Dialogue
A dance for a tall Irish man and a shorter Chinese woman
(45 minutes)
Intercultural Unit of Dublin City Council commission with support from The Arts Council of Ireland.
Premiered DanceHouse, Dublin July 2008
Choreographers and performers: Fearghus O’Conchuir and Xiao Ke
Composer: Yin Yi (Dublin, Beijing and Edinburgh 2008/9)
Video artist: He Long (Shanghai 2010)
Produced by Fearghus Ó Conchúir in association with Project Arts Centre and subsequently developed and toured with the support Culture Ireland.
Dialogue is the first collaboration between an Irish and a Chinese choreographer. It started when I saw Xiao Ke perform in Beijing in 2006 and instinctively felt a connection that I wanted to pursue. Since then, we have tried to understand each other’s worlds, to see our different bodies – one tall, male, Irish, one shorter, Chinese, female – as a way to explore our different ways of being in the world and to investigate how to create an environment where those differences can coexist. We use the ancient Chinese Luo Shu grid as a framework for our performance but try to avoid the usual East/West division by drawing on a common spirit that connects us despite the obvious differences we present.
Like our relationship, Dialogue evolves with each performance. We have worked with different composers and artists to enhance and clarify the work but the heart of the Dialogue remains the same.
Dialogue – trailer
Press
‘You won’t be blown away by virtuoso tricks but you will be struck by the intelligent, experimental nature of the piece – this is essential viewing for those who like their dance thoughtful, quirky and intimate.’ Rebecca King, The Skinny – Read Article
‘Li Ke is a magnetic dancer to watch …This gentle piece is a sweet conversation between friends, punctuated with reflection and strong emotion …. it would be interesting, like friendship, to see how it develops over time.’ Susannah Radford, Fringe Guru – Read Article