PHOTOS: ‘What Next’ Dance Festival Limerick 2020

What Next dance festival 2020…Dancers Tobi Omoteso and Angelo Cris Bamgay who will be performing at ‘What Next’ dance festival which runs from 6th – 8th February at Dance Limerick, John’s Square, Limerick.
Pic: Don Moloney

‘What Next’ Dance Festival Limerick 2020

What Next dance festival 2020 brings you a programme of fresh and captivating performances and interactions from a bold new generation of dance artists

Dive In, Discover Dance at the What Next dance festival happening February 6-8, 2020 at Dance Limerick. Featuring exciting Triple Bill Performances, Off-site Pop-Up Dance, a Climate Action Dance Talk and Manifesto, the inclusive Céili Afro Dabke and more.

advertisement

advertisement

advertisement

Now in its third year, What Next promotes dance discovery through live performances, professional workshops, talks and other events.

Inspired by the impressive talent of rising dance artists from Limerick, Ireland and abroad, the festival encourages you to sample something different through its rich and accessible programme. 

Local dance artists based in Limerick, Cork and Dublin join artists from Madrid, Columbia and France to perform in the city over the festival weekend.

Highlights include 2 Triple Bill Performances on the Friday and Saturday at Dance Limerick’s unique venue, the 186-year-old St. John’s church in John’s Square (a deconsecrated church and now dedicated, modern dance venue).

The festival’s Opening Reception takes place on Thursday, February 6 in Ormston House on Patrick’s street. This informal evening features surprise performances by a selection of festival artists.

What Next features performances by Human Collective (Mateusz Szczerek, Tobi Balogun, Jack Bain), Jesús Rubio Gamo, Joseph Simon, Lina Gómez, Siobhán Ní Dhuinnín and Tea Time Company (Hannah Rogerson, Pieter Visser).

You will also encounter Off-Site Pop Up Dance by Irish dancer Emily Mickus, Limerick Youth Dance Company, in collaboration with musicians 2nd Hand Drills, and hip-hop artist Tobi Omoteso.

As part of our Climate Action Dance Talk and Manifesto at Ormston House, individuals working in dance and the arts in Ireland discuss their work, and making new work, in relation to the biggest single threat of our time.

Join panellists Maeve Stone, Maria Nilsson Waller, Rita Marcalo and Stephanie Dickenson, in conversation with Lisa Mcloughlin.

Closing the festival weekend is the inclusive Céilí Afro Dabke, a world music céilí featuring African dance, traditional Dabke dance from Palestine/Syria and the old-style Irish céilí dances. Open to everyone to come dance and meet folks from all over the world that lives in your neighbourhood.

No previous dance experience required. The night will feature performances of Palestinian Dabke, Irish céilí dances and African dance from a group of participants who have been rehearsing since January with choreographer Catherine Young in a series of free workshops in Dance Limerick.

Dancers Tobi Omoteso and Angelo Cris Bamgay who will be performing at ‘What Next’ dance festival which runs from 6th – 8th February at Dance Limerick, John’s Square, Limerick.
Pic: Don Moloney

Long event descriptions below –

Friday Triple Bill

LOOPED by Human Collective is a playful fusion of hip-hop and juggling that explores masculinity and the vulnerable side of male energy. Responsibility, power play, connection and childhood games were a creative drive for this dance work performed by an all-male cast of Human Collective.

RESTRAINT by Lina Gómez asks the question: How do we continue to reinvent ourselves? Stamping and shaking, dancer Julek Kreutzer generates a continuous flow of movements bound by a narrow space and spurred on by Michelangelo Contini’s drums.

Restraint is a liberating outburst of energy and a work of extreme precision, where music and dance support each other, crafting a vibrant space.

BOLERO by Jesús Rubio Gamo is a dance piece about tenacity. It explores the frontier between lightness and gravity and the fine line separating pleasure and exhaustion.

Aspects of the piece reflect the current landscape in Madrid as perceived by the choreographer. The performance suggests that even the best things: Ravel’s Boléro, love, dance, and flamenco songs, end up broken when practised too much.

Saturday Triple Bill

CHAMELEON by Joseph Simon looks at the transformative aspect of dance. He asks himself: Can I be a chameleon? And if so, what would it look like if the dancer transformed into different colours?

By asking himself if it is possible to clearly distinguish the different languages his body holds, Joseph Simon takes you on a surprising, physical journey.

AN CHUACH (The Cuckoo) by Siobhán Ní Dhuinnín is a considerate solo featuring live music by drummer Solamh Kelly. The piece explores sensations of connection and disconnection that shift and evolve in relation to place and personal histories.

1P, 2P, 3P by Teatime Company is a playful exploration into how two people with differences and similarities create, work and share the stage together.

Heleen Volmans of Dance Brabant called it ‘…A fine combination between the practicality of action in a circus with the ongoing transitional flow of dance’. Performed by Hannah Rogerson and Pieter Visser.

TICKETS & FURTHER INFORMATION

What Next tickets are available from www.dancelimerick.ie or

Dance Limerick, 1-2 John’s Square, Limerick (cash/cheque only)

Tickets are €14 / €12 for Triple Bills Performances (10% off online) plus the many free events, pre-booking required.

For tickets and more information, click here.
For more dance news, click here.

Pictures: Beth Pym/ilovelimerick