Archive for February, 2010

Keeping Dance Alive! 2010

February 10, 2010

The annual dance showcase Keeping Dance Alive! is coming up in less than a month, so get your tickets now! This year I am choreographing a contemporary Irish dance piece called “Waiting for Conrad” (music by Shooglenifty, Venus in Tweeds, 1995) that will be performed by dancers from the community and from the Maria Oliver Academy of Irish Dance here in Chico (including myself!).

“Waiting for Conrad” is a contemporary Irish dance piece that emphasizes rhythm and attitude, taking the dance form beyond its focus on competition and athleticism while remaining true to its tradition. As a choreographer, I am aware of the history and influences of Irish dance: many different Irish dance styles contribute to the overall genre (including the old sean-nós style, modern competition style and the theatrical style seen in Riverdance) and Irish dance itself has influenced and been influenced by other percussive dance forms such as tap, flamenco and clogging.

In creating “Waiting for Conrad,” I have started from the traditional base of Irish dance technique that my dancers are familiar with, which is marked by footwork, rhythm and verticality, and have added an element of attitude and expression that is not frequently seen in Irish dance. I have borrowed some movements from tap dance that break the crossed-leg/turned-out foot positions of Irish dance and have incorporated some upper body movement that disrupts the vertical axis of the dancers. In addition, the movement of dancers across the floor creates a spatial map that is non-traditional in that geometric shapes are avoided. Paths have been determined through organic and somewhat random methods, similar to those frequently used in some contemporary dance forms, in contrast to the mathematical precision of traditional Irish céili dance.

Despite having broken a few basic rules of Irish dance in this piece, I have asked my dancers to maintain their best technique and to focus first and foremost on rhythm so that the dance is still undoubtedly Irish. But unlike the steps performed in the competitive realm of Irish dance in which my dancers train, “Waiting for Conrad” conveys a vague story that requires some attention paid to attitude through facial and upper body expression. This contemporary style of Irish dance is relatively new: it goes beyond our “old jigs and hornpipes” as well as transcends the virtuosic glitz of stage shows such as Riverdance, and aims instead for a more subdued exploration of technique and rhythm that may lend itself to more intellectual themes. Irish dance has come from the crossroads of rural Ireland to a new crossroads, where it is pushed to new boundaries of style and form.

Other acts include ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, hip hop, and tribal belly dance. Don’t miss it–it’s going to be a great show!

Image from last year’s Keeping Dance Alive! 2009
Chaos Interne, choreographed by Chelsea Beights
(check it out: that’s my hand, third from the right, with my head right behind it!)

Show times:
Friday, 5 March 7:30 PM
Saturday, 6 March 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM
Laxson Auditorium, CSU Chico
$18 adult, $16 senior, $14 student/child
Order tickets now!