Irish Modern Dance Theatre Takes Darwin For Inspiration in Brand New Production EVOLUTIONS

John Scott's irish modern dance theatre [imdt] have just marked thirty years since their very first stage performance in September 1991. This very special anniversary will be marked by the company's brand new show EVOLUTIONS, which opens at Project Arts Centre for four nights, from October 27 - 30.

Based on Darwin's idea that no member of the same species is alike, EVOLUTIONS takes place in a community of vastly different dancers, of backgrounds ranging from classical ballet to street dance, where they find a common way of moving, soaring and falling together while finally breaking into separate paths and spaces of growth. John Scott weaves ideas of bloodlines, migration, assimilation and adaptation in this ever-evolving landscape that he has created into this new dance production.

The wonderful cast includes Ashley Chen, one of imdt's long-time collaborators. Chen has performed with Merce Cunningham Dance Company and Lyon Opera Ballet where he has performed works by William Forsyth, Trisha Brown, Philippe Decouflé, Christian Rizzo, and Mathilde Monnier; Partnering is this show is Conor Thomas Doherty who brings his incredible energetic expertise where he straddles both the professional dance and the physical theatre worlds internationally; Magdalena Hylak is a Clifden (Co. Galway) based dancer and choreographer. She studied cultural studies, including theatre and dance, at University of Wroclaw, Poland and is an exciting dancer to watch; Chinese-Irish dancer Oran Leong who has a vast diverse dance background that includes him winning the Irish dance World Championships three times in a row and is another new dancer that needs to be seen as he enters the professional world of contemporary dance now; and finally, Afro-Brazilian dancer, Capoeira performer and instructor Alessandra Azevedo brings a wonderful edge and energy to this dance show. The fine cast of performers with all their differing outstanding skills in this production find a common ground as the use bird-flight pathways as a choreographic map within the show.

Choreography: John Scott

Soundscape: Michael Scott

Lighting Design: Eric Wurtz

Dancers: Conor Thomas Doherty, Ashley Chen, Magdalena Hylak, Oran Leong & Alessandra Azevedo.

Learn more at irishmoderndancetheatre.com.

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