January 8, 2002
Contact: Susan Gwynne
(805) 893-2098
e-mail: gwynne-s@sa.ucsb.edu

High-flying Trinity Irish Dance Company
to perform at UCSB Campbell Hall

Summary Facts:

• Trinity Irish Dance Company
• At the forefront of progressive Irish dance
• Has opened up the pathways for productions like Riverdance
• Saturday, February 9
• 4 pm & 8 pm / UCSB Campbell Hall
• General: $35/$30, UCSB students: $19/$16
  4 pm: special price for youths 16 and under: $20/$17
• Tickets/information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at 893-3535

Noted for its breathtaking athleticism and grace, Trinity Irish Dance Company (TIDC) will perform on Saturday, February 9 at 4 pm & 8 pm in UCSB Campbell Hall. The group, made up of dancers from the ages of 18 to 24, has performed to great critical acclaim throughout the world. Most company members were trained at the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance (Chicago/Milwaukee), which has won an unprecedented 18 world titles for the United States at the annual World Irish Dance Championships in Dublin. Founded in 1990, TIDC also paved the way for productions like Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. However, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel insists, “Trinity’s dancers perform with a level of finesse, subtlety and complexity unapproached in the big commercial shows. Speed and immaculate ensemble are just the beginning; it’s the fine shadings that make their steps so much more engaging than those of the other troupes.” Or as the Washington Post put it, “Trinity is Irish dance sans fromage!”

Traditional Irish dance is perhaps best known for choreography that focuses on movement from the waist down—the dancer’s arms are held tightly to the sides. Footwork is quick, precise and percussive, and combinations of dancers often weave in exact patterns. Dances are performed in hard shoes (jig shoes) and soft shoes (ghillies) with steps set to reels, jigs and hornpipes. In fact, Trinity Irish Dance tours with a group of musicians who accompany the dancers live. TIDC’s repertory is rooted in this heritage, but some pieces permit arm movement and even some mild spoofing of the tradition. Still, the enduring image of the troupe is of a wave of synchronized lasses adorned with curly-haired wigs in lavish traditional costume; The New York Times writes, “There is nothing quite like the sight of a stage filled with Irish step dancers, their torsos like taut columns with feet that fly through impossibly complex, subtle moves.”

Artistic Director Mark Howard founded the group as an outlet for competition champions to continue dancing when no longer vying for trophies. TIDC was the first troupe to envision Irish dance as theater, not just competition. Howard also wanted to push Irish dance beyond its strict competitive form which only allows for a rigid upper body anchoring fast-flying legs. From the beginning Howard hoped to infuse his background in modern dance and ballet into tradition, creating a new, progressive Irish dance. In the decade plus of TIDC’s existence, the range of influences has grown to include Mexico’s Ballet Folklorico, Japan’s Kodo Drums, Peter Gabriel and Chicago’s modern dance scene. “Trinity is constantly pushing the limits and expanding the range of the art in every direction,” the San Francisco Examiner states. “Trinity is not only the most interesting Irish Dance Company, it is one of the most interesting dance companies of any kind.”

After becoming the first non-Irish group to win a gold medal at the World Irish Dance Championships in 1987, the dancers met the Prime Minister of Ireland, entertained the royal family in Monaco and appeared on just about every major American television show, from Good Morning America to Late Night with Conan O’Brien. But Howard’s new dance form receives its greatest exposure with the regular attention of 10 million viewers for the group’s annual St. Patrick’s Day appearance on NBC’s Tonight Show. TIDC continues to develop progressive Irish dance, placing its unique form of story ballet on stages throughout the world as a means of conveying the Irish-American experience.

Arts & Lectures previously presented Trinity Irish Dance to a sold out Campbell Hall audience on November 4, 1998. For these performances, the company is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures and sponsored by the Goleta Valley Voice. This residency is funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment of the Arts, a federal agency. Tickets are $35 and $30 for the general public and $19 and $16 for UCSB students. At the 4 p.m. show there is a special ticket price for youths 16 and under, $20 and $17.

For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.

Editor: For photos, please call
Susan Gwynne at (805) 893-2098.