In our new Summer 2021 issue, we were pleased to have a conversation with acclaimed choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan about dance and the creative process. Enjoy the full feature below!
Our first guest is the acclaimed choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan. We will be chatting to Michael on Thursday March 11th at 7.30 p.m. Irish time (GMT). If you live outside the GMT zone, do check what this will be in your local time zone. The link and login details will be sent to all ticket holders the day beforehand, and a replay will be sent the following morning, so don’t worry if you can’t make it live.
Michael is currently an associate at Sadler’s Wells London. He founded Tea? Da?sa in 2016 as a means to forge stronger connections with the native traditions, language and music of Ireland. The name Tea? Da?sa, ‘House of the Dance,’ in Classical Irish, supports this process and was exemplified in the company’s first two productions, Swan Lake / Loch na hEala (2016) and MÁM (2019).
Michael was the artistic director of Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre (1997-2015), creating three Olivier Award-nominated productions: Giselle (2003), The Bull (2005), and The Rite of Spring (2009).
In 2012 he directed and choreographed a new production of Handel’s Julius Caesar at the London Coliseum, for English National Opera. In 2015 he created an original piece, The Big Noise, for the GoteborgOperans DansKompani. As Guest Artistic Director of the National Youth Dance Company at Sadler’s Wells London for their 2015 – 2016 season, he created In-Nocentes. In March 2017, he choreographed a new work to Dvorak’s 8th Symphony for the Dance Company at the Gärtnerplatztheater, Munich.
Michael has extensive teaching experience. He has led workshops for different companies around the world, including Macnas Theatre Company, Hofesh Schechter Company, Cedar Lake Ballet, Blue Raincoat Theatre Company and the Ballet Junior de Geneva.
Positive Life publisher Paul Congdon says, “It is my great pleasure to chat to Michael. I’ve seen a lot of his work, including pieces by his company Fabulous Beast. When I saw ‘Giselle’ a few years back, its beauty was heart opening.”
Our evening with Michael will take place at 7.30 p.m. GMT on Thursday March 11th. The link and login details will be sent to all ticket holders the day beforehand, and a replay will be sent the following morning.
We are thrilled to announce the beginning of our special Positive Nights series: The Creativity Series. During this sequence of art-themed events, we will be speaking to directors, actors, artists and other creative luminaries about their artistic process.
Our first guest is the acclaimed choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan. We will be chatting to Michael on Thursday March 11th at 7.30 p.m. Irish time (GMT). If you live outside the GMT zone, do check what this will be in your local time zone. The link and login details will be sent to all ticket holders the day beforehand, and a replay will be sent the following morning, so don’t worry if you can’t make it live.
Looking for an immersive concert experience with soul and heart? Look no further…
Harmony Gathering is a St Patrick’s Day celebration with a difference, brought to you by the folks behind Conscious Concert Ireland.
Ewelina Wu is a Dublin-based photographer and graphic designer whose pictures contain an unmistakable touch of magic. We interviewed her to find out more about her work and the passion that drives her to produce her wonderful, heartfelt images.
Ewelina Wu’s attitude towards her photography and design work can best be described as an attitude of open-minded curiosity. Like many artists, her work is driven by a desire to access a deeper sense of truth that is not always available to us in our everyday lives. She aims to highlight the true essences of those who appear within her photographs.
‘For me, one of the most rewarding things about my job is when someone sees something in my pictures that they don’t normally see in themselves,’ she explains, ‘like a hidden beauty they had never realised was there.’
Ewelina approaches her work with great care and sensitivity, and she has a gift for illuminating the joy, the complexity and the deep humanity of her subjects. One clear example of this was her work on the Dublin leg of the World’s Biggest Eye Contact Experiment Day, which took place in Dublin city centre on September 23rd.
This day aimed to answer the question: where has human connection gone? Ewelina explored the profound nuances of this question in many different ways.
Her photographs offer viewers a sense of the heartfelt experiences that participants had during the day. ‘It was such a powerful experience,’ she shares. ‘I was sometimes on the outside of it, taking pictures, and sometimes right in the middle of the group, sharing a moment of connection with somebody. I loved that: I loved playing an active role in the scene I was trying to capture.’
