‘Rian’ at Sadler’s Wells

Find the word ‘ceilidh’ in a dictionary and its definition will be a variation of the following: an informal gathering with folk music and dancing that originated in Ireland. If however you attended the UK premiere of Michael Keegan-Dolan and Liam Ó Maonlaí’s Rian this week you will already be familiar with the term as their collaboration brought ceilidh to The City of London.

Bathed in an Irish green, eight dancers and five musicians, including Hothouse Flowers singer Liam, hosted the 110-minute town hall style party at Sadler’s Wells – during which they drank from bottles, puffed on cigarettes, flirted with each other and danced, played and entertained with unlimited vigour.

Mixing Celtic sounds with elements of world music the score was not only a celebration of Ireland’s cultural roots but a coming together of global culture. Performers emanated from Kerala, Helsinki, Athens, Nigeria, Denmark, as well as Ireland. During the creative process Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre Artistic Director Michael, whose instinct is to tell a story, gave the dancers the opportunity to respond to music being played by Liam and the four musicians organically. From this exercise of freedom, 108 movements emerged – all of which were used as the foundation for the dancing in the production, bringing essences from their varied backgrounds.

The aim of this collective project was to explore the relationship between music and dance so Michael was right to abandon his strict use of narrative. The music moved the production along and the dancers, with Michael’s direction, utilised their personalised choreographic range to react accordingly.

The dance troupe is extremely talented; their gusto for this project evident in their infectious energy. From high-power jigs to melancholy solos and flirtatious dance duets it seemed as if the notes were pulsing through their veins. Even Liam succumbed to the temptation to dance on occasion, much to the amusement of the audience, before retreating back to the comfort of his usual medium of expression.

Employing instruments such as the fiddle, pipes, piano and concertina Liam wrote several pieces exclusively for the production and his piano solos were absolute highlights.  The remaining numbers were either arrangements of traditional songs or had been taken from his 2005 solo album Rian, meaning trace or mark. I predict the production’s biggest fans will be those who were already admirers of Liam, and if they weren’t at the beginning then they were by the end. 

Other highpoints included a spine tingling solo from the immensely gifted soprano Eithne Ní Chatháin and accomplished 22-year-old Maitiú Ó Casaide on the pipes.

This was a strapping show that got the audience wooping, tapping, clapping and bopping. It’s just a shame it was limited to a two-day run.

Rian was performed on October 24 and 25 at:

Sadler’s Wells
Rosebery Avenue
Islington
EC1R 4TN

Tel: 0844 412 4300