Dublin Dance Festival is delighted to announce it will again be presenting a world-class and diverse programme of contemporary dance in Ireland’s capital city in 2009. Artistic Director Laurie Uprichard says, “The Dublin Dance Festival 2008 created a buzz of contemporary dance activities – from performances to workshops to step classes and the headphone disco.  We look forward to welcoming audiences back again for more in May 2009.”  The opening performances of Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Apocrifu and Ronald K. Brown/Evidence’s One Shot will lead audiences into a festival that investigates cultural and spiritual identity.

Apocrifu by choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui will open the festival. Considered one of the most exciting contemporary choreographers, Larbi has created a powerful work questioning the power of the written word. He dances with Yasuyuki Shuto, a classical dancer from the Ballet of Tokyo, and Dimitri Jourde, a contemporary dancer and circus artist. Larbi, born to Belgian and Moroccan parents, has previously worked with Les Ballets C. de la B., known to attendees of the 2006 International Dance Festival Ireland, and his last few years have seen him make a strong impact on the world of European dance. Acclaimed Corsican vocal ensemble A Filetta accompany Apocrifu with their beautiful a capella songs, based on liturgical and poetic texts, befitting a work that illuminates forgotten tales.

DDF will also be presenting One Shot by Ronald K. Brown and Evidence. Ronald K. Brown, who has been praised as “one of the most profound choreographers of his generation” by The New York Times, blends African and contemporary dance vocabularies to tell about the African Diaspora. Evidence also aims to promote understanding of the human experience in that Diaspora, leading deeper into issues of spirituality, community responsibility and liberation. One Shot is inspired by the life and work of African-American photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris, nicknamed “One Shot”, investigating the beauty, sense of community and legacy captured in the photos of everyday people Harris took over almost 40 years. 

Details of the full programme will be announced in early 2009.