Soup
Soup is a performance piece that mixes movement, sound design and textiles into a bizarre tapestry that depicts the altered perception of the recently bereaved. It is a blackly comic kinetic shrine to a lost parent, built on a three dimensional collage of personal and cultural associations. Soup will reconstruct my perception of daily life around and after my mothers funeral and the feeling of detachment that occurs during bereavement, losing the purpose and reason for tasks but mechanically going through the motions.
The performance will use a combination of movement and costume to create a kind of doppelganger character: a fey creature that studies, mimics and parodies my bereavement. My school years training in Irish dancing, my study and career in contemporary movement and my current training in acrobatics and hand balance all mix to form a mutant physical language that navigates the space and interacts with the various objects, performing bizarre “scenes” that see-saw between hilarious and harrowing.
We began this project last year on a percolate residency awarded by Dance Limerick. Since then, we have continued to develop the work and recently performed a work in progress in First Looks in Dublin Dance Festival.
We are now returning to Dance Limerick to begin the final stretch of the creation. “Soup” will premiere this Autumn.
For info on Deirdre’s Professional Morning Class on Wednesday 10 July click here.
Biography
Deirdre is a Dublin based dance artist and choreographer. She trained at the Duncan Conservatory Prague and graduated from Fontys Dance Academy in Tilburg, Netherlands with a BA in Dance Theatre.
Since graduating she has worked extensively with ponydance theatre touring Ireland, the UK and internationally (Best Dance Award, Adelaide Fringe Festival 2012). In the last year Deirdre has performed alongside some of Irelands most acclaimed contemporary artists including Amanda Coogan and Mikel Murfi in Dolores by Junk Ensemble at Dublin Dance Festival 2018 and has toured Australia with Thisispopbaby theatre company in a new development with Philip Connaughton for the show RIOT.
The last four years Deirdre has been exploring an aerial and acrobatic practice performing and choreographing with Loosysmokes aerial company, creating both artistic and commercial performance work (Best Ensemble Award, Dublin Fringe Festival 2015).
Deirdre also writes and produces her own solo works under her project name “Headonbody” which have been performed in Ireland and internationally.
This year she is collaborating with sound artist and composer Craig Cox on a new solo project “Soup” that was performed as a work in development at Dublin Dance Festival 2019 and will premiere this Autumn.
Other notable companies she has worked with include; Trash (NL),Katja Heitmann (Ger), Theatre Lovett, Brokentalkers theatre company, Catherine Young, Megan Kennedy and Paper dolls (Ireland). On film she has worked on Penny Dreadful series 3, Republic of Telly and most recently performed in the film adaptation of Dublin Old School.
Deirdre was awarded The next stage 2017 bursary from Dance Ireland for Dublin Theatre Festival 2017. In 2018 she participated on the Delve programme for Spraoi Street Arts Festival with ISACS Network Ireland and was awarded a travel&training award from Arts council Ireland to attend Deltebre Dance Festival Spain. Deirdre was recently awarded a 2019 Dance Bursary from Arts Council Ireland.
