Arts Editor Rachel Donnelly selects three to see from the rich pickings to be found in the packed 2018 Dublin Dance Festival programme.
Dolores – Junk Ensemble
Drawing inspiration from Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita, this new work from twin sister choreographers Megan and Jessica Kennedy breathes life into the voice of the silenced girl in the original story. The piece is site-specific, taking place in the atmospheric and rambling surrounds of the Chocolate Factory on King’s Inns Street. Site-specific is what Junk Ensemble do best, their flair for invention and atmosphere amplified by a non-theatre space. Featuring charismatic performers Amanda Coogan and Mikel Murfi, alongside dancers Deirdre Griffin and Julie Koenig, this promises to be a hot ticket.
Yvonne Rainer – Selected Works
Yvonne Rainer is one of the most influential choreographers in contemporary dance. She forged her sensibility in the hotbed of creativity and experimentation that was 1960s New York, working with Merce Cunningham and influenced by the theories of John Cage. Her No Manifesto (‘No to spectacle / No to virtuosity / No to moving or being moved…’) was radical in its conception of what dance is for and how it works. As part of this year’s programme, three of her iconic early works will be presented at and by IMMA, in partnership with the Festival. As part of these performances, Rainer herself will travel to Dublin for a conversation about her work in the world of dance and art.
And so you see… – Robyn Orlin
The South African choreographer Robyn Orlin has been making work for 20 years and has regularly been regarded as a thorn in the side of the establishment of her home country. She doesn’t shy from asking provocative questions. In And so you see… our honourable blue sky and ever enduring sun… can only be consumed slice by slice (full title), Orlin works with performer Albert Khoza, a traditional healer from South Africa. Together they probe the troubled spots in the conscience of a post-apartheid-society to create a work that’s visually rich, and pulls no punches in what it dares to question.
For more information and to book tickets, visit dublindancefestival.ie
Words: Rachel Donnelly
Images: Fionn McCann, Daniel Assayag
