Programme Announcement! 21st Edition, 13 - 24 May 2025

The Abbey Theatre will be home to three powerful and contrasting productions, one from Nigeria, and two Irish works.

Rooted in Irish folklore and her personal family history, visionary choreographer Oona Doherty (Northern Ireland / France) returns to Dublin Dance Festival with performances of her new show, Specky Clark 14^th-17^th May. An unflinching blend of fiction and biography where myth and reality overlap, Specky Clark traces the journey of Oona's great-great-grandfather as he arrives in Belfast, her father’s work in the city’s abattoir, and her mother’s family butcher’s shop in the heart of the city. With nine international dancers, accompanied by haunting music by Lankum, a powerful narrative unfolds through a series of theatrical images, on Halloween night.

An electrifying spectacle that immerses audiences in Nigerian culture past and present, Re:INCARNATION by the groundbreaking QDance Company and choreographer Qudus Onikeku comes to the Abbey Theatre with performances 20^th & 21^st May. A fusion of dance, music, fashion and visual art, this multi-sensory experience surges with raw energy, colour and creativity. Set to a pulsating Afrobeats soundtrack infused with jazz, soul, funk, and traditional African rhythms, this exuberant performance channels the dynamic spirit of Lagos – its chaos and beauty. Ten dancers and two musicians embody the powerful and joyous narrative, paying tribute to Nigeria's rich cultural heritage while celebrating how a new generation reimagines ancestral traditions to reveal new paths to the future.

Part crime-drama, part psychological thriller, Scorched Earth by DDF’s current Artist in Residence Luke Murphy unearths a haunting tale of ambition, land and legacy inspired by John B. Keane’s The Field. On at the Abbey Theatre 23^rd and 24^th May, the creators of the multi-award-winning Volcano transport the audience into a stark interrogation room where a detective and suspect exhume the ghosts of a long-unsolved murder, piercing into a dark but fundamental element of the Irish psyche. With engrossing storytelling, striking visuals and visceral movement, Scorched Earth’s cast of Irish and international performers plunge us into a world of memory, ambition and resentment.

Two productions will take place at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, one a landmark moment for dance in Ireland, the other one of the most successful dance theatre productions of all time.

Luail - Ireland’s National Dance Company makes its highly anticipated debut to open Dublin Dance Festival’s 21^st Edition with Chora, a triple bill of new dance works by acclaimed choreographers Liz Roche, Mufutau Yusuf, and Maria Campos and Guy Nader, for one night only at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, 13^th May. Luail’s new ensemble of exceptional dancers joins forces with the Irish Chamber Orchestra creating a seamless interplay between dance and live contemporary and baroque orchestral works. Responding to the title Chora – an ancient Greek term that refers to space as both a physical place and an abstract idea – each piece in this captivating show draws on themes of home, memory and landscape.

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake took the dance theatre world by storm when it was first staged in 1995, becoming the longest running full-length dance classic in the West End and on Broadway. It has since been performed across the globe, collecting over thirty international accolades, including the Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production and three Tony Awards. This convention-shattering phenomenon returns to Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in a celebratory major revival, with performances 20^th-24^th May. Best known for replacing the traditional female corps-de-ballet with an all-male ensemble, this is a thrilling, bold, witty and audacious reinvention of Tchaikovsky's masterpiece.

Project Arts Centre will host two compelling, critically acclaimed productions, one French, one Irish, and a vibey, neuro-inclusive club night that’s redefining the future of nightlife.

Trailblazing choreographer and director of the renowned Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Boris Charmatz (France) brings his dreamlike yet powerfully physical solo SOMNOLE to DDF’s 21st Edition, with performances at Project Arts Centre 15^th and 16^th May. Accompanied only by the sound of his own whistling, Charmatz draws audiences into the intimate, dreamlike realm between wakefulness and sleep. With a compelling performance of extreme physicality, there are moments of intensity, calm and humour as Charmatz explores the tension between the mind’s longing for stillness and its restless motion.

