Big steps for small dance companies

Independent Irish choreographers and dance companies are making a big impression on the world stage, writes MICHAEL SEAVER

CHOREOGRAPHERS might reasonably expect to have their moves copied by others. Few expect to see their company copied. When Ella Clarke and Julie Lockett established the Genesis Project in Dublin six years ago, their ambitions could hardly have included replica companies set up by American dancers in Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

A self-styled collective whose artistic heart lies in the solos of American choreographer Deborah Hay, the Genesis Project has drawn admirers for its ethos and rigorous commitment to the daily discipline needed to perform Hay's unique work. Its latest production, House of Crossed Destinies, will feature five of Hay's solos at Project Arts Centre this week.

Genesis Project Philadelphia and Genesis Project LA — set up by Americans Lana van der Kolk and Arturo Vidich after they met Clarke and Lockett at a workshop — might be the sincerest form of flattery, but they also illustrate the rising international fortunes of Ireland’s current generation of independent dancers. It’s a reputation gained not through paddywackery or glitzy populism, but through a rigorous intellect reflected in well-crafted choreography.

“Things are incredibly healthy right now,” says Paul Johnson, chief executive of Dance Ireland. “Three years ago, our choreographic bursary would attract applications from about 10 regulars. This year, we had 33 applicants from all over the country.” But it’s not just the quantity, but the quality and range of choreography that is unprecedented in Ireland. “There’s a diversity of practice, which is very encouraging. It’s not like there’s a generation who have developed a common way of working or an ‘Irish style’. Each is quite focused on their own path, whether that’s pure dance, conceptual work or more polemic ideas around gender or identity.”

The Genesis Project’s concentration on the works of Deborah Hay illustrates the kind of single-minded artistic paths that many companies are pursuing. An influential member of the 1960s Judson Dance Theater in New York, Hay constructs choreographic scores that are framed like a single question. There are no set moves or combinations, no music or storyline.

"She just gives you a blueprint and a question, although there are some directions and images to work with at different points," says dancer and Aosdána member Cindy Cummings, who will perform Beauty. "It doesn't seem like a lot to work on, but it's amazing how detailed you can get with something so spare."

The non-specific performing directions don’t reflect the discipline needed to perform the work. The first step to performing a solo work is to commission it from Hay and attend her Solo Performance Commissioning Project in Findhorn, in Scotland.

Each dancer then signs a contract agreeing to practice the work five times a week for a minimum of three months before they perform the work. And any time they take a break, they have to do the work daily for three weeks before they perform it again. "The issues I face in the [theatre's] rehearsal room are precisely about how to capture presence at every moment," says theatre director Jason Byrne, who is directing House of Crossed Destinies. Although the actor may have a script, the great performances come from drawing the viewer into the character, embodying them so that every millisecond is captivating. A late convert to Deborah Hay's work, he has now found that the rigour of her daily practice is perfect for helping a performer embody an idea.

Not content with performing their work at home, groups like Genesis are springing up in festivals and venues across the world, interacting with a wide range of artistic disciplines and attracting followers from all walks of life. Trace a map where Irish solo dancers and smaller companies have travelled and it will include most of Europe, China, and the US, taking in important symbolic venues like the Judson Church in New York’s Greenwich Village. Last month, at the Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference, the Irish choreographers’ showcase drew a full house at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York.

“Mikhail Baryshnikov was in the audience and the word-of-mouth from presenters and critics was positive,” says Laurie Uprichard, artistic director of the Dublin Dance Festival. The showcase, organised by Culture Ireland, didn’t just feature Ireland’s headline dance companies, but also two independent choreographers – Fearghus Ó Conchuir and Dylan Quinn – alongside established companies Daghdha and Rex Levitates. Traditional jealousies between established companies and the independents have dissipated, says Johnson, probably because the scramble for funding and resources isn’t as frenetic as before. As well as Dance Ireland’s platform series and bursaries, support can be found at Firkin Crane and through Daghdha’s mentoring scheme and open performances. “What is also different is the kinds of support [on] offer,” says Johnson. “It’s not just money or access to rehearsal space, but we can help with networking or making contacts with international producers or artists. Most of those who approach Dance Ireland are very aware of the specific support they require, so that the resource organisations need to constantly adjust our resources to their needs.”

Having worked in New York, Uprichard has seen generations come and go, some dancers staying in the city for a week, others for a lifetime. So what is the optimum ration of independent artists to established companies? “It’s difficult to quantify. Looking at the figures here in Ireland, there are five or six companies with substantial annual funding and maybe 25 independent companies. That’s not a bad ratio,” she says.

More than half of the artists chosen for the Dublin Dance Festival's showcase in May, Re-Presenting Ireland, have never been seen before. "This shows there is another generation coming through and that the independent sector is replenishing itself," Uprichard says.

House of Crossed Destiniesopens tomorrow and runs until Saturday at the Project Arts Centre, Dublin