Journey: Dublin City Council
‘Journey’, a Dublin City Council commissioned dance performance , retells the story of Orpheus in the Underworld for 10-15 year old children. Nine performances took place in Ballyfermot Library between 20th and 23rd October 2014, where the young audience follow Orpheus and Eurydice around the rooms and corridors of the Library.
‘Journey’, was commissioned by the Council’s Arts Office under its Children’s Art in Libraries programme, as part of its policy of providing free access to the arts to children. The project received support from Dancehouse and The Arts Council. Created and choreographed by Maria Nilsson Waller, it was performed by Lucia Kickham and Neil Brown, with live music by José Miguel Jimenez. ‘Journey’ is the first dance performance to ever be commissioned for an Irish Library.
Dublin City Council’s Assistant Arts Officer Sinéad Connolly says “The local schools in Ballyfermot took a huge interest in ‘Journey’ , and that made it very exciting for the cast and crew. The whole project was also a great opportunity to bring contemporary dance to a new and appreciative audience. The library staff were really supportive, because they know it gives children and other regular library goers an opportunity to see their local library afresh, in a way they have certainly never experienced before.”
For a short video about the process of creating Journey by Choreographer Maria Nillson Waller, please see this link: https://vimeo.com/113598878