Irish dance company ties past to present

Mystical fog surrounded slowly rising bodies on the Power Center stage as dancers from the Trinity Irish Dance Company presented their non-traditional side in the first piece of the night, "The Mist." What was less traditional, one wonders? When thinking of Irish culture, a few events and modes of musical entertainment come to mind, such as the Great Irish Famine, the kilts and pipe playing and the toe-tapping Irish jig. The surreal atmosphere of the past often escapes us, and this, among many other aspects, is what Mark Howard, creator of the company, captured on Friday evening.

The program was by no means exclusive to dancing, however. Accompanying some of the dancing, three musicians beat out and blew and strummed the rhythms of Irish jigs on a drum, bagpipe guitar. Included were a few moments of musical inspiration, a sad, nostalgic song, a pipe solo, and an incredibly fast-paced drum solo. These, of course, were introduced with friendly jokes, such as the recent weather in Chicago, the home of the dance company.

Courtesy of IMG Artists Dancers from the Irish Trinity Dance Company leap for joy.

The Trinity Irish Dance Company, which holds 12 world champion titles in team dancing, has performed throughout the world since they first took top honors in 1985 at the world competitions in Galway, Ireland.

Aside from Michael Flatley, this dance troupe has brought the art of Irish folk dancing to the eyesight of a world audience. No longer are the dances performed solely in the confines of a competitive circle, but audiences pay top dollar to see performers on performing arts stages.

This non-profit organization was founded by Mark Howard as a professional arena for students who formerly had no outlet for their dance training beyond the competitive circuit. Known as "the birthplace of progressive Irish dance," it opened avenues for other productions, such as "Riverdance" and "Lord of Dance." And the credits are far reaching, with appearances on the "Tonight Show" and "Good Morning America," among many others, and an Emmy Award for their appearance in the PBS Television Special, "World Stage."

Irish dancing is defined by stiff bodies with arms held tightly to the side, with the legs and feet doing all the work. Highly detailed and fast-paced footwork, launching kicks, spastic tapping and occassional ballet steps are what constitute the form.

Made up of 22 dancers between the ages of 16 and 24, Trinity made the audience tap and clap during Friday's sold-out performance. While exotic showmanship and audience-oriented spectacle mark "Riverdance" and "Lord of Dance," this company stayed true to artistic integrity, and relied rather on innovative choreography and creative expression to please the audience.

Nowhere was this more true than during "The Mollies," which exhibited the hardship of Irish miners in Pennsylvania during the Great Irish Famine migration. With mining lights on their heads and smudged, workers' uniforms, the dancers, through abrupt pauses and movements, showed the immigrants' plight.

And then there were the physically demanding pieces which were begun, continued and ended in perfect unison. They represented the much admired tap and ballet-like movements so prevalent in Irish dance.

An encore was performed, and in order to display their immediacy, dance members mingled in the lobby after the performance. Four young talented students from local dance schools also participated in two numbers. This allowed, in a sense, a strong national pride and tradition to be passed on, and showed how much a part of the progressive future the past can become.

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