New dance work to surrender to Cork audiences
A provocative, revealing, and sometimes even unsettling new dance work by one of Ireland’s most highly acclaimed choreographers is headed for Cork next month.
Created by Philip Connaughton for West Cork dance company, Croí Glan, ‘The Act of Existing’ explores what happens when two artists willingly surrender to an audience’s will.
Blurring the boundaries between observation and participation, the work invites audiences into a live encounter with dancers Bobbi Byrne and Ben Sullivan where influence is never straightforward, and responsibility is never neutral.
At its core, the piece studies how marginalised communities have been historically subjected to societal control, a theme which is especially urgent in today’s climate of rising far-right rhetoric.
The striking new work explores what it means to simply be ourselves in relation to others. As expectations, choices, and boundaries shift, ‘The Act of Existing’ asks whether the simple act of being can become something profound.
The piece’s creator, Dublin-based Philip Connaughton, trained locally before studying at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in London. He was artist-in-residence at axis in 2012, where he created ‘Mortuus Est Philippus’ for Dublin Dance Festival and Festival Instances, Chalon-sur-Saône. He was Associate Artist with Dance Ireland in 2013 and, in 2014, founded Company Philip Connaughton.
His works to date include ‘Tardigrade’ (2014), winner of Best Design at the Dublin Fringe Awards; ‘Dance Uncovered’ at the Dublin Dance Festival, 2015; and ‘WHACK!!’ (2015–2019), created with Ashley Chen/Compagnie Kashyl and toured extensively throughout France, Ireland, and the USA.
This year marks the 20th anniversary for Ballydehob-based Croí Glan, an award-winning, disabled-led contemporary dance company celebrating diverse bodies on stage, and a flagship company for equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), with a case study in the Arts Council’s new EDI handbook. The company is led by co-founder and co-artistic director Tara Brandel and newly appointed co-artistic director Bobbi Byrne, who is performing in ‘The Art of Existing’.
Creating 22 works since 2006, Croí Glan has toured nationally and internationally. Highlights of the company’s body of work include Tara Brandel’s ‘Sputnik’ for the Unlimited Festival/Cultural Olympiad London Southbank 2012; Liz Roche's ‘An Outside Understanding’ at Dublin Dance Festival 2013, nominated Best Performers Dublin Fringe 2012; the multi award winning short film ‘Armour Off!’ in collaboration with Invisible Thread, Caroline Bowditch and Linda Fearon; and David Bolger's ‘On the Wall’, performed in 25 locations including Miami, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Barcelona, Bern, and Turku.
‘The Act of Existing’ is Coming to Dance Cork Firkin Crane, Cork city, on 3 and 4 July. Doors are at 7.30pm both nights and tickets cost €15 and €12 concessions. For booking and more information, visit dancecorkfirkincrane.ie.