Enjoy Irish dance moves at Queens Theatre
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
Where there are graceful,
lightning-fast dancers, you’re
bound to hear loud thunder —
‘Celtic Thunder,’ that is.
Experience vibrant dance
moves and awe-inspiring performances,
when Trinity Irish
Dance Company takes Queens
Theatre’s Mainstage by storm
next weekend.
Under the direction of Mark
Howard, Trinity (TIDC) has
been dazzling audiences locally
and abroad for decades.
And, their progressive sensibility
goes beyond those inventive,
unexpected and perfectly
synched numbers, for they celebrate
and embrace female empowerment
in a big way. That
sassy attitude is reflected in the
female dancers’ non-traditional
costumes and powerful, complex
routines.
“TIDC is reclaiming Irish
dance from the commercial
circus it can sometimes be,
presenting art-driven work
that levels the dance floor and
engages in the fight for gender
equity through movement,”
said Associate Artistic Director
Chelsea Hoy.
“Since our inception in
1990, we have always primarily
been a female company that
celebrates the strength of our
women through intentional
costuming, casting and choreography.
Our diverse body
of work breaks down stereotypical
gender roles, and our
females lay down aggressive
virtuosic rhythms. Our women
are on the front lines of bringing
the thunder,” she added.
Before Riverdance and Lord
of the Dance, there was Trinity.
Howard was a quiet revolutionary.
He conjured up a progressive
version of Irish dance
that’s infused with tinges of
ballet, hints of Spanish and
modern, along with rhythmic
tap. And it wasn’t long before
another Irish dance champion,
Michael Flatley — who would
become Riverdance’s star —
took notice.
To his surprise and dismay,
Howard would discover curious
similarities between Riverdance
performances (like
“Distant Thunder”) and those
innovative, urban-inspired
2 Dinners & 1 Bottle of Wine
Choice of: Barefoot Merlot, Santa Marina Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.26 COM | FEB. 27-MARCH 5, 2020
numbers that he created for
Trinity (like “Celtic Thunder”).
But he was a good sport about
it and saw his competitors’ successes
as a great opportunity
for his own company. As Irish
step-dancing grew in popularity
and achieved widespread
appeal with diverse audiences,
his troupe flourished as well.
Eventually, TIDC would wow
viewers when they appeared on
“Good Morning America,” “Conan”
and “Oprah.” They had a
dozen performances on “The
Tonight Show.”
And Trinity continues to
shake things up.
“Unfortunately, women performing
hard-driving virtuosic
percussion is not the norm
in the world of Irish dance,
which has been consumed by
a slew of commercial productions
that all follow a similar
formula — chorus lines of
dancers with a male savior
dominating the spotlight and
bringing the noise out front,”
Hoy said.
“TIDC is fighting and often
winning the battle to change
the dialogue within our art
form, bringing it closer to its
roots and celebrating its raw
percussive power — on equal
footing. Our work combats the
clear objectification of women
that occurs in some of these
shows, which include dances
with names such as the ‘Strip
Jig.’”
A new era in Irish dance
In TIDC, females not only
get to make noise, they are expected
to make noise, Hoy insists.
“We share this power with
international audiences from
New York to Japan — 8-yearolds
and 80-year-olds alike,”
she said.
“While our mission is poignant
within our own art form,
the message extends far beyond
the realm of Irish dancing. It
is our hope that women walk
away from a TIDC performance
inspired by the confidence and
strength we emit from the stage
and empowered to amplify
their own voices, and everyone
leaves inspired to level the playing
field in their own worlds,”
Hoy added.
For tickets to the March 7 (2
and 8 p.m.) and March 8 (3 p.m.)
performances, visit queenstheatre.
secure.force.com/ticket/#/
events/a0S2E00000uS1K8UAK.
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