PRESS RELEASE for immediate use
Photo credit: Ashlea Cox
Dancers Left to Right top row: Grace Howly, Brian McSweeney, John Mulligan, Libby Seward, Florence Pickett.
Dancers Left to Right bottom row: Carol Nairn, Darragh Quinlan, Declan Murphy, Joanna Stopyra, Michael Brazil
Waterford’s TRACES Dance Ensemble travelled to Dun Laoghaire last weekend to take part in the prestigious Irish Youth Dance Festival. This annual festival celebrates contemporary dance and selects successful applicants to showcase their work. This year groups from Northern Ireland, Scotland, America, Sweden, France, Brazil and Denmark performed alongside Irish Youth Dance Companies.
Traces Dance Ensemble is a unique contemporary dance company based in Waterford whose reputation is growing fast. Their work challenges perceptions about dance and disability and their new piece ‘Synergy’ certainly achieved this in front of a full house at the Pavilion Theatre. The dancers received a standing ovation for their sensitive and evocative performance. An audience member described their work as ‘totally engaging’ and added, ‘the commitment they clearly have to their work and each other is inspiring’.
Artistic director, Libby Seward, said ‘we are delighted to have been invited to IYDF. The dancers have had a wonderful experience and we are all looking forward to our full length production ‘Truth or Dare’ later this month in Garter Lane’
Truth or Dare’ will be presented in Garter Lane Theatre on Friday 19th July at 8pm and Saturday 20th July at 2pm.
For information on weekly TRACES Creative Dance Workshops for ages 7 to adult contact the Waterford branch of Down Syndrome Ireland or Garter Lane Arts Centre. TRACES is part of Libby Seward’s Dance Artist Residency funded by the Arts Council and Waterford City and County Councils and supported by Garter Lane Arts Centre.