Join us for a unique evening of dance and community. Following on from the success of the previous two years, this an evening for dance, theatre and music lovers alike to see fresh new work from Ireland’s up and coming makers. A Scratch Night is a unique opportunity for artists to put their ideas to the test in front of an audience and receive valuable written feedback. Here, four dance artists and companies from around Ireland have been selected to present a short excerpt of their new work-in-progress. Please note that adult themes may be explored in the work. The programme for Dance Scratch Night is the following
Looking at the ritualistic rhythms hidden within rural Ireland’s walls, this solo questions the residue of catholic Ireland that lives in Rosie’s posture. To the women who raised us, sustained us and swallowed stories to save us – this is a prayer to you. Rosie is a Belfast-based artist, working across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
An introspective solo dance piece by this Dublin based dance artist, Memory of The Skin journeys through the last 15 years of living in Ireland from the perspective of a tattooed immigrant, touching upon themes of displacement, loneliness and a search for the meaning of family. This work-in-progress hopes to explore tattooing as communication of our values, the body as a storage of memories and the ritual of purification through pain. The movement language consists of Krump in a contemporary context.
Waterford based emerging artists Georgia and Kassie present a contemporary dance duet exploring themes of grief, bodily (dis)connection and acceptance. Daoirse comments on the oppressive forces of chronic pain, drawing on both dancers’ lived experiences, expressed through dance and text.
This is a work-in-progress excerpt from Jenny’s nascent show How to Have Fun as an Adult (set to premiere in 2027). It utilises a spinning platform to embody chaos roiling under an outer calm. The dancer is fighting a storm of centrifugal force while standing still. It aims to visually and somatically represent the creeping overwhelm many people – but particularly femme-conditioned, anxious people – experience in the face of the relentless repetitive demands of ‘successful’ adulthood. Jenny Tufts is an American-born, Sligo-based movement artist specialising in aerial dance. Audio credits: Sound design by Alma Kelliher, also featuring the track Morning by Kate Ireland