Gentle moments of connection and understanding are honoured in Ewelina’s gorgeous images.
Ewelina’s photographic prowess was also very much in evidence during the recent Vitality Expo in Dublin’s RDS, when she brought the vibrant and dynamic atmosphere of the day to life.
‘Another event I worked on recently was an amazing dance event run by Zouk Retreat,’ she says, ‘and I really enjoyed it. Working on a wide variety of different events helps me to explore life from a lot of different angles.’
In her Zouk Retreat photographs, the simple yet far-reaching joy of human connection was once again to the fore.
The vibrant atmosphere of the retreat is powerfully brought to life in the mind’s eye of the viewer.
Ewelina pours great devotion and love into her craft … and the stunning results of this are plain to see! To learn more about Ewelina and her work, visit her website or Facebook page.
The clocks have moved forward, the temperatures are rising, and spring is making its presence felt. If you’re in the mood to try some delicious food or drink, practice the art of conscious dating, or even learn exciting new yoga techniques, this month’s edition of our Positive Vibes newsletter has got you covered. Read on to learn more about the best events, products and fun happenings we’ve picked out for you for this month. If you haven’t seen our Spring issue yet, fear not: it is available at stockists throughout the country. You can also subscribe here to get a copy delivered right to your door.
Join us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter if you haven’t already. And now, without further ado, let’s get into our latest line-up of positive events, destinations and tasty treats to get stuck into!
This Friday the 6th of April, we are running a special Positive Nights speed dating event, where the emphasis will be placed on deeply honouring and respecting the person in front of you. At 7.30 p.m., we will gather at Yin and Tonic, the Elbowroom’s vibrant new space located at No. 32 North Brunswick Street, Dublin 7, for an evening of fun, conversation and conscious connection. Click on our Eventbrite link here to learn more and book your tickets.
We are thrilled to invite the renowned Tantra expert and teacher Dawn Cartwright back to Positive Nights on Wednesday the 25th of April at 7.30 p.m. The venue is to be confirmed. Dawn will discuss the ancient Tantric rituals – the Pancha Upacaras – that form the foundation of modern dating practices, and how we can bring the magic of these sacred rituals into our lives today. The Eventbrite link for this event is here.
We highly recommend the work of Kitty Maguire, a yoga, dance and movement teacher with years of experience with instructing clients in modalities such as Pilates, Ballates, Barre, and her own unique style of Yocella: a type of yoga practice that is performed to the accompaniment of soothing cello music. Check out Kitty’s Facebook page to learn more about her regular courses, workshops, retreats and special events!
Chaga Tea is a unique type of tea widely renowned for its health benefits. Its flavour is similar to the earthy taste of coffee, but drinking Chaga Tea does not lead to the energy crash associated with coffee consumption. Chaga Tea Ireland founder Philip credits it for helping him to improve his health. He says: “I discovered Chaga after years of experimenting with different diets due to a Crohn’s condition. My first cup of Chaga had quite an impact. An hour later I felt energised yet calm, with a clarity similar to the effects of coffee, but without the buzz.”
If you’re looking for a cool spot to try out some delicious plant-based cuisine, look no further than The Planted Bean, located at No. 16 Baggot Road, Ashtown, Dublin 7. This wonderful coffee shop is owned by Kevin Odgers, and specialises in tasty vegan desserts free of refined sugar, as well as savoury vegan food options with an American twist. The picture above shows off their mouth-watering homemade Twix bars – we feel hungry just looking at them!
As hints of summer’s arrival begin to creep into the air, what better way to celebrate than attending a heart-expanding dance and movement retreat for the Summer Solstice weekend? Dance teacher Carol McInerney is on hand to provide you with that magical experience with her special event, Solstice – Receiving the Light: an Open Floor residential dance retreat in Slí na Bande, Kilmurry, Co. Wicklow. The retreat will take place from June the 15th to the 17th 2018. For more information, click here or email Carol at info@themovingbody.ie.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More