Dublin Dance Festival 2018 will offer spectacular, entrancing and provocative dance from all over the world and across Ireland 2nd-20th May: from a phenomenal production of Giselle by the English National Ballet and Akram Khan to a high energy Street Dance Battle; from devastatingly beautiful traditional Muslim rituals to a queer South African shamanic ceremony; from the fierce and proud femininity of flamenco to a dreamlike adventure for young audiences.
The 2018 programme features work by artists from Germany, Greece, Ireland and Northern Ireland, Lebanon, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the USA, in venues across Dublin.
Dance from around the world
Akram Khan’s breathtakingly beautiful re-imagining of Giselle, one of the most romantic ballets of all time, opens the Festival at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. English National Ballet, performing in Ireland for the first time in over 55 years, will be accompanied by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in this heartrending story of love, betrayal and redemption which receives a contemporary interpretation by the award-winning choreographer Khan, one of the most original and exciting artists of today. This is the first full-length ballet to be choreographed by Khan, who is renowned for his innovative style that draws on contemporary dance and the ancient Indian dance form, Kathak. The result of this ambitious collaboration has been a triumph, earning an Olivier Award nomination and wowing audiences and critics alike.
Fiercely passionate flamenco will come to the Abbey Stage with Catedral by groundbreaking flamenco star, Patricia Guerrero (Spain). In this pioneering work, Guerrero transforms the stage into a sacred space in which a woman rages against the religious and social constraints that paralyse her, with four female dancers, three musicians, two opera singers and one flamenco singer creating an explosive interplay of dance and live music.
After its blistering premiere at Belfast International Arts Festival, Oona Doherty (Northern Ireland) will bring Hard To Be Soft – A Belfast Prayer to Dublin’s Abbey Stage.
A prodigious talent, Doherty has garnered international attention, winning the Total Theatre Award for Dance at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and receiving rave reviews for her standout performance in Enda Walsh’s Arlington. Created in collaboration with renowned DJ and composer David Holmes and designer Ciaran Bagnall, Hard To Be Soft – A Belfast Prayer is based on the experience of living in today’s Belfast, exploring masculinity, sectarianism, culture, class and sexuality. This powerful piece features a unique cast, including Doherty herself and Hip-Hop dancers from Belfast’s Ajendance Youth Dance Company.
Christos Papadopoulos (Greece), who wowed Dublin audiences at the 2017 Festival, returns this year to present his minimalistic and hypnotic ensemble piece, Ion. Exploring the power of group dynamics and the alluring nature of synchronicity, 10 dancers move together – not chasing that perfect moment of unison but pursuing a pattern of movement, both harmonious and elusive.
From South Africa, And so you see… created by choreographer Robyn Orlin produces theatrical fireworks with an outrageous and exuberant performance from traditional healer and flamboyant performer Albert Khoza.
Living in modern South Africa, Khoza explores questions which Orlin poses to a post-apartheid society. Humorous and provocative, this cheeky work offers us a glimmer of hope while challenging our preconceptions.
Leila’s Death from choreographer and performer Ali Chahrour (Lebanon) delves into the tradition of professional Shiite mourners who give voice to sadness and loss, transforming a funeral into a grand and joyful event.
Vocals by Leila are woven with live music from ‘Two and the Dragon’ and dance by Chahrour, inviting the audience into an experience that, while perhaps unfamiliar in content, is universal in emotion.
Baroque still life painting is the starting point for the playful (b)reaching stillness from choreographer Lea Moro (Germany / Switzerland).
Three bodies, naked from the waist up, lie motionless on a blue floor. They begin to stir… With tiny, subtle and ornate movements, they use everything they have to render visible the life blood that runs through their beating bodies, as Gustav Mahler’s dramatic Resurrection Symphony begins.
The Festival will also feature work by pioneering American artist Yvonne Rainer, an exciting new project involving Dancing Artificial Intelligence, a magical children’s piece from Philippe Saire (Switzerland) some of Ireland’s most renowned artists, including Liz Roche Company and Junk Ensemble, as well as film screenings, workshops, discussions and much more.
To plan your Festival Experience, visit www.dublindancefestival.ie
