First programme announcement for the 21st Dublin Dance Festival in May 2025

In a landmark moment for dance in Ireland, Dublin Dance Festival and Bord Gáis Energy Theatre co-present the much-anticipated, inaugural performance from Luail - Ireland’s National Dance Company to open the festival’s 21st Edition – the world premiere of Chora with the Irish Chamber Orchestra. this triple bill of new dance works by acclaimed choreographers Liz Roche, Mufutau Yusuf, and Maria Campos & Guy Nader, the company’s newly formed ensemble of outstanding dancers joins forces with the Irish Chamber Orchestra for a vibrant exchange between dance and live contemporary & baroque orchestral works. Responding to the title Chora – an ancient Greek term that refers to space as both a physical place and an abstract idea – each piece in this captivating show draws on themes of home, memory and landscape, creating unique atmospheres of imagined possibilities, places and timelines. For one night only on Tuesday 13 May at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre.

Also coming to Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, a major revival and one of the most successful dance theatre productions of all time, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake returns to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre from Tuesday 20 to Saturday 24 May for its 30th anniversary tour. This audacious reinvention of Tchaikovsky's masterpiece caused a sensation when it premiered. Thrilling, bold, witty and emotive, this genre-defining event is still best known for replacing the female corps-de-ballet with a menacing male ensemble, which shattered convention. First staged at London’s Sadler’s Wells in 1995, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake  became the longest running full-length dance classic in the West End and on Broadway. It has since been performed across the globe, collecting over thirty international accolades including the Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production and three Tony Awards for Best Director of a Musical, Best Choreography and Best Costume Design.

Younger audiences are also in for a treat next May with When the Moon Spun Round – a magical performance of captivating aerial dance, traditional music and storytelling from Ireland’s Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre & Ceol Connected, presented by Dublin Dance Festival and The Ark. With 6 performances at the Samuel Beckett Theatre 22nd-24th May, this mesmerising production for audiences aged 6+ was reviewed as “Joyous… Magical… Visually Spellbinding ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐” by the Irish Times when it premiered in 2023. Inspired by poems and stories by W.B. Yeats, When The Moon Spun Round features outstanding dancers and traditional musicians playing live on stage, along with daring and acrobatic choreography, dreamlike lighting and immersive soundscapes, creating an intriguing, fun and joyous experience that will leave audiences of all ages spellbound.

Dublin Dance Festival Artistic Director Jazmin Chiodi says, “The inaugural performance from Luail, Ireland’s National Dance Company to open the 21st Edition of Dublin Dance Festival is a landmark moment for dance in Ireland. We are proud to host the world premiere of these three new works from Liz Roche, Mufutau Yusuf, and Maria Campos & Guy Nader to open our 2025 Festival. We are delighted to present Matthew Bourne’s award-winning, audacious version of Swan Lake. Audiences who have not had a chance to see this ground-breaking production are in for a treat. Younger audiences can also share the magic in When the Moon Spun Round – a spellbinding combination of aerial dance and live music. We are grateful to our presenting partners Bord Gáis Energy Theatre and The Ark and we look forward to sharing next announcements with new dance commissions at The Abbey Theatre and Samuel Beckett Theatre. Dublin Dance Festival’s 21st Edition will be one to remember!”

The full programme for Dublin Dance Festival’s 2025 Edition will be announced in early March 2025.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

Tickets on sale from 9am, Friday 8 November 2024.

Chora | Luail - Ireland’s National Dance Company with the Irish Chamber Orchestra
Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
Tuesday 13th May 2025 | 7:30pm
€25 – €55
70 mins (no interval)

Live audio description (via headphones) with a pre-show touch tour is available for this performance. If you would like to avail of audio description, or have any access needs, or for group bookings, please contact Bord Gáis Energy Theatre on +353 (0) 1 677 7770 / groups@bgetheatre.ie.

Tickets available via dublindancefestival.ie / bordgaisenergytheatre.ie

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake | New Adventures
Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
Tuesday 20th – Saturday 24th May 2025 | 7:30pm
Thursday 22nd & Saturday 24th May | 2:30pm
€21.50 - €77.50
2 hrs 20 mins (including one interval)

For group bookings or if you have any access needs, please contact Bord Gáis Energy Theatre on +353 (0) 1 677 7770 / groups@bgetheatre.ie.

Tickets available via dublindancefestival.ie / bordgaisenergytheatre.ie

When the Moon Spun Round | Fidget Feet & Ceol Connected
Samuel Beckett Theatre
Thursday 22nd May 2025, 10am & 12:15pm
Friday 23rd May 2025, 10am & 6pm
Saturday 24th May 2025, 2pm & 4:30pm
€17.50 full price / €12.50 conc.
Early Bird Offer: Pay just €15 for full price tickets when booking by Tuesday 24th December.
60 mins (no interval)

For children aged 6+

Audio Description (via headphones) & Touch Tour is available on Saturday 24th May, 4:30pm

For school, access and group bookings, please contact The Ark - ark.ie

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