Almost two years ago to the day we last featured Dance Theatre of Ireland (DTI) with in house works from the company directors Loretta Yurick and Robert Connor, Charles Linehan bringing up the rear with his outside influence. This time out DTI have hooked up with Now Dance from South Korea for a new double bill.
‘Parallel Horizons’ is the in house part of the puzzle and the first part of our double feature. Created by Loretta Yurick and Robert Connor the piece features dancers from both DTI and Now Dance.
It’s a swirling mass of dance making with dancers taking advantage of the entire stage as they move in intricate patterns in and around one another accompanied all the while by some excellent live music (a rarity these days for contemporary dance).
DTI prove without doubt that they are very much the hidden gem of contemporary dance in Europe (one of many we might add). Since the company are based in the Republic of Ireland overseas touring, even just across the Irish Sea to the mainland UK, is a huge expense.
If someone at the British Council could, let’s say, do their job then DTI might be able to make it over the water and share this work and ‘Under the Roof’ with the UK public at large! Make it so!
DTI say of this creation;
“In beginning the work of Parallel Horizons for this project, we were influenced by several things: the common experiences in the history of both the cultures (both have been occupied, both have a North/South division, both have experienced separation). Musically, we wanted to draw strongly on elements of Irish and Korean music, sounds and instrumentation.
We identified with strong Korean and Irish rhythms and noticed as well the sense of melancholy or sadness that is common to both Korean and Irish music. We share this in our musical heritage….and both the sadness and the strong rhythms are part of this work. The rhythms are strong, the people are strong. Resilient. That’s what that means to us. Soft and strong both.
Both countries share a rich poetic history. On our first trip to Korea we read Ko Un one of Korea’s major poets and we took inspiration from a particular book of short poems by Ko Un translated in English as “Flowers of a Moment”.
There are several poems that inspired this work, one particular poem that influenced a section we made for the women, they are on cushions… “If I Lie down I’ll be done for…an ailing animal desperately staying standing all day long. It’s been that kind of a day in the world, my dear.” Don’t we all know this feeling? We wanted to visit the interior. The survivor. And show the face of it.
The music is composed with elements of traditional instrumentation placed in a contemporary context. In some cases the music was created in response to the dance, in other places the music informed the mood of the dance. The music supports the dance, and deeply influences the way the audience experiences the dance; much in the way that image and sound work in cinema.”
‘Parallel Horizons’ is performed by Lise Manavit, Jazmin Chiodi, Alexandre Iseli, Byung Hwa Kim, Jon Morley, Min Young Park, Ju Jin Shin and Seung Kwan Yoo. Music is by Rory Pierce performed by Nick Bailey, II Woo Lee, Bo-mi Kim and Rory Pierce.
DTI are currently touring the Republic of Ireland for the next month. Check their website for updates on 2009 performances.