Swan Lake/Loch na nEala to Embark on Extensive tour of North America

Irish dance company Teac Damsa/House of Dance has just announced that its production of Swan Lake (or in the Irish language translation, Loch na hEala) will embark on an extensive North American tour, opening the Next Wave Festival 2019 at BAM, New York, before touring to Minneapolis, Ottawa, Los Angeles, Michigan, and North Carolina for six weeks.

Swan Lake/Loch na nEala premiered at the 2016 Dublin Theatre Festival, for which it won the Irish Times Best Production Award, captivating both audiences and critics alike. Michael Keegan-Dolan's magical adaptation has already toured extensively nationally, and internationally to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Hong Kong, South Korea, UK, Germany, Denmark, Luxembourg and in Moscow in a festival run by the world-renowned Bolshoi Theatre.

"It's fantastic to continue working on this extraordinary show with the cast and creative team who have really helped to create something very special" said Keegan-Dolan. "I've loved seeing how universal the effect of the show is and how it speaks to so many people from so many different cultures and backgrounds. Almost 50,000 people at home and abroad have seen the show to date - I'm excited to be introducing it to brand new audiences in the autumn."

Teac Damsa/House of Dance is also delighted to announce that Swan Lake/Loch na hEala has been nominated for "Outstanding Touring Production" in the prestigious 2019 Dora Awards from its run in the Luminato Festival, Toronto last year.

The awards honor excellence in dance, theater and opera throughout the year with the winners being announced at a ceremony on June 25th in Toronto.

This nomination follows on last year's success for the production with Keegan-Dolan being awarded the coveted 2018 UK National Dance Award for Best Modern Choreography. For a full list of nominees, see 2019 Dora Mavor Moore Awards Nominees.

By the end of the tour a staggering, 65,000 people will have seen the show that started its life in a rehearsal room in the disused army barracks in Longford town and premiered in the 2016 Dublin Theatre Festival.

Performed by a company of 13 world-class performers including actor Mikel Murfi, Swan Lake/Loch na hEala is interwoven with storytelling, song and live music. Dublin-based band Slow Moving Cloud's score combines Nordic and Irish traditional music with minimalist and experimental influences. With powerful imagery, this Swan Lake is rooted in the Midlands of Ireland where ancient mythology and the modern world collide.

This latest announcement demonstrates Teac Damsa/House of Dance's commitment and capacity to bringing outstanding dance theater to audiences throughout Ireland and to the international stage.

Teac Damsa/House of Dance would like to acknowledge the Arts Council for their support in funding the original staging of these productions and Culture Ireland for their support with touring.

Swan Lake/Loch na hEala Tour 2019

· BAM (Brooklyn Academy Of Music), New York: 15th - 20th October 2019

· Walker Arts Center & Northrop, Minneapolis: 24th - 27th October 2019

· National Arts Centre, Ottawa: 30th October 2019

· Center for the Art of Performance UCLA, Los Angeles: 9th November 2019

· UMS (University of Michigan State), Ann Arbor, Michigan: 15th - 16th November 2019

· UNC (University of North Carolina), Chapel Hill, North Carolina: 20th - 21st November 2019

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