Dance takes centre stage at the Abbey Theatre!

2015 DUBLIN DANCE FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS ON SALE:

Liz Roche Company to present first ever commission from an Irish choreographer for the Abbey main stage

Leading figure in contemporary dance Meg Stuart to open the Festival

Flamenco superstar Israel Galván to present hit show

Dublin Dance Festival and the Abbey Theatre are delighted to announce an ambitious programme of three dance performances taking place on the Abbey stage in May 2015 as part of the Dublin Dance Festival, including leading work from Europe, cutting-edge contemporary flamenco and a major Irish premiere co-presented by Dublin Dance Festival and the Abbey Theatre.

A key figure in contemporary dance, choreographer Meg Stuart and her company Damaged Goods will officially open the Festival with their new show Built to Last, in their first ever visit to Ireland. In this impressive work Stuart has creates a time machine for her five performers, confronting them with a tidal wave of monumental classical and contemporary music. Acting and reacting to works by Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Xenakis, Schönberg, and other seminal composers, the cast heroically journeys through the history of dance – and possibly into its future.

“Absurd, ironic, sombre, funny, colourful, engaging and thrilling at the same time (...) The human desire for eternity couldn’t be represented better.” Wiener Zeitung

One of the world’s most celebrated dancers, living genius Israel Galván will bring his award-winning show La Edad de Oro (The Golden Age) to Dublin for the Festival. Famed for his power, precision and astonishing footwork, Galván has been likened to Astaire (The Financial Times) and Nijinksy (El Mundo). Both a rebel and a traditionalist, he is recognised as a master of contemporary flamenco. Joined by live music from fellow artists and brothers David Lagos (vocalist) and Alfredo Lagos (guitar), in La Edad de Oro, Galván strips flamenco to its bare essence, sculpting a form steeped in tradition, yet intoxicated by the moment.

“To call Galván a brilliant dancer is like saying Einstein was pretty good at physics... Absolutely breathtaking” Daily Express

Finally, in a breakthrough moment for Irish dance, Dublin Dance Festival and the Abbey Theatre are delighted to co-present the premiere of choreographer Liz Roche’s major new work, Bastard Amber. This landmark event marks the first time that an Irish choreographer has been commissioned to create a work for the Abbey Theatre’s main stage. Taking inspiration from WB Yeats’ seminal poem Sailing to Byzantium, and the meditative golden paintings of the late of Patrick Scott, Roche moves her explorations of the body into the realm of the soul with this provocative piece. A profound journey into humankind’s spiritual quest, Bastard Amber is filled with unforgettable imagery, its stunning design conjuring a lustrous Byzantine world of contradictory influences, a meeting place of East and West.

“Roche's choreography is delicately woven but its threads possess an elusive tensile strength. Entrancing” The Times

Julia Carruthers, Dublin Dance Festival Director:

“I’m delighted that Dublin Dance Festival is presenting such an ambitious and varied programme of dance at the Abbey Theatre next Spring. Berlin choreographer Meg Stuart’s company, Damaged Goods, is one of the coolest in Europe and international flamenco sensation Israel Galván is one of the world’s most incredible dancers. These two highlights appear alongside a specially commissioned, much anticipated, major new work from Dublin’s own Liz Roche Company, giving audiences an unmissable combination of talent, raw energy and sublime movement at our next Festival.”

Fiach Mac Conghail, Abbey Theatre Director:

“It has been a long-term ambition of mine to premiere the work of an Irish choreographer at the Abbey Theatre. For this year’s Dublin Dance Festival, we celebrate Liz Roche as the first Irish female choreographer to premiere her work on the Abbey stage in a co-production with Dublin Dance Festival and Liz Roche Company. I am also delighted to welcome Dublin Dance Festival to present internationally acclaimed choreographer Meg Stuart and contemporary flamenco genius Israel Galván on the Abbey stage for the festival.”

Built to Last is presented with the support of the Goethe-Institut.

La Edad de Oro is supported by the Cervantes Institut Dublin.

Bastard Amber is co-commissioned by Dublin Dance Festival, the Abbey Theatre and Kilkenny Arts Festival, with support from Dance Ireland

Meg Stuart/Damaged Goods (Germany/Belgium) Built To Last, Tues 19th & Wed 20th May 2015 - BOOK NOW

Liz Roche Company (Ireland) Bastard Amber, Mon 25th (preview), Tues 26th & Wed 27th May 2015 - BOOK NOW

Israel Galván (Spain) La Edad de Oro, Thurs 28th, Fri 29th & Sat 30th May 2015 - BOOK NOW

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