Live open air aerial dance theatre show to be held in Skibbereen

West Cork Arts Centre is delighted to present an outdoor performance of Tilt, an aerial dance theatre show with live music and featuring an international cast of diverse performers who integrate circus, contemporary dance and song in an insightful and surprising performance that offers both humour and pathos. Tilt will take to the skies about Skibbereen with a live, open-air performance for one night only on Thursday August 26th.

Tilt is an exhilarating, boundary-pushing, tender and triumphant attempt to keep some kind of balance in a desperately unstable world. Conceived as an idea in 2019 and made ever more relevant by crises at home and abroad, the performance centres around a very versatile pole that circles, falls and flies as a metaphor for instability and change. Choreographed by Tara Brandel, Tilt spans the fragility of the human body and the endurance of the human spirit, reflecting on our longing for intimacy and human connection.

Including twerking, street dance, aerial, Irish and contemporary dance with live looping harmonica and song, Tilt promises thrills, spills and humour.

Cork-based Croí Glan Integrated Dance Company was founded in 2006 and produces performances with professional dancers with and without physical disabilities, creating cutting edge productions which tour nationally and internationally. Company co-founder, artistic director, choreographer and dancer Tara Brandel started training in pole aged 50 on a dare and got totally hooked. Tilt is her 2nd pole-based choreography. Her first show involving pole was Circus in Dublin Fringe 2019, where Tilt performer Nicholas Nwosu was nominated as best performer. Originally from Nigeria, Nwosu’s dance style mixes hip hop, twerking and hip-let in unique blend, focusing on improvised and innovative movement. Dancer and singer Tatyana Turner has experience in Irish dancing, violin, ballroom dancing, salsa and African drumming. When cancer led to the amputation of her whole left leg, she briefly thought that would be the end of her dancing life – but then she met Tara Brandel, and now she features as both a singer and dancer in Tilt. Oran Leong started training in the competitive Irish dance style at the age of 6, only hanging up his feis shoes after winning the World Championships for a third year in a row. He went on to pursue an MA in Contemporary Dance Performance, becoming increasingly interested in concepts of gender in movement, and working with companies and choreographers including Catherine Young, Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre, Iseli-Chiodi and Irish Modern Dance Theatre. Tilt’s score has been composed by Niall O’Carroll, an established composer and performer for television, radio and theatre, with a deep knowledge of Irish, European, American roots, Rock and contemporary music. Both Tatyana Turner and O’Carroll sing live for Tilt, with extraordinary looping harmonica, guitar and blues from O’Carroll.

The pole itself was created by Tara’s brother-in-law Barnaby (Barnz) Munn, whose working life encompasses both traditional ship-rigging and being creative director of trailblazing UK circus company Pirates of the Carabina. Tara’s sister Shaena Brandel is responsible for Tilt’s aerial production management, with Tony Mahon as rigger.

Tara Brandel says: ‘Croí Glan is committed to highlighting the value of diverse bodies in creating performance, to challenge expectations of dance and of what any one body can do.

We are a standard bearer for crafting a new blueprint of what dance can be; we celebrate difference and revolutionise who can be a dancer.’ Tickets cost €10 and booking on Eventbrite is essential. Further details can be found at www.croiglan.com.