 to support the development of dance in Galway. On Culture Night it will present a series of free dance showings and screenings in an informal atmosphere at Druid’s beautiful theatre. Beginning at 6pm, a number of Galway’s contemporary dance artists will perform excerpts of work in development where audience members will be invited to come and go as they please, ask questions or give feedback on the work.

Dancers on the night will include Genevieve Ryan, Berni Divilly, Katarzyna Voetter, Daniel Howe and Caoilfhionn De Bhaldraithe with music by Mr. Ebby. The showings will begin at 6pm and run until 7.30pm and run again from 8pm until 9.30pm. This is a perfect opportunity to develop a greater interest and understanding in contemporary dance practices and performance as well as a greater intimacy with the Galway based dance community.

As part of the evening, a reception will also be hosted by Galway Dance Project to announce its forthcoming programme running September to December 2013. Refreshments will be provided in the foyer of Druid Lane Theatre and attendees can enjoy a glass of wine together with their dance experience.

Also on the night, a series of local, national and international dance films will be screened Backstage at Druid Lane Theatre.

The films: 6pm Pina is a tribute to choreographer, Pina Bausch, in which her dancers perform her most famous creations.  8pm: NY Export: Opus Jazz   is a vibrant new film adaptation of a classic work, conceived by New York City Ballet soloists Ellen Bar and Sean Suozzi. shot in visually dynamic locations around New York City and set to an evocative jazz score, the ballet follows the daily lives of disaffected urban youth. Blending jazz and ballroom dancing with Latin, African and American rhythms, it is a masterpiece of dance, with a powerfully expressive, sexy and contemporary style.

9pm: 1943 – A Dance Odyssey explores a forgotten reel of film by Irish film industry founder Liam O Laoighaire showing a mysterious modern dancer teaching her tiny pupils in her Harcourt Street studio and dancing freely in the open air in his 1943 “Dance School”. Seventy years on, Deirdre Mulrooney’s documentary discovers who were these tiny dancers and where did the dance of life take them? 

Finally at 9.30pm:  Siul, piece produced and created by Galway based dancer, Berni Divilly, considers the walk of survival and transcendence across time and space.

Tell your Galway friends, and get there if you can! 
www.galwaydanceproject.com

Dance Emergency Shoot; Dance Odyssey on Bigger Screen in Bealtaine Festival; Tree Duet in TickKnock's Save our Forests Sun

It has been a busy few months.  We boarded our Tardis, and got the drama/dance recreations of 1940s Dublin for Dance Emergency (the TG4 Splanc documentary), in the can.  Not only that, we got it in there with the legendary Olwen Fouere re-incarnating 1940s Modern Dance pioneer Erina Brady.  Hooray!

Merrion Square 1940s Flash Mob

Just as I had hoped, Olwen was uncannily perfect as Erina Brady.  With the help of choreographer Jessica Kennedy (of www.junkensemble.com), we managed to recreate a very spooky version of Mary Wigman's iconic "Hexentanz", as well as other choreographies Brady would have performed in Dublin.  There are also a few others we imagine she may have created.  The idea was to find a point where all of our aesthetics intersect - Olwen's; Jessica's; and what we imagine Erina Brady's aesthetic may have been.  (Oh yes, and mine too).

Choreographer Jessica Kennedy photographed by Dragana Jurisic

This translated into a barefoot tree flash mob in Merrion Square exactly one month ago today - on that freezing cold, hailstone-y Friday, May 10th (remember?).

Ingrid Nachstern and Olwyn Lyons dance in Merrion Square

We were so blessed to have dedicated dancers Ingrid Nachstern, and Olwyn Lyons; and from the College of Dance in Monkstown (where Joanna Banks is Director), Georgia Begbie, Shauneen Beggan, Caoimhe Ennis, and Orlaith Carr on board for that test of dance vocation.  During the hailstones, they would practice the choreography under the big trees.  The second the sun came out they would dash out on the cold, wet grass, and dance like it was the sunniest, warmest, most wonderful day we ever had! They were truly awesome. 

1940s Flash Mob in Merrion Square

Looking at these photographs you'd imagine it was a perfect summer's day.  Trust me, it was not.  And not only that, these trojans never so much as complained.  It's inspiring to see that level of professionalism and commitment.  Plus the dance looks wonderful too.

