Music, dance and words in multi-cultural show that shines light on Direct Provision

Dance, music and text combine in State of Exception, a visceral multi-cultural show exploring issues faced by refugees in Ireland today.

Choreographed and directed by Catherine Young, it’s coming to Galway on Tuesday, February 18, as part of a short nationwide tour.

And, as part of Catherine’s philosophy of breaking down barriers, the Galway show is being preceded by three local outreach events. The first, which has already taken place, attracted more than 70 people to the City’s Nuns Island Theatre, according to Dublin-born Catherine, who is based in Kerry.

Kerry was where she began a scheme in 2016 as a way of reaching out to Ireland’s new communities.

It was The Welcoming Project, for which she created a dance piece on Banna Strand as part of the official 1916 centenary commemorations. That show, Welcoming the Stranger, has since been followed by It Takes a Village, Le Chéile and State of Exception – the group’s hardest-hitting work to date.

“I wanted to work with refugees and people in Direct Provision and because there was no other way of meeting these people, I thought of doing a dance project and inviting everyone in,” explains Catherine about the origins of The Welcoming Project.  Dance is a great equaliser, she says, and that’s important.

The idea was to have a 50:50 ratio of local and non-local people, “to bring people out of Direct Provision centres and offer them a bit of respite”.

The Welcoming Project, based in Kerry, has members from Syria, Iran, Palestine, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Ireland, Switzerland and the UK among other countries.

Dance is central to activities – Irish, African, Asian and Middle Eastern traditions all feature.

“There’s a lovely buzz in the room and Irish people get as much as anyone out of it,” says its creator. “If you don’t know people from other countries, you might fear them. But once you are dancing together and make friends, it becomes clear how similar people are, wherever they’re from. People just want to get on with life, to have security for their family and to have a job.”

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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