Dance

I haven't been to a dance concert in quite awhile.  So, it was good that my Irish Rep membership got me to Noctu.  Noctu is a dance play.  It wants to "tell the story of Irish dance from the viewpoint of the dancer", says Breandan de Gallai, the creator.  The Irish Rep stage is small compared to the average space, perhaps 20' by 30', maybe more.  So this performance is very much up close and that definitely heightens the excitement.  There are 16 dancers, 3 of whom are 'principal soloists'.  One, describes herself as a poor dancer who struggles to perform with the more talented ones.  Another says he is gay and found it necessary to relocate to Germany to live and work because of the homophobia in rural Ireland.  The third soloist is a withdrawn, non talkative male dancer.  The "play" proceeds similarly to in 'A Chorus Line'.  The dancer says something about him or herself and then dances. The dancer who never feels up to the competition breaks into my favorite dance piece in the show.  It's a combination of Irish Dance and Ballet, foot stepping with balletic form.  The Irish dance's high kicks turn into wonderful leaps with a balletic line stretching arms and legs.
The play's book isn't strong.  Whereas the playbill bios tell a more interesting story, though brief.  14 of the 16 dancers began dancing before beginning grade school.  One dancer started at age 10 and one, at what he calls the late age of 16.  Peta Anderson 'learnt' [very Irish] jazz, tap and ballet at the age of three.  Jack Anderson 'whilst' at school was a dancer with a professional company.  I love the Irishness in their writing.  I can hear the lilt in their voice. There are some with Masters degrees; one studying architecture, others psychiatric nursing, teaching, physics, accounting and finance.  They are all so young, mid-twenties, and so accomplished.  That's the story I wanted to hear.  All that happens to us between 3 and 23 and then to be able to do what it takes to become a professional dancer.            
I was also impressed by the music choices.  Miss Brown to You by Mary Coughlan , Deer Stop by Goldfrapp, Cu Chullian's Despair by Beoga, Night of the Shadow by Kate Bush, original music by Joe Csibi, Hornpipes by Sean O'Brien, La Cumparsita by Juan D'Arienzo, music by Bjork, Some Vague Utopia, 3rd Mvt. by West Ocean Quartet, I will Survive by Cake, My Big Bad Handsome Man by Imelda May, Dance Me to the End of Love by Leonard Cohen, Getting Some Fun Out of Life by Madeleine Peyroux, The Firebird Suite: Infernal Dance by Igor Stravinsky, Burning down the House by Talking Heads and Night of the Swallow by Kate Bush.