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Darrah Carr Dance
Photo: Lois Greenfield
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Irish dance
performance group Darrah Carr Dance, and guest choreographer Seán Curran have
been nominated for a 2012 New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie Award)
for "Outstanding Production of a Work that Pushes the Boundaries of a
Traditional or Culturally Specific Form”.
Artistic director Darrah Carr, is thrilled and
honored to receive the nomination. Grateful to the Bessie Selection Committee and to Seán Curran, Carr says,
“This nomination would not have been possible without the boundless energy of
my company members, and the steadfast support of our presenting partners at the
Irish Arts Center and at Gotham Arts Exchange.”
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Artistic Director, Darrah Carr
Photo: Lois Greenfield
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Darrah Carr
trained in both competitive Irish dance and classical ballet from ages six to
sixteen. When she began her training in modern dance, she learned to relax her
arms and torso and work with gravity. “I realized that in modern dance, bucking
tradition was the traditional way of doing things,” Carr says. “I began to
explore how I could reconcile two very differnt types of training to create a
distinctive choreographic voice.”
So began
“ModERIN”, a play on words that combines contemporary modern dance with “Erin”,
an Anglicized word for Ireland. The
result is what Darr describes as “a process of fusion, and a tightly woven
marriage of modern dance freedom, and Irish dance structure.”
The Darrah Carr
Dance group began in New York in 1998. The group performs extensivly, not only
in New York, but in such venues as Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and The Yard at
Martha’s Vineyard, to name a few. Recently the group performed on NBC’s “The
Today Show”, with The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, and featured “Dingle
Dewali” at Symphony Space, for which they have been nominated for the Bessie
Award.
“I source from two genres,” Carr says, “traditional
Irish step and contemporary modern dance. Dance in Ireland traditionally
happened at a crossroads, a reminder to respect the road that led me to a place
of intersecting genres, while simultaneously remaining curious about the path
that lies ahead.”
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Darrah Carr Dance in "Dingle Diwali"
Photo: Matthew Murphy
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Not only does the Darrah Carr group inspire from the stage, they also
seek to spread their dance expertise through a junior troupe, DCWee, and an
outreach program that travels the country. Carr says, “I am proud to spread
awareness and appreciation for Irish music and dance through our educational
and outreach programs." Carr loves doing school assembly performances. Often the children ask imaginative questions
such as if leprechauns are real, and whether or not the group has seen one.
Many of the performers and students involved with Darrah Carr Dance, and
the outreach program are adult Irish dancers. Carr enjoys teaching adults in a
relaxed and low-key atmosphere. “I also find that adult dancers really want to be at class,
which makes them really engaged, and eager students.”
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Darrah Carr Dance company member Timothy Kochka in "Dingle Diwali"
Photo: Matthew Murphy
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Artistic director
Darrah Carr is excited about the paths that Irish dance is headed down. Many
dancers who retire from touring with the major shows, such as Riverdance and
Lord of the Dance, are still interested in performance opportunitites. “I am
very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with some of these dancers,”
Carr says. “They have exquisite technique and incredibly open minds.”
The Darrah Carr Dance
group will be dancing their annual New York season at the Irish Arts Center
November 16-18th. For more information go to www.irishartscenter.org.
You can find out
more about Darrah Carr Dance, the DCWee junior troupe, and outreach
programs at www.darrahcarrdance.com.
Darrah Carr Dance -VIDEO
Readers: Are you an adult Irish dancer, competitive or not, with a story to share? Would you like to inspire others to feel your passion for Irish dancing and culture? Do you have a question about Irish dancing? Please visit www.christydorrity.com.
