Dance Cork Firkin Crane’s Summer/Autumn 2024 season launches with an exhilarating programme of performances, residencies, and workshops, celebrating dance from across Ireland and the globe, and offering unique opportunities for community engagement and artistic development from July to November 2024.
Dance Cork Firkin Crane’s Executive Artistic Director Laurie Uprichard said: “This season offers a sweeping look at contemporary dance and dancers from across the country and around the globe. We warmly invite Cork audiences to join us in this adventure, discovering new and unique voices. Expect to be surprised and, occasionally, challenged.
Kicking off the new season of evening performances is Rollercoaster by Wes Peden on Saturday 31 August, presented in partnership with Pitch’d Festival. This contemporary circus performance features Peden’s renowned juggling talents set to a soundtrack of electro beats. Known for his innovative and energetic approach, the punk juggler promises a visually spectacular show that will engage and excite audiences. Tickets are €15/€12 with a very limited amount of early bird spaces available.
Next up, Irish Modern Dance Theatre presents a dance double-bill featuring U.S. choreographer Abby Zbikowski’s latest work, The Future is on the Way, and John Scott’s revised duet, Actions (NOW). The Future is on the Way tackles themes of resilience and envisions equitable futures, while Scott’s piece explores dynamic human interactions through humour and expressive movement. Friday 20 and Saturday 21 September, tickets €15/€12.
Prometheus by Luke Murphy Attic Projects. Image credit Patricio Cassinoni
On Friday 11 and Saturday 12 October, experience the delicate world of Tearmann Aiteach / Queer Sanctuary, a collaborative project by Isabella Oberländer and Fearghus Ó Conchúir. Opening a welcoming space of queer sanctuary, this performance supports flourishing, solidarity, and a spirited sparkle. Bringing together their distinct artistic practices, Oberländer and Ó Conchúir explore the possibilities and arrangements of support and desire between multilingual, multi-faceted queer bodies and others. Tickets are €15/€12.
AFTER ALL is a thought-provoking exploration by Solène Weinachter. Part of a three-venue Regional Dance Network tour, AFTER ALL will also be presented as part of Tipperary International Dance Festival (Clonmel) and Uillinn Dance Season (Skibbereen). This unique production delves into the complex topic of funerals, celebrating our vulnerable yet courageous existence. Through a blend of dance, comedy, storytelling, and theatre, Weinachter invites audiences to contemplate the inevitable and asks, “What happens in the end?”. Thursday 17 October, tickets €15/€12.
Presented in partnership with and at the Everyman, The Piece with the Drums by David Bolger, artistic director of CoisCéim Dance Theatre, on Wednesday 23 October, is a pulsating dance narrative featuring choreography by Bolger and dynamic percussion by jazz musician Conor Guilfoyle. The performance explores themes of rhythm, spirituality, and human connection. A rich, immersive experience, blending movement and sound in a celebration of the vibrancy of life and the cosmos. Tickets are €10-€27 from www.everymancork.com.
Impasse is the latest work by choreographer Mufutau Yusuf, featuring Lucas Katangila. Called “compelling” and “impressive: by Seona Mac Reamoinn in The Irish Times, the work delves into ethnicity, identity, and the black diasporic experience through a high-speed duet. With visual references to African immigration, Impasse navigates the complexities and autonomy of black bodies. Following its premiere at Dublin Dance Festival in May, Impasse comes to Dance Cork Firkin Crane on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 October. Tickets: €15/€12.
In addition to these performances, visiting artists in residence include Claire Keating, Rocío Dominguez, Helga Deasy, Alessandra Azeviche, Helen Herbertson, and Cork city dance artist-in-residence Luke Murphy, plus their collaborators, who will be hosted from July to November for research and development of upcoming projects. Many of the artists will offer free to the public work-in-progress sharings at the end of their residency periods. These sharings are open to the public, but pre-registration is required. Details can be found on our website.
Crane Visual, a visual arts and interdisciplinary social space curated by Dermot Browne, continues with a new public exhibition Possible Life by Chris Doris from Thursday 21 August to Saturday 21 September, followed by From Palestine with Art from Thursday 3 October to Saturday 15 December.
Professional workshops will be led by Alessandra Azeviche with an Afro-Brazilian Dance Master Class on Sunday 25 August, and David Bolger on Thursday 24 October who will delve into the flair and humour of his artistic practice. Weekly professional classes also continue on Thursday mornings led by guest teachers.
Dance Cork Firkin Crane would like to acknowledge the support of Cork City Council, the Arts Council, The Community Foundation for Ireland, and Pat McDonnell Paint.
For more information and booking see www.dancecorkfirkincrane.ie
