Riverdance star brings premier of new Irish dance play to Lisburn

THE international search to bring the world's best Irish dancers together for an innovative new performance, comes to a climax this Friday evening (September 10) when 13 dancers from Australia, Canada, Hungry, Scotland, England, Ireland and Northern Ireland take to the stage of the Lagan Valley Island Centre, Lisburn for the premier of Noctú.
By The Newsroom
Published 9th Sep 2010, 15:33 BST
Updated 9th Sep 2010, 15:34 BST

The search for the dancers, the creative development of the show, the rehearsals and the first public performance on Friday will be the subject of a new RTE television series to be broadcast in early 2011. The series which will be called 'Dance Off' is being filmed by based Stirling Productions.

Choreographed and directed by Riverdance Principal Dancer Breandn de Galla, Noct is a totally new departure for the Irish dance genre. Described as a dance play, Noct strives to tell the story of Irish dance from the viewpoint of the dancer using movement, narrative, parody, comedy and pathos. The show aims to push the boundaries of the Irish dance tradition. Through a series of vignettes the audience will see behind the scenes and get under the skin of those who negotiate the politics, the struggles, the highs and the lows, the joy and the pain of being an Irish dancer.

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Speaking during rehearsals for Friday night Breandn de Galla said: "After I finished touring for Riverdance I would often find myself sitting in small theatres contemplating what I could do with such spaces given the chance. This show is created with frugalness in mind but without compromise of quality or ambition. Learning from the expensive mistakes of the big budget West End type shows, Noct is small, portable and versatile. It is created using production values and techniques which will allow the show to play intimate venues wherever there is an audience for dance. We are delighted to have found such an exceptional venue as the Lagan Valley Island Centre in Lisburn for the premier

The television programme 'Dance Off' which follows Breandn on his journey to bring Noct to the stage has been funded by RTE and Irish Language Broadcast Fund.

The search for the Noct cast was launched back in April through Irish dance organisations across the world. 170 professional and amateur dancers from Ireland, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, the USA, Canada and Australia attended auditions in Belfast, Dublin and Aix-en-Provence in France for one of the final 13 places. Representing the local interests in the final cast is Peta Anderson from Melbourne, Australia. Peta who is 22, joined her fellow cast members at a Noct Boot Camp in the Lorne Estate on the shores of Belfast Lough at the beginning of August and has been locked in 4 week's intensive rehearsals in the lead up to Friday night's performance.

Tickets for Noct are available from the Lagan Valley Island Centre box office on 9250 9254 or www.tickets.lisburncity.gov.uk

Related topics:Northern IrelandAustraliaIrelandCanadaEnglandScotland