Deirdre Mulrooney's Diary

I think it’s really important for a non-dance audience to understand that there is nothing to ‘get’ when watching a dancer perform. A lot of the time it’s like watching a painting being painted in front of you that simply disappears. The experience is very personal to yourself. If you're open to going in there without any expectations, you can really allow the dance to hit you in whatever way it’s supposed to.

Two pieces really stand out for me – those from Forsythe, and Tere O’Connor, both of which I've seen before, but am dying to see again.

The Forsythe piece reminds me of a Hollywood blockbuster; of a tense political thriller. The scale of his work is always impressive and as a real pioneer of dance, he always pushes the boundaries. This piece is an amalgamation of dance and theatre and visual art.

His interest in presenting his political views are fascinating in terms of what is going on in European works as oppossed to those from America. Although he is an American living in Europe, he has a lot to say about  the Iraq war and how it affects him. He’s a genuis at creating different experiences for the audience and not presenting a resolution.

Like a film which uses multiple storylines, Forsythe's starting-point is always rewound. He creates shifting tableaux, that are played and re-played, and started again - from all different angles and perspectives. Often, it’s like watching reportage.

This particular show was inspired by images from the Iraq war; a painting of the Crucifix; and a picture of a boy being carried off after a bomb explosion in Iraq.

Tere O’Connor is my new God. I just think he is extraordinary. His piece is totally opposite to Forsythe, in terms of scale but not impact! Dream-like and intimate, it's like a journey through the imagination and akin to witnessing a moving short story.

Site-specific, it will be really interesting to see how he uses SS Michael & John’s. He moves the audience around, as opposed to the dancers, and when I first saw it, the audience moved three times. The perspective is really from the audience moving, as opposed to the content moving. The dancers get very close to you. One dancer, Christopher Williams, who is just extraordinary, was almost jumping on my lap!

The shifting tableaux, and this non-linear narrative drags you straight in. The movement is really pedestiran, and then seamlessly slips into ‘dance’. It’s a very accessible piece.

Other highlights on offer include the Irish talent that is being showcased. Jenny Roche is doing three different solos by three very different choreographers – John Jasperse, Jodi Melnick, and Liz Roche.

I’m also really impressed by the DanceHouse events. The Mixed Bill series is like a series of unplugged short films. Obviously I can’t wait to see how Colin [Dunne] has dealt with his dialogue between Irish dancing and his contemporary aesthetic.

The new work I’m really interested in is Sarah Skaggs, and the piece from Denmark with Kitt Johnson. ‘Dances for Airports’ seems to be a response to 9/11. It’s interesting that Skaggs is still in that space, in the way that Forsythe is still dealing with Iraq. It’s also quite impressive to see that she can work with Brian Eno directly. The Kitt Johnson piece deals with the story of evolution, which I think is interesting in terms of what’s relevant to people at this moment in time.

To be honest, I’m really excited about the entire programme. It’s really well curated and should be fantastic.

Jean was talking to Deirdre Mulrooney

I love the titles. For example 'Wrestling Dostoevsky' - just to put the word 'wrestling' with 'Dostoevsky' is so appropriate and so brilliant. Dostoevsky was a gambling addict, and wrestled with his demons all his life. And 'She Was a Knife-Thrower’s Assistant' - did she die from being a knife-thrower’s assistant, or did she just survive the experience? You immediately empathise with the plight of the person.  I'm not great at titling my own work, so I’m always envious of people who are good at titling theirs.  

The William Forsythe piece sounds unmissable - what he's talking about, and the juxtaposition of the personal and the political. I love that conjunction of things. 

Tere O’Connor sounds like it could be a very interesting evening. His attack on the New York critics [in the Irish Times], was very interesting. It's so seldom that an artist takes on the critics in any way. Hugh Leonard used to say 'never let them know they hurt you'.  I've always had a difficulty around the way dance and the visual arts are critiqued. There's a whole language that goes on that I don’t really buy into. It's too technical. I just don't like jargon, and labels - like post-modernism. It distances you from the art. Just explain to me what it's about because I'm not stupid. Part of it is you go, you have an experience, and then you move on with your life.

I'd also like to see 'Resist/Surrender'. I’ve been a fan of Crash Ensemble for quite a while. I thought I should audition for John Scott, but my form is just so perfect I’d just intimidate the other 11 men!