Tree Dance in Merrion Square

I was thrilled to work with the mighty Una Kavanagh again too [since our last collaboration, "ShesaWhore" in Project Cube in 2001]. Una played Reverend Mother alongside her TATSOI collaborator Niamh Shaw.  Niamh and Una make a very convincing pair of 1940s Brigidine nuns, I have to say - which is quite chilling when you think about their contribution to "Laundry".  Other College of Dance pupils played the convent girls in Jacqueline Robinson's 1940s modern dance class [taught by dancer Karen Gleeson as Robinson].  The main challenge for these accomplished, well-trained dancers - Sarah Hanley, Aifric McKinley, Jessica Concannon, Karen McNamara, Hannah Greene, Megan McEvoy, Aoife Ledwith, and the aforementioned - was not to look as good at dancing as they actually are.

Una Kavanagh and Niamh Shaw

In our Bohemian Tardis back to forgotten 1940s Dublin, dancer Lucia Kickham portrayed Ireland's first home-grown modern dancer, June Fryer.

Lucia Kickham and Karen Gleeson photographed by Dragana Jurisic

Lucia and Karen performed a gorgeous duet in our make-believe recreation of a so-called "Bottle and Pyjama" party, hosted by Olwen as Erina, to a fabulous cast of real-life Bohemians including Helen McNulty, Marc Brady, Liadain Herriott, Megan Kennedy, Dragana Jurisic, Caoimhin O Briain, Gary Farrelly, and more arty bohos.  No acting required.

Bottle & Pyjama Party photographed by Dragana Jurisic

Dance Emergency has also been graced with the epic talents of gorgeous Zena Donnelly as young Erina; Tom Hickey, as Erina's cousin Tom Brady, and Peter Sheridan, who takes a genius turn as the detective.   So as you can imagine I can't wait to get into the edit next Monday June 17th and see how this all cuts together.  Lan ar aghaidh!

Dragana Jurisic and Megan Kennedy photographed by Dragana Jurisic

In the meantime I've been transcribing interviews, and planning it all out.  I've also been sorting the fundit film awards - namely, prints relating to "1943 - A Dance Odyssey", with the help and advice in this case of fine art printers, Inspirational Arts.   So if you are one of the generous believers who is waiting for one of these, rest assured the pigment print is drying and it will soon be wending its way in your direction. 

It was a total thrill on May 28th, to see the fruits of this labour, "1943 - A Dance Odyssey", for the first time on the big screen as part of Bealtaine Festival at Axis Arts Centre, Ballymun.  The audience was wonderful, comprising many of the performers from CoisCeim Dance Theatre's preceding "Dance Across Dublin" show, who were lapping it up, and appreciating the presence of the impressive Ann Fryer/Walsh.  Ann was one of the tiny tots in the 1943 film, and currently teaches keep fit classes across Dublin herself in the Fitness League.  As one of the audience members astutely pointed out, Ann is a real advertisement for Modern Dance as an art form.  From my own point of view, it was amazing to hear a live audience respond wholeheartedly to the film - laughing, ooh-ing, ahh-ing, and generally empathising. 

Tree Duet, TickKnock, with Olwyn Lyons and Ingrid Nachstern

Coincidentally, in something like a full circle since Richard Boyd Barrett kindly opened the Bohemians Exhibition at European Union House in memory of June Fryer, on May 9th, 2012 [see below], yesterday afternoon, at his TickKnock "Save our Forests" event, our eco-dancers Olwyn Lyons and Ingrid Nachstern reprised Jessica Kennedy's aforementioned "Erina Brady Tree Dance" choreography from Dance Emergency in a gorgeous "Tree Duet" to "Pass this On" by cool Swedish band "The Knife".  The weather was much better this time around! I'm sure Erina Brady would have been happy with that, and maybe was hovering around  in some other benevolent dimension.  But that's just the friendly tree-loving ghosts...

Tree Duet, with Ingrid Nachstern and Olwyn Lyons

Speaking of ghosts - in other news, my BAI funded Yeats radio project "Words for Music Perhaps" is also happening...  More of which soon enough.  Watch this spooky space... Woo, woo.

