Dance Theatre of Ireland & Soul Steps Present Every Little Step…

Dance Theatre of Ireland (IRL) and Soul Steps (NYC) premiere an original collaboration combining African-American Stepping, Irish and modern dance, rhythm and storytelling. Featuring dancers from both companies, Every Little Step...is all about rhythm. It is presented in New York as part of Imagine Ireland, Culture Ireland's year of Irish arts in America in 2011.

When you have tried and tried; when you have run and run; and finally - you have to stop. You cannot go on. Now...listen. For this is when you will hear the rhythm of hope. Dance Theatre of Ireland and Soul Steps, the New York-based African American stepping company, bring this original creation, drawing on their unique vocabularies and individual stories and above all on rhythm; the dance of life, a dance of Hope. It draws on sheer human energy and determination, embodied by the precision of the choreography, the teamwork of the performers, and their personal stories.

Every Little Step... is an evolutionary meeting of Irish and African-American rhythms, dance, and culture. The piece explores that interaction - developing a vocabulary that interacts with the audience: an exhilarating and engaging performance. The production is choreographed by Robert Connor & Loretta Yurick (Dance Theatre of Ireland) and Maxine Lyle (Soul Steps) with dancers Angela L. Brackett, Robert Connor, Heather DeLeon, Adrienne Heaslip, Maxine Lyle, Marc Stevenson, and Andrew Vickers.

WHERE Joyce SoHo

155 Mercer Street (Houston/Prince)

B/D/F/M to Broadway-Lafayette, R to Prince or 6 to Bleecker

New York, NY 10012

WHEN November 17-19, 2011 @ 7:30pm & November 20, 2011 @ 2:00pm

TICKETS $20 ($15 students/seniors)

Purchase tickets in advance at joyce.org or 212-242-0800 or onsite one-half hour before. There are no service fees for tickets to Joyce SoHo performances purchased at joyce.org!

DANCE THEATRE OF IRELAND (DTI) is one of Ireland's premiere Companies, touring dance theatre and outdoor spectacles internationally in Europe & Asia. Founded and directed by choreographers Robert Connor & Loretta Yurick, the Company is based in a purpose-built Centre for Dance, officially opened by President Mary McAleese, where 3000 people train in dance yearly. Their work has been described as a constant reflection on our human states of frailty and strength. www.dancetheatreireland.com

SOUL STEPS is founded and directed by Maxine Lyle and is based in New York. Their mission is to expand the presence of stepping in the arts while creating avenues for cultural exchange and awareness among diverse communities. Dance Theatre of Ireland met Soul Steps during their U.S. Embassy, Dublin sponsored tour of Ireland in February 2010 and have worked together since in dialogue and in the studio with the dancers in developing this meeting of cultures and stories. www.soulsteps.com

The creation of Joyce SoHo was made possible by the magnanimous support of the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust. Joyce SoHo is generously supported by Alphawood Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, First Republic Bank, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Open Society Foundations and the Fund for the City of New York, The Jerome Robbins Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, and The Shubert Foundation.

Lead support has been provided by The New York Community Trust. Special support has been provided by the Foundation for Contemporary Arts and the Mertz Gilmore Foundation. Joyce SoHo is made possible with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council; the New York State Council on the Arts, celebrating 50 years of building strong, creative communities in New York State's 62 counties; and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Culture Ireland is the state agency for the promotion of Irish arts worldwide, working under the aegis of the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Culture Ireland creates and supports opportunities for Irish artists to present their work at strategic international festivals, venues, showcases and arts markets. The agency comprises a board appointed by the Minister and an executive staff led by the Chief Executive. www.cultureireland.gov.ie

Imagine Ireland is a year-long season of Irish arts in America in 2011, an initiative of Culture Ireland, with funding from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht www.imagineireland.ie