headline

Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company has moved to a new home at Waterloo House, a beautiful historic building in the heart of Derry city centre with an entrance on the city’s famous Walls.

The purpose-built premises house two dance studios, one with performance capability, offices, meeting and green rooms, and other ancillary spaces. The newly refurbished building offers an extremely warm and welcoming atmosphere with amazing views over the roof tops of Derry to the hills of Donegal.

Roisín McDonough Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland said ‘Echo Echo has earned a reputation for the delivery of exciting work. This reputation extends far beyond these shores, with their work regularly performed internationally. The new studio will enable them to continue to deliver high calibre events across many platforms and to engage with the local community. This year sees them dancing onto the world stage as part of the UK City of Culture, we have no doubt their new global dance audience will quickly be hooked by their engaging dynamism.’

Echo Echo’s first major performance project happening in the new space, and all around the city, is The Motion Ensemble, taking place from July 30 to August 17.

The company’s core ensemble of locally based dance artists will be joined by two local musicians, Lorna McLaughlin (The Henry Girls), and Mark O’Doherty (Little Bear), along with 10 international guest dancer-choreographers and musicians from Moldova, Russia, Finland, US, Germany, Israel, Italy and Sweden to create The Motion Ensemble.

Artistic Director, Steve Batts, explained: “These highly skilled improvisation performers will create 16 unique and spontaneous one-hour performances and numerous shorter ones in different locations throughout the city. Each performance will display humour, sensitivity, athleticism, passion, surprise, beautiful dancing and gorgeous sounds.”

Later in August, Echo Echo will premiere a highly ambitious work created with the acclaimed choreographer Rosemary Lee earlier this year. The new work titled ‘Without’ is a seven-screen film installation and will be shown at Echo Echo’s new space on the City Walls from August 29 to October 6.

The seven screens show an amazing detailed panoramic view of Derry filmed from the tower of St Columb’s Cathedral and from the City Walls. Standing amid the screens you will find yourself surrounded by the City whilst 500 local people from babies to octogenarians will move, dance and glide through the amazing views.

Echo Echo Development Officer, Anna Nolan, explained further: “The synchronised films last about twenty minutes and you may not see everything in one viewing. However many times you watch the films new details will emerge. The experience will be touching, dreamlike, nostalgic and hopeful, drawing the watcher towards the depth and beauty of the people, as well as the place.”

The third major project of Echo Echo’s programme for 2013 is Echo Echo Dance & Movement Festival taking place in the city from November 8 to 17 by local and international companies and artists.