The Shake – Dublin Dance Festival – Review

The Shake – Laura Murphy

This is an outdoor production that required the participation of the audience! The Festival was lucky with the weather as it was one of the best weekends of the year to date. The events took place in the beautiful setting of the Wood Quay Amphitheatre. There was a strange dome like structure at the centre of the space, and a number of yoga mats scattered around the amphitheatre. After a short introduction, the audience was told to find their mat and great ready to dance!

The production was led by singer and DJ Jade O’Connor, who had the microphone for the majority of the event. She explained the rules of the occasion and what we should expect. There were a number of dancers on the stage. Each dancer was aimed at a different section of the audience, depending on your fitness level. You could follow your chosen performer and mimic their actions, or if you felt like it, ignore them completely and do your own thing. This was a communal dance experience with very few rules other than you didn’t interfere with the other audience members and that you enjoyed yourself!

The singer Jade O’Connor has a lovely singing voice and the high octane music worked well for the occasion. The audience was an impressive mix of ages and sizes. While it was great to watch the children, you couldn’t help but be impressed with the agility and endurance of some of the older members of the audience, as they grooved for the full sixty minutes of the set. At the end of a festival where we’ve seen some amazing displays by extremely talented performers, it was good to remember that dance isn’t just for the professionals!