Community, chaos and ritual will be celebrated with two weeks of daring and exhilarating dance at Dublin Dance Festival’s 21st Edition, taking place 13 – 24 May.
Two productions will take place at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, one a landmark moment for dance in Ireland, the other one of the most successful dance theatre productions of all time.
Luail – Ireland’s National Dance Company makes its highly anticipated debut to open Dublin Dance Festival’s 21st Edition with Chora, a triple bill of new dance works by acclaimed choreographers Liz Roche, Mufutau Yusuf, and Maria Campos and Guy Nader, for one night only at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. Luail’s new ensemble of exceptional dancers joins forces with the Irish Chamber Orchestra creating a seamless interplay between dance and live contemporary and 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.
Tues 13, 7:30pm. Tickets €26.50 – €56.50. BOOK NOW
Go behind the scenes with Chora
Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake took the dance theatre world by storm when it was first staged in 1995, becoming 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. This convention-shattering phenomenon returns to Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in a celebratory major revival, with performances Tues 20 – Sat 24 May. Best known for replacing the traditional female corps-de-ballet with an all-male ensemble, this is a thrilling, bold, witty and audacious reinvention of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece.
Tues 20 – Sat 24 May. Tickets €31.50 – €79. BOOK NOW
Watch the trailer for Swan Lake
The Abbey Theatre will be home to three powerful and contrasting productions, one from Nigeria, and two Irish works.
Rooted in Irish folklore and her personal family history, visionary choreographer Oona Doherty returns to Dublin Dance Festival with performances of her new show, Specky Clark. An unflinching blend of fiction and biography where myth and reality overlap, Specky Clark traces the journey of Oona’s great-great-grandfather as he arrives in Belfast, her father’s work in the city’s abattoir, and her mother’s family butcher’s shop in the heart of the city. With nine international dancers, accompanied by haunting music by Lankum, a powerful narrative unfolds through a series of theatrical images, on Halloween night.
Wed 14 – Sat 17 May. Tickets €15 – €42. BOOK NOW
Watch the trailer for Specky Clark
An electrifying spectacle that immerses audiences in Nigerian culture past and present, Re:INCARNATION by the groundbreaking QDance Company and choreographer Qudus Onikeku comes to the Abbey Theatre. A fusion of dance, music, fashion and visual art, this multi-sensory experience surges with raw energy, colour and creativity. Set to a pulsating Afrobeats soundtrack infused with jazz, soul, funk, and traditional African rhythms, this exuberant performance channels the dynamic spirit of Lagos – its chaos and beauty. Ten dancers and two musicians embody the powerful and joyous narrative, paying tribute to Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage while celebrating how a new generation reimagines ancestral traditions to reveal new paths to the future. Following the show on Tues 20, ticket holders are also invited to stay on after the performance for an exclusive DJ Set by Qudus Onikeku in the Abbey Bar.
Tues 20 – Wed 21 May. Tickets €15 – €42. BOOK NOW
Watch the trailer for RE:INCARNATION
Part crime-drama, part psychological thriller, Scorched Earth by DDF’s current Artist in Residence Luke Murphy unearths a haunting tale of ambition, land and legacy inspired by John B. Keane’s The Field. On at the Abbey Theatre Fri 23 & Sat 24 May, the creators of the multi-award-winning Volcano transport the audience into a stark interrogation room where a detective and suspect exhume the ghosts of a long-unsolved murder, piercing into a dark but fundamental element of the Irish psyche. With engrossing storytelling, striking visuals and visceral movement, Scorched Earth’s cast of Irish and international performers plunge us into a world of memory, ambition and resentment.
Fri 23 – Sat 24 May. Tickets €15 – €42. BOOK NOW
Along with these outstanding shows at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, DDF’s milestone 21st Edition also brings an exciting lineup of events at Project Arts Centre, Beckett Theatre, The Sugar Club and DanceHouse with performances, club nights, films, workshops and masterclasses.
Explore it all at dublindancefestival.ie
Feature Image: Re:INCARNATION by Qudus Onikeku © Hervé Veronese Centre Pompidou
