irish modern dance theatre

A few words from John Scott, Artistic Director IMDT | Choreographer Migration Sonata~

Migration, refugees, trauma survival and diversity has been a constant theme in my work since 2003, when I began working with clients from SPIRASI, the Centre for Care for Survivors of Torture and created a series of works with the clients beginning with ‘Fall and Recover’. In 2022, following discussions with Kilkenny Arts Festival Director, Olga Barry and Marjie Kaley, Festival Producer, Migration Sonata began development in workshops with with Kilkenny based Ukrainian refugees and Brazilian migrants, supported by Creative Ireland,. A sonata is an Italian music term meaning ‘sounded’ or ‘played’, in several movements and contrasting forms or keys. The opening image of Migration Sonata on red plastic chairs, evokes the Asylum Seeker’s interview, dictating if they receive Refugee status or a Deportation Order. The cast, from Ukraine, Brazil, Ireland, Poland and the US create a shared space together and dance in the present moment as a unique community. The workshops were facilitated by Brazilian dance artists Alessandra Azevedo and Yves Lorrhan and co ordinated by Celine Reilly. Migration Sonata. The material reflects the personal universes of each dancers, including poems by the great Ukrainian poet, Yevgey Yevtushenko, simple conversations, movement language and linguistic and cultural meeting points. 

 

Credits:

Choreography: John Scott 

Lighting: Joe Levasseur

Composer: Tom Lane

Assistant Composer: HK Ní Shioradáin

Performers:  Alessandra Azevedo, Inez Berdychowska, Yeman Brown, Kama Bugala, Yevheniia Dmytrenko, Helena Krasna, Oksana Kurovets, Yves Lorrhan, Ana Mukhina, Rebecca Reilly, Irina Tarnavska, Alexandra Vostokova