Yoshiko Chuma, artistic director of Daghdha Dance Company, has programmed three contrasting pieces for Sioscarnach! The best of these was Terry Creach's With Kin, danced partly in silence and partly to a collage of eastern-sounding and concrete music designed by Andy Russ.
Attractively and exotically dressed in reds and purples, the five dancers moved initially as an interacting group with occasionally shifting relationships. Then they began to break up into solos, duets and trios, returning near the close to the ever-shifting group. This was excellently choreographed and beautifully danced by Mariam Ribon, Richard O'Brien, Anthony Phillips, Jane Kellaghan and Jade Travers.
It was preceded by Mark Baldwin's The State, a piece for four women to an exciting score by Louis Andriessen. Choreographically this was interesting, if slightly too long and repetitive, but it required four dancers of equally outstanding ability, whereas only Mariam Ribon's performance made its potential obvious.
The final piece, Steve Paxton's Lecture on Walking, was delivered by the dancers themselves, with the help of headset microphones, while they illustrated the points they were making, invited audience participation and got plenty of laughs.
Further performances today (Saturday) at 2 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. (to book, phone: 1850-260027); then at Firkin Crane, Cork, next Tuesday and Wednesday at 8.15 p.m. (to book, phone: 021-507487); and at the Belltable, Limerick, next Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. (to book: phone 061-319866)