DANCE Fest 1997 (which replaces the New Music/New Festival) presents three weeks of work shops at the Dance Centre, Digges Lane, and performances at Trinity's Samuel Beckett Centre and Project at the Mint, starting this Monday.
The first week of the festival run by the Association of Professional Dancers opens with the visit of British dancer/choreographer Russell Maliphant, last in Ireland in June 1991 for a one off performance with Laurie Booth at the Wexford Arts Centre. Maliphant, who has also worked with Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet, DV8 and Michael Clark, brings his own company to Dublin, giving workshops in professional level contemporary dance from Monday to Thursday and performing his new work, Decoy Landscape, scored by Andrew Cowton and lit by Michael Hulls, at the Project on Friday and next Saturday.
Meanwhile, Kevin Murphy will work all week at the Dance Centre with foundationlevel students on a piece for a one off lunchtime performance at the Project on Saturday.
The splendid CoisCeim Dance Theatre will be at the Samuel Beckett throughout the second week (9th-14th), with a new work by David Bolger commemorating Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy called Back In Town, preceded by a revival of Liz Roche's excellent Dragons And Tonics.
David Gordon, former ballet master with Irish National Ballet, will give professional level morning ballet classes (June 9th-20th) and afternoon student classes (Thursdays and Fridays only). On Sunday 15th there will be an open discussion on dance funding and the impact of dance festivals on the Irish dance community at the Drury Court Hotel with Catherine Nunes, formerly assistant director of Dance Umbrella.
The third week sees three dance events at the Samuel Beckett. Freefall (16th and 17th) is an evening of short pieces involving Metropolis Dance Company, Kevin Murphy, Adrienne Brown, Trish Glynn, Rubato Ballet, Tim Weatherhead, Paul Johston Cindy Cummings and J.J. Formento. Formento will present his exciting Field Of Blood, tried out at the Irish Choreographers' New Works Platform on May 2nd. Spain 2 - Ireland 1 (18th and 19th) showcases work by female choreographers: two Spanish women from Metropolis Dance Company and a piece by tap supremo Diane Richardson.
Daghdha Dance Company ends the festival with 3 Piece Suite (20th and 21st), comprising On Earth As It Is In Heaven, premiered at the Pompidou Centre in March 1996; Aerdha, composed by Kenneth Edge with Micheal O Suilleabhain and the Irish Chamber Orchestra, premiered at the University of Limerick Concert Hall (September 1996); and Here, Then And Elsewhere Now, devised for this year's Great Irish Famine Events.