WATCH: Laois, Kildare and Offaly unite to bring trad extravaganza to Portarlington

Arts centres in Laois and Kildare are collaborating to bring a big show that fuses traditional Irish music with dance to Portarlington this month.

Created by Michael Keegan Dolan and with music by the legendary Cormac Begley, MÁM promises to be unmissable, say the organisers, when it is staged at the Portarlington Community Centre.

MÁM is described as a meeting place between soloist and ensemble, classical and traditional, the local and universal.​

It brings together the virtuoso, Irish traditional concertina player Begley, the European classical, contemporary collective, sta rgaze, a young girl and twelve international dancers from the Teaċ Daṁsa company. 

“Keegan-Dolan and Teaċ Daṁsa have created another mythic yet timely production that acknowledges how life’s opposing tensions and contradictions can on occasion come together and find resolution,” say the organisers. 

 The show was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production in 2020 and was nominated for two UK National Dance Awards in 2021. MÁM follows on from the success in 2016 of Loch na hEala—his acclaimed reimagining of Swan Lake.

Teaċ Daṁsa’s distinct approach to creating MÁM has been documented by film-maker Pat Collins in his film The Dance (2021). 

It is Co-produced by Dublin Theatre Festival, Sadler’s Wells, London and New Zealand Festival of the Arts with support from NOMAD and NASC touring network. ​This production is funded by an Arts Council Open Call Award.

Funding boost for community centres across Laois

Due to the large scale nature of this performance, the Dunamaise Arts Centre in Portlaoise and the Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge are co-presenting it off-site larger Portarlington venue on October 28 and 29.

Tickets are available from the Laois and Kildare arts venues.