OZ Arts to Present Northern Irish Choreographer Oona Doherty's NAVY BLUE

Contemporary arts center OZ Arts Nashville has revealed that Oona Doherty, one of the most influential figures in Europe's contemporary dance scene, will bring her groundbreaking piece Navy Blue to OZ's expansive warehouse from May 30 - June 1. Hailing from Northern Ireland, Doherty and her company of a dozen highly skilled performers have already caught the attention of art lovers around the world. Navy Blue enjoyed a rave-worthy United States debut last summer at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and now returns to North America for a three-stop tour that includes a visit to OZ Arts. This singular mix of contemporary dance genres and multimedia is sure to amaze Nashville audiences, who have a chance to experience the work the week before it makes its New York premiere at The Joyce Theater.

Navy Blue pits a group of 12 dancers against a destructive algorithm - generating a thrilling, in-your-face mash-up of visceral movement, spoken word poetry and political candor. Divided into two parts, this expansive work contrasts the beautiful blue-tinted imagery of dance set to the lush romanticism of legendary Russian classical composer Sergei Rachmaninoff (Piano Concerto 2) with the high-energy pulsations of modern English disc jockey Jamie xx. The hierarchies of dance clash with creative freedom and individual people with the immensity of the universe.

Throughout the production, the scope of the conflict expands from the world of dance to the broader context of history, politics and society. The audience's movement-induced trance is broken by a voice offstage reading a jarring yet honest monologue co-written by Doherty and director, author and actor Bush Moukarzel, which takes inspiration from Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot to explore an artist's struggle to impact the world and effect social change.

"It's a particularly spectacular end to OZ's season to welcome Oona Doherty and her virtuosic performers and crew to Nashville for this brilliant, riveting performance," said Mark Murphy, OZ Arts Executive and Artistic Director. "Oona has quickly distinguished herself as one of the most sought-after choreographers in the international dance community, and I hope lovers of dance and theater take this opportunity to see this latest, bravest work by a thrilling artist who is boldly moving dance forward."

Doherty is a London-born and Belfast-raised mastermind of choreography who has never been afraid of weaving political messages into her work, which has been performed at the Venice Biennale, the Tate Britain, Sadler's Wells in London, Jacob's Pillow, the Dublin Dance Festival and more. In Navy Blue, she unflinchingly taps into personal and collective fears about society and the change we aspire to see. Doherty brings a distinctive, fearless style and refreshing wit to the stage, along with a troupe of expressive dancers whose movements communicate the intense feelings associated with a work of such gravity.

After winning the 2021 Silver Lion award, an annual prize celebrating talented emerging artists, the 2023 debut of Navy Blue in Hamburg announced Doherty's arrival to the preeminent circle of choreographers in Europe and beyond. On her way to superstardom as she brings her daring work to renowned festivals and theaters around the globe, viewers in the greater Nashville area have a chance to experience Oona Doherty's unique voice and see her bravest work yet as she teeters on the cusp of becoming a household name in the dance community. Navy Blue is co-produced by a coalition of 12 of the world's most prestigious contemporary dance and theater festivals from France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and the United Kingdom.

OZ Arts will present Navy Blue from May 30 - June 1 in its expansive warehouse. Tickets start at $30 and are on sale now at https://www.ozartsnashville.org/oona-doherty-navy-blue. 

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