Connections between past work and current practice are explored in Live Archive, a special performance of choreography from iconic Dublin Contemporary Dance Theatre, at Dance Limerick on Saturday 28 January.
Original company members Robert Connor, Joan Davis, Mary Nunan and Loretta Yurick explore some of their previous choreographies, working along with present day early and mid-career dance artists. Through this process of bringing their archive back to life, they open themselves up to what can happen when dance artists re-examine their past work with a new generation of dancers. Tickets €12/€10 are available from www.dancelimerick.ie
Dublin Contemporary Dance Theatre was the first state funded contemporary dance company in Ireland and operated from 1979-1989. The company evolved from Dublin Contemporary Dance Studio, set up by Karen Callaghan and Joan Davis to pioneer modern dance in Ireland. Dublin Contemporary Dance Theatre (DCDT) rapidly built up a varied repertoire of both original and guest choreographers’ work and many of Ireland’s key choreographers and dancers began their professional careers with the company.
Director/Curator of Live Archive Emma Meehan invited original company members to respond to the archive of DCDT by selecting works they would like to re-visit and dancers they were interested in collaborating with, in order to re-examine and pass on their work. Meehan explains “Of particular interest is the process of re-visiting as much as re-creating the works in their entirety. What happens when dance artists re-investigate their past work with a new generation of dancers?”
Answering this question will be well known dance artist Mary Nunan, who will work with dancer Katherine O’Malley and musician/composer Óscar Mascareñas to re-visit her first choreography Search (1983), based on Samuel Beckett’s Company; Robert Connor and Loretta Yurick will recreate their duet Coupled Reflections (1984) with dancers Eimear Byrne and Anderson de Souza; Joan Davis will explore her choreography Continuum (1986) through a collaborative re-working based on her current practice with dancer Lisa Cahill; and Robert Connor will reconstruct, with Anderson de Souza, the male solo from Lunar Parables (1984) by guest DCDT choreographer Jerry Pearson. Emma Meehan will weave the evening together using stories from the process of working as researcher with the dancers and archive. The performance will conclude with a post-show conversation hosted by Mary Wycherley, Limerick’s Dance Artist-in-Residence.
Announcing details of the performance, Director of Dance Limerick Jenny Traynor said “We are really excited to present Live Archive here in Limerick. Dublin Contemporary Dance Theatre was a trailblazer in the development of contemporary dance in Ireland, with many of the original company members going on to become leaders, educators and key influencers here in Ireland and overseas. This is a fantastic opportunity for audiences to see the evolution of contemporary dance and to experience dance as a living, breathing, organic artform. Limerick audiences are in for a very special evening of dance”.
CREDITS:
Original Company Members:
Robert Connor
Joan Davis
Mary Nunan
Loretta Yurick
Performers:
Eimear Byrne
Lisa Cahill
Anderson de Souza
Óscar Mascareñas
Katherine O’Malley
Director/Curator: Emma Meehan
Administration & Production Support: Kristyn Fontanella
Poster Design: Neill O’Dwyer
Post-show conversation host (Limerick): Mary Wycherley
TOUR PERFORMANCES
Saturday 28 January: Dance Limerick
Saturday 18 February: Firkin Crane, Cork
Live Archive was first performed at DanceHouse, Dublin on the 8th and 9th of December 2016.
Image Credit: Doina (Dublin Contemporary Dance Theatre), courtesy of the National Dance Archive of Ireland, University of Limerick.
