PART OF BRIGHTENING AIR | COISCÉIM COILIGH

12-20 JUNE 2021
#INTHEMAGICHOUR

Take a tantalising glimpse into a stranger’s life in a durational dance installation that explores our body language and physical conversations with nature – all in a handball alley during the magic hour at dusk.

In the first year of the pandemic, our contact with each other and nature was severely disrupted – our ease with human proximity undermined. IN THE MAGIC HOUR investigated this singular moment through the kinetic conversations with the landscapes that surrounded us. This multilayered production featured a core creative team of David Bolger, media artist Christopher Ash, composer Michael Fleming and four exceptional dance artists Lee Clayden, Justine Cooper, Ivonne Kalter and Jonathan Mitchell.

Over the course of five evenings, as the sun set, the airy and familiar setting of a handball alley became the portal to experience the projection of a unique spontaneous performance being created at DanceHouse, Dublin in response to a live physical interview with a member of the public in that handball alley itself filmed by Ste Murray.  The live choreographic and sound composition in Dublin was captured through the lens of Luca Truffarelli and streamed live to audiences in the handball alley who experienced this spontaneous performance in real-time. 

Building on the process of the BODY LANGUAGE project, a film of the evening's events that took place in both locations was live-mixed and streamed the following day online to audiences around the globe.

Firmly embedded in the Irish psyche, handball alleys are fascinating structures. Not just for sport – they have been spaces for everything from matchmaking to card playing – where people have gathered to dance, to chat, to meet, to play… As part of this production, curator Caoimhe Coburn Gray traversed Ireland and collected and recorded stories and inspiring moments in multiple media in the Broadreach project IN YOUR WORDS.

---

Gallery

DANCE ARTISTS Lee Clayden, Justine Cooper, Ivonne Kalter, Jonathan Mitchell

DIRECTION/CHOREOGRAPHY David Bolger
DESIGNER/MEDIA ARTIST Christopher Ash
COMPOSER Michael Fleming
COSTUME DESIGNER Arran Murphy
CINEMATOGRAPHERS Luca Truffarelli (studio) & Ste Murray (handball alley)

PRODUCTION MANAGER Mick Stapleton
TECHNICAL MANAGER (STUDIO) Eoin Kilkenny
VISION MIXER Gary Finnegan
SOUND MIXER James Blake
STAGE MANAGERS Dylan Farrell, Aaron Kennedy
executive producer bridget webster
line producer sarah latty

"IN YOUR WORDS" PROGRAMME COORDINATOR Caoimhe Coburn Gray
GRAPHIC DESIGN Alphabet Soup
LOGISTICS PRODUCTION PARTNER Barry O’Donovan, Native Events

Presented with the generous support of Dance Ireland and broadcast in partnership with DanceHouse.

IN THE MAGIC HOUR is a re-imagination of the BODY LANGUAGE project that was developed in collaboration with the Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin and presented in their exhibition programme in 2017.

THANK YOU Offaly County Council, Tullamore Municipal Council, FilmOffaly, Noelle Spollen & Killeigh Residents/Development Association, Margaret Savage & Ballisodare Community Development Association, John McLouglin & Sligo Handball Association, Sligo County Council Arts Office, Robert Brown & Querrin Pier and
Village Community Development Group, Pure Camping Querrin, Clare County Council Arts Office, Máire Logue & St John’s Theatre & Arts Centre, Listowel Municipal District Kerry County Council. Garda Mark Richardson & Clontarf Garda Station. Áine Ryan & Enda Timoney of IrishHandballAlley.ie. Mary Cogan of Listowel Connection.com. Martina Gorman at Killeigh Community Centre Development, Grennans on the Green, Michael Murray and Alex Peanut Bolger Welsh.

ABOUT THE CAST

Lee Clayden

Justine Cooper

Ivonne Kalter

Jonathan Mitchell

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM

David Bolger

Christopher Ash

Michael Fleming

Arran Murphy

Luca Truffarelli

Ste Murray

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION TEAM

Mick Stapleton

Aaron Kennedy

Bridget Webster

Sarah Latty