The Kitt Johnson photograph is great in the promotional material as well. The shoulders, the top of her head, and the position she is in is absolutely breathtaking. Sometimes an image makes you want to go and see something.  You are just drawn to it.  Or a great title. 

Peter was talking to Deirdre Mulrooney

I’d love to see Jean Butler’s 'does she take sugar?', because she critiqued me for 9 weeks and I’d like to critique her! I’d defintielty like to go backstage and have a one-to-one, and tell her my points of what she should really do! Actually Jean is a real purist so it will be interesting to see. She eats, sleeps, and dreams dancing.  I’d also like to see 'Out of Time' with Colin Dunne. Colin was kind of on my side most of the way through 'Jigs and Reels' because he felt that I was entertaining the crowd. Also I’ve seen him dance and I know he’s a great dancer.

My kids Emily (8), and Sophie (4), are dancing themselves at the moment in a show called 'Funky Kids' in Waterford. They are mad into dancing - both of them do ballet. They are, remarkably, OK dancers – they obviously have their Mum’s genes. They’d like to see the kids' shows. We could go to 'Dreamsketch/Dustbuster/Bread-peace' at The Ark. Tom is only 1-year-old – so maybe 'Glitterbird – Art for the Very Young'.

I do think dancing is a great way of blocking out everything else in the world.  When you are dancing, that's all that you are thinking about - which is a great discipline to have.  It's like when I’m cooking in the kitchen, that's all I'm thinking about.  I’m not thinking of a hundred different things.  Dancing is something that you really do for the love of the art. That’s a huge credit to professional dancers. I know because my cousin Lucy Dundon is a contemporary dancer. 

Kevin was talking to Deirdre Mulrooney

I’m very excited about the festival – even though I’ll unfortunately miss the first few days as I'm working in the US.

Anything Irish dance-related is a must for the likes of me, and Colin Dunne's show 'Out of Time' is first on my list.

The photographic exhibition – 'Frozen in Time', at DanceHouse will definitely be on my agenda. I'm involved with a photographer who has given me a more sophisticated insight into the art of lighting a scene for a photograph. It always thrills me to see a moment of dance captured well, because believe me I've seen it done badly on many an occasion! There is something wonderful about an image that captures every facet of dance. The image being used to advertise the exhibition is very well chosen - beautiful, strong, sexy.

A few people I encounter on the dance scene are also on my list - Ríonach Ní Néill, Jenny Roche, Ella Clarke, and Rebecca Walter to name just a few.  I'll be looking forward to the RTÉ Dance on the Box films on RTÉ Two. I loved Fearghus Ó Conchúir's ‘Match’ last year. I'm very interested to see this year’s line-up.

It seems New York choreographer Tere O’Connor’s show 'Rammed Earth' is to be a highlight of the festival. I'm beginning to wish I knew who he was, as everyone does the "you know the guy!" thing with me. So I YouTubed his work . . .  and it does look brilliant.

Breandán was talking to Deirdre Mulrooney

The first one that jumped out at me was the open-air headphone disco, Bumper to Bumper.  I’d love to take part in that. You basically plug in to the station Phantom 105.2 down by Grand Canal Dock.  Everyone will be dancing away to the same tune, but any person standing by isn’t going to be able to hear anything. However they are going to see all these people moving to the same beat, which is going to be a bit funky.

I’d be interested to see Jean Butler’s solo performance, ‘does she take sugar?’. She’s a fantastic dancer.  Jean was one of the judges on Jigs & Reels, and was always saying ‘Oh you’re from Limerick, I’m studying down at UL’.Obviously a lot of that will come into this performance. I’d love to see Colin Dunne doing his solo ‘Out of Time’ as well.  They are just maestros of dance. 

I’d love to see the film called ‘Walk Don’t Run’.  People are dressed in red, green and amber at the traffic lights, and when the lights turn red, all the dancers start dancing.  I’d love to see the reaction of these random people in cars with their mouths open, going ‘what just happened?!  The lights turned red and a dancer just jumped out in front of my car!

There’s one called ‘Glitterbird’, for really young kids.  I think it’s a really nice idea.  And ‘Dreamsketch’ is dancing mixed with video animation, like Roger Rabbit.  They call it ‘a game between silhouettes’ – a real dancer mixed with a video animation.

Emma was talking to Deirdre Mulrooney