Sibéal Davitt talks about winning TG4's Glas Vegas, she-goats and her first solo dance show, Minseach, which premieres at this year's Dublin Fringe Festival...
On a rainy April afternoon in 2019 I scrolled through the online Irish language dictionary teanglann.ie looking for a suitable title to accompany a new idea I had for a solo piece. And there it was, a bit odd though not unfamiliar: Minseach. At first the word looked like a typo but on closer inspection, my eyes grew wide with wonder. It was the Irish word for 'she-goat' but it could easily pass for another word, ‘misneach’, meaning courage. I later remembered that it was the theme of an old Gaelic song where the songwriter complains about unruly goats "Tá dhá ghabhairín bhuí agam agus minseach bhainne, minseach bhainne!". Is Minseach mise, a dúirt mé liom féin – seo ainm an tsaothair.
Over two years later, many elements in that original idea have changed but the name of the piece has stayed the same. I set out to make a dance piece about the Irish language but it became clear through rigorous excavation that the story of Minseach could only be told by me. This work is about being seen, through success and failure, through ageing and injury, through past and present.
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Watch: Sibeal Sean-nós dancing live on The John Murray Show in 2011
I’m a traditional and contemporary dance artist from Dublin and I have been performing for over 13 years. My mother, who is from a Gaeltacht area, taught me sean-nós dancing in our kitchen when I was a teenager, passing down steps which she learned from her grandfather and others. Irish was my first language and when I started making my own work in 2014 I knew I wanted to make something about my experience.
The themes in Minseach are both very specific to Ireland but also universal – failure, success, overcoming adversity.
In late 2019 I began collaborating with actor and writer Caitríona Ní Mhurchú, whose work I have admired for years. The need to see and hear the language in the work became less and less relevant and we began looking at my own life as a source of inspiration. As part of the process, we looked into the image of ‘an cailín álainn’ in history and I showed her videos of myself participating in a television talent show on TG4 entitled Glas Vegas which I won in 2009. The prize itself took me all the way to Las Vegas to perform for international talent scouts. It became clear from Caitríona’s reaction to the footage that it would have to be included. And while the videos of a baby-faced Sibéal are entertaining, there are also occasions when it captures an uncanny quality that mirrors the story of my name’s origins.
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Watch: Sibeal on Glas Vegas in 2009
I was named after Ceann Sibéal or Sybil Head in west Kerry, which is linked to the 17th century poet Piaras Féirtéar. The Head was named after Féirtéar’s young lover, Sibéal who tragically drowned in Poll an Chaisleáin, a cave in Ceann Sibéal, while waiting for him to return home from battle. The image of Sibéal waiting for Féirtéar to return as the tide rose will always stay with me.
Minseach is a unique experience featuring various dance styles from traditional to contemporary, some spoken word and a performative transformation from cailín álainn to full blown she-goat. The wonderful Sinéad Diskin has created a truly amazing score which is live-mixed on stage throughout the show, giving the show a gig-like feel at times. The opening section in particular presents a seamless interweaving of percussive dance and sound design which builds and gets pushed to the limit – it’s impossible not to bop along to! Original music by Cormac Begley also features.
The themes in Minseach are both very specific to Ireland, but also universal – failure, success, overcoming adversity. The work is bilingual, blending both languages with dance so that all audiences can understand and appreciate the work without subtitles. It’s about messing up, dressing up, stepping up – and embracing your inner goat.
After a long journey, Minseach will finally take the stage at Dublin Fringe Festival from 14-18 September. I simply cannot wait to unlease this piece in front of live audiences at Draíocht Theatre in Blanchardstown – bígí linn!
Minseach runs at Draíocht, Blanchardstown from 14 - 18 September as part of Dublin Fringe Festival 2021: Superflux edition - find out more here.
Pics: Ste Murray
