Damhsa: A Celtic Odyssey
Essentially Howard’s goal is to create a new dance form that blends the best of Irish dance with the best of other contemporary dance forms. And he doesn’t seem to be a man who does things in a small way. The company’s full-evening Chicago debut, “Damhsa: A Celtic Odyssey,” employed more than 60 dancers and eight live musicians in 12 dances. The Friday night performance lasted two and a half hours. And while some moments were exhilarating and thoroughly entertaining, others were cliched and flat-out corny.
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The problem is that the Trinity dancers haven’t really mastered other dance forms, and they need a lot more training in ballet, modern, and other theatrical styles if they’re going to perform them onstage. Simply because the dancers lack the necessary modern training, The Summer House (created by modern choreographer Brian Frette) degenerates into little more than a dull series of pseudo-sexy poses with a bit of Irish dance thrown in for good measure.
