Walls Talk is a new dance piece for solo dancer, Breandán de Gallaí (former Riverdancce lead), and singer, Gina Boreham, opening in Project Arts Centre.
When I first heard Gina Boreham sing I marched straight up to her and said “We have got to do a project together!” Gina sings with Dunajska Kapelye (The Danube Band), a Gypsy/Balkan folk band, and specialises in vintage jazz and blues classics. That night she sang Billie Holiday’s Deep Song.
My attachment to the music of this era was an intriguing element and definitely a good starting point. I’ve been listening to Billie Holiday, Chet Baker, Sarah Vaughan et al since I was a teenager. I am often struck with the sense of not necessarily belonging to my own time – that the mid 20th century might be a better fit for me. With Gina’s singing in mind, I imagined that the show might be a sort of song cycle.
The name came to me over pints in O’Brien’s on Leeson Street. ‘Old man’ pubs seem to be blanketed with stories and memories: celebrations; fights; sorrowful times; secret love affairs; not unlike the layer upon layer of paint, and pre-smoking-ban smoke embedded in the walls. “If these walls could talk” led on to Walls Talk. As we live our lives we leave traces of ourselves behind – our actions, feelings and thoughts clinging to the stuff we touch.
The original music arrangements were created by Paddy Mulcahy (Limerick), Fiachra Ó Corragáin (Kinsale), Joe Csibi (Dublin) & Zac Gvi (London). Songs include Seems Like Old Times, I’m Fool to Want You, Gloomy Sunday, Deep Song, For All We Know and I’ll Be Seeing You, to name but a few.
Walls Talk premieres on the week of the 25-29th February, 7.30 pm in Project Arts Centre, Dublin – find out more here.
Tickets €18 / 20
