Dancehall
Luail - Ireland's National Dance Company | Emma Martin
A decade after its original creation, Emma Martin and Andrew Hamilton’s celebratory Dancehall returns – bolder and more alive than ever, reimagined for Luail’s company of dancers.
Drawn from the shadows of Ireland’s Public Dance Halls Act, this exhilarating work revels in the powerful simplicity and raw humanity of the dancehall, a space where freedom, resistance and individuality unapologetically meet in messy, sweaty, chaotic joy.
Dancehall is an unrestrained tribute to what it means to be alive—together, egos smashed up, in the moment.
- Choreography Emma Martin
- Performed by Luail Company Dancers
- Music by Andrew Hamilton, performed by Crash Ensemble
- Stage Design Emma Martin
- Costume Design Katie Davenport
- Lighting Design Stephen Dodd
With its powerful moments, a rich minimalistic soundtrack and visually arresting performances, Dancehall is a stunning achievement that does indeed find its moments of ecstasy.
Gradually the conceptual dancehall becomes real as huge curtains unfurl around the stage area, enclosing both performers and audience in a smoke- fugged sparkle-filled space that might be comforting (or depending on your experiences and memories of the dance spaces of your youth) sinister.