NI Dancers Premiere At Opera House

Around 50 of Northern Ireland's leading champion festival dancers have come together to form a new dance company under the artistic instruction of renowned teacher, choreographer and producer of NI dance, Dominic Graham.

The Core Dance Company, which comprises dancers from 14 dance schools throughout NI, has been set up with the aim of becoming the leading organization performing, promoting and preserving Irish Festival Dance at home and abroad.

It launches with its premiere invitation-only performance in the Grand Opera House tomorrow (Wednesday) before embarking on a three-night run at the Theatre At The Mill in Newtownabbey from 16-18 February.

Irish Festival Dance is practised almost exclusively in NI and differs from the traditional Feis Irish Dancing. The form focuses on the individuality of each dancer's style of movement and appearance.

Instructors work to choreograph and choose dance pieces for each performer that will showcase their style and technical ability. Irish Festival dance is a storytelling medium and centres around a narrative creating a mood and stage presence which takes the audience on a dramatic journey.

The birth of this unique dance movement can be traced back to the 1950s when a small number of Irish Dancing teachers in Northern Ireland, including Patricia Mulholland (founder of the Irish Ballet Company), began the festival movement to ensure the dance remained accessible to all people throughout the province.

The strong focus on the cross community aspect of the dance form remains at the centre of the Core Dance Company.

Artistic Director, Dominic Graham, who has 30 years experience teaching and performing Irish Festival Dance at home and abroad, commented: "The type of dancing audiences will see performed by Core Dance Company is completely unique to Northern Ireland - it truly is Northern Irish Dance. The style is freer and more artistic than traditional Feis dancing with a focus on the individuality of each performer.

"Every Core Dance Company performer is a champion level dancer. It is also a prerequisite that company members bring other skills to the table that enhance the development of productions such as musical ability, costume design and visual art," he said.

The company's premiere show Our Core will give new audiences a real feel for Irish Festival Dance and the style of performance that they will be producing. As well as Festival Dance the show incorporates other dance forms as well as audio visual presentations and live music from a trio of musicians playing the violin, harp and flute live on stage.

(BMcC/GK)