Tree Duet, with Ingrid Nachstern and Olwyn Lyons

Oh and one other thing - in the meantime, after the Dance Emergency Shoot, Dublin Dance Festival 2013 ran from May 14th - 28th.  I was happy to be invited on to RTE Radio One's "Arts Tonight" with Vincent Woods, to discuss the proceedings with Seona Mac Reamoinn.  (I told you it has been busy).  Here is a link if you'd like to listen back to the podcast: 
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/arts-tonight/programmes/2013/0520/451551-arts-tonight-monday-20-may-2013/?clipid=1219507

And all of that without even mentioning the whole lettuce and purple sprouting broccoli phenomenon in my urban back yard.  I'll save that for another day.

Bohemians' Final Interactive Airing at Limerick's Limetree Theatre: April 16th - 30th, 2013

Thanks to organisers Loic Guyon, head of Dept of French at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick [2nd from left, pictured with his wife, Anissa], Marie Hackett, Board Member of the Alliance Francaise de Limerick [2nd from right]; & to Prof Meg Harper, of UL [3rd from right, pictured with her husband, Rick], who opened the exhibition. Also pictured is Mairead Ni Bhriain, of Dept of French at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick.

Thanks to the Alliance Francaise de Dublin for designing this wonderful poster, and to The Limetree Theatre, Limerick for hosting this, the first exhibition in their foyer. 

Thanks to legendary actor Pat Laffan for kindly reading six of Jacqueline Robinson's poems "Songs from my Heart", which can be heard via the magic of the spectator's mobile phone, & QR Code technology. 

From Galatea, read by Pat Laffan

Invocation, read by Pat Laffan

Sequentia 2, read by The Curator

Sequentia 1, read by Pat Laffan

The Unexpected, read by Pat Laffan

Verses at Night, read by Pat Laffan

Verses in Derision, read by Pat Laffan

1943 - A Dance Odyssey Premieres on RTE One on Easter Monday, April 1st :-)

It was wonderful to finally see Erina Brady's story being told for the first time, by her former tiny pupils in "1943 - A Dance Odyssey", my first film documentary, on RTE One on Easter Monday, April 1st, at 7.30pm.  I hear that it had 150,000 viewers, which somewhat exceeded my original expectation of about 150...

John Boland wrote of it  in his television column: "The past was... another country in 1943 - A Dance Odyssey' in which three sisters and two other women revisited the Harcourt Street premises where German-Irish Erina Brady had taught them modern dance 70 years earlier.  Their reminiscences of this exotic, bohemian woman were touching and there was a haunting and affecting quality to Deirdre Mulrooney's short film"... (Irish Independent Weekend Review, April 6th, 2013).

If you missed it, you can catch up on the Odyssey in your own time (in the next 20 days), on RTE Player, by clicking here: http://www.rte.ie/player/ie/show/10127382/

Sunday Business Post, by Emmanuel Kehoe

Sunday Indpendent, by Sarah Caden

Sunday Times Culture

Irish Independent Saturday Magazine, by Paul Whitington

RTE Guide

Bohemian Bodies from Merrion Square to Kilkee, County Clare...

"Bohemian Bodies" talk at the Irish Architectural Archive about to begin...

Last Tuesday, February 12th I was delighted of the opportunity to present an hour-long talk at the Irish Architectural Archive entitled "Bohemian Bodies - Erina Brady's Modern Dance in 1940s Dublin", as part of Shane O'Toole's series of talks to accompany his fascinating exhibition "Noel Moffett - Restless Pencil".  Who ever knew that pre-fabs could be so cool?  This is a seriously great exhibition and it's not on for that much longer so get in there while you can! As you can see from the above photograph (taken by the great Una Kavanagh), of "The Silent Isle", a section of Erina Brady's 1946 production "The Voyage of Maeldune", after Tennyson, at the Peacock Theatre, there was no lack of great visuals to illustrate what I was talking about.  I showed 39 images in all, on top of Liam O'Laoghaire's 11 minute film "Dance School" which gives us a precious glimpse into Erina Brady's studio in action in 1943 (how amazing is that?).  It was great to get all this off my chest! 

