Longford audience heads The Call and the response

Humanity has a collective consciousness. The ability to tap into that consciousness is difficult to access, but every so often there is a glimpse of our power to communicate in non-verbal ways.
In sport it could be a player's anticipation of a team mate's move, or the connection with a crowd that spurs a team on to a great feat. In music it can be the interplay of musicians as they anticipate each other, creating soaring spectacular soundscapes.

Contemporary dance is another milieu in which shared understanding makes itself felt. Hard work is essential to get to the point where the dancers meld together to become one organism.

That multicellular single being of a dance was on show when 'A Call To You' was staged in Backstage. The show is a dance performance fabricated by choreographer and backstage lead Artist In Residence, Catherine Young. It captures the moment when humanity emerged from the urgency of lockdown.
'A Call To You' originally ran at the Dublin Dance Festival in 2022, but on Saturday night a revised version of the performance was staged. Young developed the performance with two new additions to the ensemble, one being Longford performer Orla McCarthy.

It was a remarkable show, a sublime blend of music and movement. The name check of the dance collaborators alludes to the international flavour of the show. Adrien Delépine, Axel Hampusson, Anna Kaszuba, Valentin Lemaitre, Simone O’Toole, and Carmen Palacios Sáenz are the fellow dancers, while the music is performed by Martin Schäerer (music director / percussion) in collaboration with Seanán Brennan (guitar/mandola), Brian Hogan (bass), Ilse de Ziah (cello) and Jess Kavanagh in collaboration with Jade O'Connor (voice).

The interplay of dancers and musicians was exquisite. It created a totally immersive world for the audience in a show that zipped by. This was the first performance of their national tour.
A Call To You is funded by Arts Council’s Touring Award with the support of the NASC network and was staged at Backstage Theatre, Longford last Saturday, April 22.