MÁM – Bord Gáis Energy Theatre – Review

13 – 14 July 2023
MÁM – Produced by Teaċ Daṁsa

Read our interview with Michael Keegan-Dolan of Teaċ Daṁsa here.

The piece opens with a young red-haired girl in a white dress on centre stage. She’s lying on the flat of her back on a small table. Behind her sits a man with the head of a Goat and a Concertina in his hands. The young girl sits up and rummages in a drawer on the table beneath her. She pulls out a packet of Tayto crisps and opens them with a pop! The significance of the bag of Tayto is not lost, as this most Irish of brands is the perfect choice for this Dance piece, which started life in a community hall in West Kerry (Halla na Feothanaí).

This piece was originally performed in early October 2019 in the O’Reilly Hall, as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival. While it doesn’t seem that long ago, it was before the start of the various Covid lockdowns. The piece is being performed for two nights only in the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre before making its way to Venice as part of the La Biennale di Venezia, and later to Sadler Wells in London.

Music is a key component of the work. In the early part of the piece, it focuses entirely on Cormac Begley, playing a variety of Concertinas as he sits centre stage. The music is largely of his own composition, but there is “Dearg Doom” by Horslips, or depending on your generation “Put ’em under pressure”. Later in the piece, a curtain falls to reveal the s t a r g a z e collective, who join Begley in his work of keeping the dancers moving. The combination of Begley alongside s t a r g a z e doesn’t always work but the individual elements are impressive.

Mám 1 : Mountain pass. Mám 2 : Yoke. Faoi mhám an pheaca, under the yoke of sin. 2. Lit: Obligation, duty, function. Mám 3 : Handful. ~ mhilseán, of sweets. Scaipeann sé ina mhámanna é, he throws it away in handfuls.

The movement in the production is playful, with a variety of short pieces. The twelve dancers dress in simple attire, the men in black suits with white shirts, while the women wear black dresses. The dance is often frenzied and wild, with the hair of the various dancers thrown into the air. One piece has a dancer moving quickly between the group, kissing the other members which puts them to sleep. They form factions and run at each other from either side of the stage. There is a feeling of celebration in the air as they dance and run with wild abandon.

After the performance, there was a short post-show discussion with Michael Keegan-Dolan and some of those involved with the creation of the production. One wonderfully direct question asked him if the piece was meant to be the Wake for the young girl. While not confirming the idea completely, Keegan-Dolan didn’t deny it either. Keegan-Dolan said the piece was about the ceremonies and occasions in life, both death and birth and the similarities between them.

The performance is 90 minutes, which is surprisingly long for a dance performance but you never feel it has outstayed its welcome. Teaċ Daṁsa are right at the forefront of the Irish dance scene. Their work is rich, colourful and always entertaining. The inclusion of live music is an important part of this performance, making it more intense. The musicians are centre stage, not hidden in the wings, and they often interact with the dancers. This is an Irish production that we can be proud of. The performance in the Bord Gais Energy Theatre was in front of 1,700 people, which is the largest venue the company have ever performed in. While Ireland is not known for its contemporary dance or choreography, hopefully with work such as this, those opinions will change.

CREDITS:

Direction and Choreography.
Michael Keegan-Dolan

Music.
Cormac Begley and s t a r g a z e

Set Design.
Sabine Dargent

Lighting Design.
Adam Silverman

Costume Design.
Hyemi Shin

Sound Design.
Helen Atkinson

Performers.
Imogen Alvares, Cormac Begley, Romain Bly, Tyler Carney, Kim Ceysens, Lisa De Boos, Aki Iwamoto, Zen Jefferson, Mayah Kadish, Amit Noy, James O’Hara, Keir Patrick, Rachel Poirier, Connor Scott, David Six, James Southward, Carys Staton, Aart Strootman, Maaike Van der Linde and Marlies Van Gangelen

Photo Ros Kavanagh