Chicago Trinity Irish Dance Company to Make Jacob’s Pillow Debut
Chicago’s Trinity Irish Dance Company (TIDC), the uniquely Irish-American company that celebrates founding artistic director Mark Howard’s pioneering vision to fuse vibrant Irish traditions with ever-evolving innovation, will make its Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival debut this summer with six performances, July 10-13. The company’s performances will mark the first time that the renowned dance festival, located in Becket, Massachusetts, has presented a full program of Irish dance on the Ted Shawn Theatre stage.
“Mark has dedicated his life to presenting Irish dance as serious art. His consistency at choosing substance over spectacle and the confidence to know where the art form should go next is exactly why his unparalleled body of work is being celebrated on one of the world’s most highly respected dance stages,” said associate artistic director Chelsea Hoy. “I am especially grateful for Trinity’s legacy to be honored in this way amidst our 35th Anniversary Season.”
Founded in 1990, TIDC is the birthplace of progressive Irish dance, Howard’s innovative movement genre that “ushered in a new era for Irish step dance” (Chicago Tribune). Considered an American treasure by critics and enthusiasts worldwide, TIDC has performed sold-out tours globally, carving new traditions as they push the boundaries of a traditional and beloved art form.
“I’m ecstatic for 35 years worth of artists, board members and staff that have lent their collective talents to the wave of positive energy that has always pushed Trinity’s work to increasingly higher ground,” added Howard. “The protection of the ancestors will be with us at the Pillow, along with the hopes of Yates and O’Casey and the dreams of the Sineads and Shanes.”
TIDC’s mixed program at Jacob’s Pillow will showcase the range of its genre-defying repertoire, celebrating their internationally renowned vision of pushing the boundaries of a cultural form while maintaining a strong reverence for its traditions. Among the works presented will be Howard’s Soles, a tribal and timeless rhythmic study; Howard’s Push, an explosion of hard-driving percussive power that demonstrates the company’s consistent message of female empowerment; and Michelle Dorrance and Melinda Sullivan’s American Traffic, a hybrid of Irish step and American tap that plays at the intersection of rhythmic sensibilities and rebellious histories. The program will feature original music performed live by TIDC’s band, fronted by Killarney-raised, New York City-based Brenoshea. For tickets or more information, visit https://www.jacobspillow.org/events/trinity-irish-dance-company/.
