The Dance is an observational feature documentary that follows the staging of MÁM from the first day of rehearsal to the opening night performance at the Dublin Theatre Festival in 2019.
The Dance is a fiercely true and beautiful account of the process of creativity and collaboration, brought to life by the great Pat Collins (Song of Granite, Silence).
MÁM brought the virtuoso concertina player Cormac Begley1, the European musical collective s t a r g a z e2 and twelve international dancers to the remote Dingle Peninsula in Ireland and is a unique confluence between soloist and ensemble, classical and traditional, the local and the universal. It went on to be reviewed rapturously, toured internationally and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best production in London.
The Dance was released, to critical acclaim3, in Irish cinemas in February 2022.
It is now available to watch available to watch online, on Vimeo and Volta4.
Director.
Pat Collins
Producers.
Philip King, Tina O’Reilly, Sharon Whooley
Financiers.
Screen Ireland, RTÉ
Director of Photography.
Colm Hogan
Editor.
Keith Walsh
Sound.
John Brennan
1. Cormac Begley website
2. s t a r g a z e collective
3. The Dance Press & Interviews
Hot Press – Michael Keegan Dolan and Pat Collins: “There was something about the Gaeltacht area of Dingle, diving into the traditions and seeing what one could learn”
The Irish Times The Dance: Fascinating close-up portrait of a creative process
The Irish Examiner A rousing and immersive love letter to the power of creativity
4. The Dance On-Demand
Watch online on Volta
Watch / buy on Vimeo
