Following five weeks of intensive training and rehearsals, Step Up Dance Project 2015 culminates in the performance of an engaging new contemporary dance work, “Hopscotch”, which opens at Dance Limerick on Thursday 6th August at 6pm. Choreographed by international dance artist Hélène Cathala, “Hopscotch” will be performed by young contemporary dancers Amy Robyn Lyster, Hayley Cunningham, Jessie Keenan, Marion Cronin and Olwyn Lyons. The show will also tour to Firkin Crane in Cork on Friday 7th and DanceHouse in Dublin on Saturday 8th August. Admission free. Further details from www.dancelimerick.ie
“Hopscotch” explores the predicament of five individuals caught in a game where the rules are constantly changing. Confronting the reality of being part of a group, they ask: How do we deal with rules? How can we trick each other? How can we survive? Do we struggle or surrender? Although childish and sometimes unreasonable, the rules of the game reveal a framework which could be a metaphor for our lives: Games can turn to cruelty and a playground can become a battlefield, but with the start of each new game, joy and energy re-appear.
Now in its fourth year, Step Up Dance Project aims to bridge the gap between dance education and professional contemporary dance practice in Ireland. Open to dancers who have completed their professional training within the last three years, Step Up is an intensive programme of classes, development, rehearsals and performance, directed by a guest choreographer. The project is a partnership between Dance Limerick, Dance Ireland and the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick.
Guest choreographer of Step Up 2015 Hélène Cathala is a renowned French contemporary dance artist who worked as a dancer and close collaborator with Dominique Bagouet and Trisha Brown from 1989-1992. In 1993, Hélène co-founded the Compagnie La Camionetta with Fabrice Ramalingom, with whom she created numerous dance productions. She then initiated a collective project for research and experimentation, Changement de Proprietaire (Change of Ownership), in Montpellier. In 2006 she embarked on a solo career, forming her own company Hors Commerce, investigating the world of dance, theatre, literature and choreography. Irish audiences recently saw Hélène in Liz Roche Company’s world premiere of “Bastard Amber” at The Abbey Theatre, as part of Dublin Dance Festival.
Commenting on this year’s project, Jenny Traynor, Director of Dance Limerick and Producer of Step Up, says “Many young dancers from Ireland train abroad. The Step Up programme is a wonderful opportunity for them to return and re-connect with the professional dance community here. Those selected to participate work with a renowned choreographer, they participate in professional classes with some of Ireland’s leading contemporary dancers and they perform in front of an audience largely comprised of invited guests from the dance sector in Ireland. This is a great opportunity for any young dancer who has the drive, energy and initiative to succeed, and for the audience to witness some of our emerging talent. All are welcome and the admission is free, so come and see what some of our best young dancers are up to!”
Admission is free, but space is limited, so please email stepupdanceproject@gmail.com to reserve your place.
Photo: Maurice Gunning