Of course I have been steeped in this material, between working on my upcoming crowd-funded film "1943 - A Dance Odyssey", based on Liam O'Laoghaire's film "Dance School", and the tiny tots therein; my ongoing TG4 project "Dance Emergency", and the book, the book, which springs eternal...  So it was good to give it an airing in public, and I'm relieved that talk is over and delivered, to be honest! It is ready to go now, for anyone else who wants to book it. Just drop me an email.

Oh yes, and the exhibition - "Bohemians - Et Ce Chant dans mon Coeur".  It hasn't disappeared you know.  After a great month in Culturlann Sweeney, Kilkee, County Clare in August/September, 2012, the prints are in waiting in Limerick for an exhibition space to become available.  That's all I can say for the moment, but watch this space, it's coming...

The hang, in progress...

We had a great time in Culturlann Sweeney, including a gala opening on August 28th, with Nick Bryson's "Legitimate Bodies" kindly traveling all the way from Birr, County Offaly to share their work in progress with us.  

Tom of Culturlann Sweeney hanging the Bohemians

"Bohemians", at Culturlann Sweeney, Kilkee, County Clare

The Banner Theatre Company, including Mary Cusack, a former schoolmate of
mine from Cahercon Salesian Boarding School, in Kildysert, County Clare, did a wonderful job performing  Jacqueline Robinson's poems in English.  I recorded them on my Handy Zoom recorder, have a listen to "7 Songs from my Heart" by Jacqueline Robinson:  They were impressive, and it was really great to hear those handwritten words performed (directed by Jenny Bassett, the theatre manager) - I wonder if they were ever performed in a theatre before?
On Culture Night we had a wonderful extravaganza of dance in conjunction with the exhibition, from Dinan School of Dance, Ennis, to Siobhan ni Dhuinin, who had just completed her MA in Contemporary Dance at University of Limerick.  The Banner Theatre Company performed the poetry again, and I gave a talk on Modern Dance. 

Banner Theatre Company perform "7 Songs from my Heart"

So as you can see this project is all about the interdisciplinary, and is constantly evolving.  It seemed therefore perfectly appropriate to me that the talk should make its debut in the context of an architecture exhibition.  Erina Brady sent her Modern Dance pupils June Fryer and Jacqueline Robinson to Noel Moffett for architecture lessons (Shane O'Toole has the receipts to prove it), and Noel Moffett's first wife, Margot Moffett, was one of Erina's dancers, and is 2nd from the right on the above photograph of The Voyage of Maeldune.  To be continued!

In the meantime I am looking forward to hosting the Q & A with Catherine Owens this evening after the JDIFF premiere of her 3D film "Colin Dunne - Sculpting Space".

Culture Night, 2012, in Kilkee, County Clare

Q & A with Catherine Owens, director of "Colin Dunne - Sculpting Space" #JDIFF

Irish Monsoon Wedding on Newstalk, Stephens Day at Noon :-)

If you missed this first time around, here is another chance to catch my radio documentary:

Irish Monsoon Wedding: Radio Documentary Newstalk 106-108FM,

In this heart-warming love story, The East meets the West, The Sea meets the Hills, and Darjeeling harmonises with the Cork lilt as Eileen and Brendan O’Brien make the long and arduous trip from Cork to the foothills of the Himalayas to give their only daughter Emma away in an elaborate Nepali wedding ritual involving destiny, and many bottles of whiskey… Irish Monsoon Wedding tells what has once again become an archetypal Irish story - of parents coming to terms with the loss of their children to foreign shores, or, in this case, to a far-off mountain-top above the clouds in India.  Bittersweet tears are balanced by the joy of a colourful, intercultural wedding celebration complete with intricate Nepali rituals. This exotic tale unravels against a backdrop of Edith Wilkins’ wonderful Centre for Street Children, and Fair Trade Organic Darjeeling Tea, available for sale here in Dublin and Cork.  Tune in for a monsoon of tears, of singing, of laughter and of course that essential ingredient for any love story - true love.

Noon, December 26th, 2012, on Newstalk 106 – 108FM
A Deirdre Mulrooney Production
Sound Supervision by John Davis