NOCTU Sexy For The Irish Rep

By John Mooney

The Irish Repertory Theatre opens its 2011-12 season with the Eriu Dance Company's provocative new Irish dance/performance piece called NOCTU.

In many ways, it is a stripped down version of Riverdance - both literally and figuratively since NOCTU, means "bare, strip, uncover." The work is one in which the performers expose, disclose, and reveal themselves and their emotions. The attractive looking cast (let's be honest, there's no place to hide extra pounds when performing nearly naked) makes the dancing visually intriguing.

Conceived and directed by Riverdance principal dancer Breandan de Gallai, NOCTU is a new departure for the Irish dance-show genre. It presents the story of Irish dance from the viewpoint of the dancer through movement, narrative, music, and pathos. It pushes the boundaries of Irish traditional dance by incorporating ballet, jazz and contemporary dance movements.

Highlights include "Shadow Dolls," with music by Joe Csibi, the former musical director of Riverdance. The piece is something of an Irish Swan Lake with dancers in costumes reminiscent of the Austin Powers "Fembots." "Hornpipes" showcases the talents of principal dancer Callum Spencer, who expresses that Irish male dancers react to ridicule by playing "manly" sports like football, rugby and boxing. There is an air of autobiography to the performance as Spencer is described in the playbill as an "all around sportsman" who plays tennis and rugby competitively.

"Tango" presents the dancers as gladiators in black. Peta Anderson is a standout among the female performers. Throughout the production the Aussie proves she is an exceptional dancer although her character overcomes uncertainty about her talent. The trilogy of Oisin's Dance/Aisling's Dance/Patrick's Dance features Spencer, Anderson, and Nick O'Connell in revealing white costumes dancing in a rotating spectacle. The finale, "Underworld", brings the show to an energetic, rhythmic conclusion.

Although the production incorporates some traditional tunes, it also utilizes diverse music including "The Firebird Suite: Infernal Dance" by Igor Stravinsky, a modern take on "I Will Survive" by Cake, and the jazzy "My Big Handsome Man" by Imelda May. If your preference is for Irish dancing to the traditional tunes of Altan and The Chieftains, you have come to the wrong show.

"After I finished touring for Riverdance, I would often find myself sitting in small, beautiful theatres wondering what I could do with such places. Many of the post Riverdance shows followed a similar model and lent themselves to larger stages with a separation of the performers and audience. The nuances of the dance are often lost," said Breandan de Gallai, who conceived and directed the production.

The director's professional dancing career began with Riverdance in Eurovision 1994, and spanned 9 years. As principal dancer for 7 years, he toured the globe and led the company at the opening ceremony of Special Olympics in 2003. He has shared the stage with principals of The Royal Ballet and has performed live for Presidents McAleese and Robinson of Ireland, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, Prince Rainier of Monaco; Queen Sonia of Norway, and the Emperor of Japan.

His show illustrates the world as the dancers see it, presenting their viewpoint as a personal narrative. He calls it "an honest celebration of who we really are." As the work unfolds, marginalized characters find a sense of belonging.

The Eriu Dance Company assembles an international cast of world-class Irish step dancers from Ireland, Scotland, England, Australia, Canada and Hungary: Jack Anderson, Peta Anderson, Ellen Bonner, Orlagh Carty, Joseph Comerford, Niamh Darcy, Gyula Glaser, James Greenan, Kyla Marsh, Kienan Melino, Megan McElhatton, Ashlene McFadden, Nick O'Connell, Katrina O'Donnell, Aislinn Ryan and Callum Spencer.

"It's about young Irish people finding their way in the world. It exposes their inner turmoil, as well as the pain and joy of being an Irish step dancer," said Ciaran O'Reilly, co-founder and producing director of the Irish Rep.

Co-founded by Ciaran O'Reilly and artistic director Charlotte Moore, The Irish Repertory Theatre opened its doors in September 1988. Its mission is to bring works by Irish and Irish American masters and contemporary playwrights to American audiences and to encourage the development of new works focusing on the Irish and Irish American experience and a range of other cultures.