Luke Murphy returns to Dance Limerick with Triumph and Trauma

Dance artist Luke Murphy returns to Dance Limerick with his provocative and powerful new work “On Triumph and Trauma”.  This bold and visceral work for four performers takes place on Thursday 26 May at 8pm.  Tickets €12.00/€10.00 from www.dancelimerick.ie 

With dynamic choreography, a haunting soundscape and a constantly evolving design, “On Triumph and Trauma” draws the audience into an unpredictable journey through the complexities of our past towards the precipice of our future.  Introducing his new work, Luke Murphy explains: “With a hundred years behind us, we are caught with the heroes and demons of our past, and the fraught uncertainty of our future. Emerging in the wake of the centenary of the 1916 Rising, ‘On Triumph and Trauma’ is at once a poetic dedication to a turning point in the nation’s history and a rigorous examination of what Irish identity, politics and nationalism means today”.

The work conveys a morphing landscape of creation and destruction as the ideas of nationalism, sacrifice, violence and memory are drawn and erased under starkly different lights.  Drawing upon a wealth of investigative sources, including witness accounts from the Bureau of Military History, transcripts from the Dáil and the writings of some of Ireland’s most accomplished scholars, the work paints and analyses the quiet day to day humanity that drove a country into an endless waltz of triumph and tragedy.

Announcing details of “On Triumph and Trauma” Jenny Traynor, Director of Dance Limerick, said “We’re delighted to welcome Luke Murphy back to Dance Limerick.  Luke is a very exciting artist who explores and unpacks the notion of identity in much of his work and constantly seeks to push the boundaries of his artform with each new creation.  We’re really looking forward to this new ensemble piece and I would encourage anyone with an interest in dance or dance theatre to come and experience it for themselves”.

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Luke Murphy is a performer and choreographer recently returned to Ireland from New York.    His own work has been presented in New York, throughout Ireland and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. His first full length work “Drenched” premiered at the Absolut Fringe Festival in 2012 and toured the US, while in June 2013 he premiered his second work “Icarus” as part of the Cork Midsummer Festival.  “Your Own Man/Mad Notions”, his work exploring identity from the perspective of an emigrant, premiered at Dance Limerick in February 2015.  His work has been supported through commissions and residencies from a wide range of arts organisations including the Arts Council, Culture Ireland, Dance Ireland, Dance Limerick and companies such as Maiden Voyage Dance Company, for whom he created “Fragile Ghosts”, which represented Northern Ireland at British Dance Edition 2014 and Company 10HL in New York.  Luke trained at the Legat School in East Sussex and Point Park University in Pittsburgh, where we earned a BFA in 2009.  His work has been variously described as “passionate”, “fearless” and “mesmerising”, appealing “to anyone who appreciates beautiful movement and dance theatre”.

Dance Limerick opened in October 2013 as a centre for professional dance and to promote dance in Limerick and beyond.  Through a programme of performances, artist residencies, classes, talks and workshops, Dance Limerick provides opportunities for dance to be created, experienced and discussed in many ways, by all ages.  Dance Limerick supports the development of new and innovative work and encourages dance participation by the wider community.  For further details, see www.dancelimerick.ie

For further details, see www.dancelimerick.ie
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