Following 5-star reviews and an award-winning run at Dublin Fringe Festival 2023, MOSH by Rachel Ní Bhraonáin (Ireland) will be at Project Arts Centre 23^rd and 24^th May, hurling itself into the heart-pounding chaos, the adrenaline rush, the raw connection, and the wild ritual of the pit. Featuring incredible dancers, raucous dance, live music and interviews with real mosh pit devotees, MOSH asks, Is it dance? Is it aggression? And why would anyone do this? The Mad Bastards, The Pit Protectors, The Karate Choppers, and The Bearded Beer Drinkers are all here to play their part in this community built on music, movement, risk and the momentum of the crowd.

Disco Neurotico (UK) is redefining nightlife for those who struggle in traditional spaces, with a focus on inclusivity, individuality and sensory-friendly experiences. Making its Irish debut on 21^st May at Project Arts Centre, Disco Neurotico will offer an eclectic selection of DJs and a dance floor that is a space of freedom and expression, alongside chilled sensory-friendly areas and creative experiences to explore. For those who find clubs overwhelming, claustrophobic or unpredictable, this is the future of nightlife, a safe, neuro-inclusive, more welcoming space – a place where we can all be ourselves.

Dónal Dineen presents a special edition of his renowned Backstory Dance along with the Dublin premiere of his short autobiographical documentary in Dance To Remember at The Sugar Club 23^rd May. Through the lens of Dónal’s relationship with his father, the film traces how music and dance can bridge generations and connect distant cultures. Celebrating music, dance and community, this screening will be accompanied by live set-dancing and accordion performances, followed by a special edition of Backstory Dance featuring special guest Ethiopian DJ, Hewan Mulugeta. With the motto “All the colours, every dancing mood”, Backstory has become a touchstone for lovers of dance in Dublin.

Younger audiences are also in for a treat in May with When the Moon Spun Round - a magical performance of captivating aerial dance, traditional music and storytelling from Ireland’s Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre & Ceol Connected, presented by Dublin Dance Festival and The Ark. With 6 performances at the Samuel Beckett Theatre 22^nd-24^th May, this mesmerising production is for audiences aged 6+. Inspired by poems and stories by W.B. Yeats, When the Moon Spun Round features outstanding aerial dancers and traditional musicians playing live on stage, along with exhilarating and acrobatic choreography, dreamlike lighting, and immersive soundscapes, creating an intriguing, fun and joyous experience leaving audiences of all ages spellbound.

The 21st Edition invites us to come together and dance, with a Hip Hop Jam offering cyphers and workshops at Project Arts Centre, post-show DJ sets at the Abbey Theatre and The Sugar Club, and masterclasses with festival artists in DanceHouse. In this celebratory year, DDF is delighted to introduce a new series of insightful lunchtime talks with three festival choreographers - Oona Doherty, Boris Charmatz and Qudus Onikeku. Taking place in Project Arts Centre and the Abbey Theatre, these public talks form part of DDF’s new initiative, Interspaces - which includes workshops and roundtable discussions that explore what’s important to artists now, and how we can continue to inspire the next generation of dance thinkers and makers. DDF’s 21st Edition includes captioned, audio-described, signed and relaxed events to increase accessibility for audiences.

TICKETS

Book Online: Tickets available online from 7pm Wednesday 5 March at dublindancefestival.ie

Book by Phone: From Tuesday 6 May, on +353 1 673 0660.

Dublin Dance Festival acknowledges the generous support of:

Principal Funder: The Arts Council of Ireland/An Chomhairle Ealaíon
Supported by: Dublin City Council, Culture Ireland
Media Partners: RTÉ Supporting the Arts, The Irish Times
Accommodation Partner: The Castle Hotel
Cultural Partners: Creative Europe, Embassy of France in Ireland, Visiting Artist Programme
Programme Partners: Abbey Theatre, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dance Ireland, Dunne & Crescenzi, Feenish Productions, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Luail – Ireland’s National Dance Company, The Ark Children's Cultural Centre

For further media information please contact Stephanie Dickenson stephaniedickenson12@gmail.com | 087 993 7650.

---