Philip Connaughton presents The Act of Existing, a new dance work created for Croí Glan and presented at Dublin Fringe Festival from 7 to 11 September at Project Arts Centre in Dublin.
The performance brings together dancers Bobbi Byrne and Ben Sullivan in a live encounter where the audience has direct influence over what happens on stage. At key moments, the audience decides whether the performers should continue or stop, making their choices an integral part of the work. The piece explores influence, control and personal boundaries, asking what happens when artists willingly place the direction of a performance in the hands of others.
Developed in collaboration with the dancers, the work also reflects on the long history of social control over marginalised communities, a subject that feels especially relevant in a climate of growing far right rhetoric.
Playful, unsettling and revealing, The Act of Existing challenges the relationship between participation and observation while questioning how identity is shaped by the people around us.
Croí Glan, the award winning disabled led contemporary dance company directed by Tara Brandel and Bobbi Byrne, celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year. Since its foundation, the company has created performances that place diverse bodies at the centre of the stage while promoting equality, diversity and inclusion through dance.
The creative team also includes Luca Truffarelli and Federico Ortica, who created the sound design, helping shape the atmosphere and emotional landscape of the performance.
Philip trained in Dublin before continuing his professional education at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in London. He was Artist in Residence at axis in 2012, became an Associate Artist with Dance Ireland in 2013 and founded Company Philip Connaughton in 2014.
His work has been presented across Ireland, the UK, France, Germany, Australia and the United States. His recent projects include Party Scene, WAKE, TROJANS, Emma at the Abbey Theatre and the dance film REBELLIOUS HOPE. The latter was a finalist at the Cannes World Film Festival and Monaco Film Festival. Most recently, Philip remounted TROJANS with Luail, Ireland’s national dance company, for a sold out tour across the island of Ireland.
The Act of Existing premiered in Cork in July and continues at Dublin Fringe Festival before further performances later this year.
Tickets HERE
Pinocchio Magazine says: The Act of Existing turns audience participation into something more than a theatrical device. Philip and Croí Glan give the audience real responsibility, using movement to explore power, vulnerability and shared decision making in a performance that feels both intimate and politically relevant.
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