This Is How We Fly

Whelan’s, Wexford St, Dublin Tonight 15/13 1890-200078; Half Moon Theatre, Cork Tomorrow 8.30pm 15 021-4270022

Whelan’s, Wexford St, Dublin Tonight 15/13 1890-200078; Half Moon Theatre, Cork Tomorrow 8.30pm 15 021-4270022

With paddywhackery on overdrive this week, This Is How We Fly offers a welcome respite. American percussive dancer Nic Gareiss is more fleet of foot than an Olympian sprinter and more buoyant than a helium-filled balloon. He elevates Irish dance to a place where restraint is palpable and freeform flight is inevitable. At last year’s Dublin Fringe Festival, Gareiss pitched his dance steps up against Swedish percussionist Petter Berndalen’s lunging rhythms to heart-stopping effect. Fiddler Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and saxophonist Seán Óg were there too to colour in the gaps.

The quartet revisits this magical performance for two nights this weekend in a performance that’s likely to tease your salivary ducts every bit as much as your pelvic girdle.

Siobhán Long

Siobhán Long

Siobhán Long, a contributor to The Irish Times, writes about traditional music and the wider arts