On May 8-23rd our dear friend the much-beloved Laurie Uprichard is about to launch her (first?) Dublin Dance Festival. (Has it only been a year? or more?). It looks fantabulous with work from:

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui w/ A Filetta

Daniel Léveillé Danse

Evidence, A Dance Company – Artistic Director, Ronald K. Brown

Irish Modern Dance Theatre

Daghdha Dance Company

Wendy Houstoun

L’A. / Rachid Ouramdane

José Navas

Ioana Mona Popovici

Lucy Guerin Inc

David Zambrano

John Scott and Irish Modern Dance Theatre are bringing back what we’ve heard is a fantastic and powerful show called FALL AND RECOVER.

More info after the jump..

“We are fallen. We have come up. When you get the chance to move on, we move on. It is essential that someone has to lift you up – when you get up you can help the next person up.” – A survivor of torture from FALL AND RECOVER

FALL AND RECOVER is an exciting and moving work created by John Scott and members of Irish Modern Dance Theatre in collaboration with Survivors of Torture receiving care from the Centre for Care for Survivors of Torture. Coming from ten countries, Scott focussed on exploring and highlighting their extraordinary presence and their dignity and determination. They have lost home, career, family, wives, husbands, parents, children and health but their dance celebrates the power of the human spirit and carries imprints from their lives, their loss and their future hopes.

The definition of torture according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture is:

“Torture means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted by or at the instigation of a public official on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or confession, punishing him for an act he has committed, or intimidating him or other persons.”

The aim of torture is not to kill the victim, but to break down the victim’s personality.

Speaking of his experiences with CCST Clients, Scott says: ‘what blows me away is their dignity. They are survivors, positive, optimistic and forward looking. They are so hungry and motivated. FALL AND RECOVER is term invented by legendary American Choreographer and Dance pioneer Doris Humphrey for her technique where ‘Dance occurs in the frightening moment between falling and recovering by the arc swept by a body moving between equilibrium and uncontrol’ – this is how I see their experience.

“FALL AND RECOVER… may well be the most beautiful work created by Scott to date. It invokes hope and togetherness … there is much joy in the performance … FALL AND RECOVER is urgent, uplifting and deeply humbling and beautiful” – Patrick Brennan/Irish Examiner

“Dignity … hope that permeates” Michael Seaver, The Irish Times 

“Its images will haunt me for the rest of my life.” – Joan Davies, Choreographer