A HANDFUL of dreams
An awe-inspiring and heart-warming outdoor show touring in June/July 2023
An Irish explosion of music, dance, and aerial with an electric ensemble of five aerial dancers and two live musicians
The 2023 Tour
We performed a Handful of Dreams at the Cork Midsummer Festival bat Fitzgeralds Park, Junction Festival in Clonmel, and John Scott’s Dancer from the Dance Festival of Irish Choreography.
Watch the video above of our performance at DCU. Filmed by Scott Robinson
A Handful of Dreams is an awe-inspiring and heart-warming outdoor show that combines aerial and circus arts with live Irish traditional music and dance. Infusing a specially designed outdoor rig with ancient magic, this beautiful celebration will connect to the hearts of each audience member while restoring the joy of being alive.
This magical journey connecting to your heart will bring you to a new world where we can dance in the sky!
The show is inspired by the poem The Stolen Child by William Butler Yeats (1865–1939). Also, The Celtic Twilight book which ventured into the eerie and puckish world of fairies, ghosts, and spirits. “This handful of dreams”, as the author referred to it, first appeared in 1893.
The innovative musical score is grounded in traditional Irish music and folklore but will embrace a world of contemporary composition and sound design. By bringing the unique mix of chants, world beats, and psychedelic electronics for which Jym Daly is renowned, into the same space as the beguiling, fantastical, and gloriously joyful compositions that characterize Thomas Johnston’s work, audiences will be simultaneously comforted and exhilarated as the sonic experience unfolds.
“A MASTERCLASS IN AUDIENCE SPELL- WEAVING. COMBINING MAGICAL LIVE MUSIC WITH JOYOUS AERIAL DANCE. IT ENTERTAINS AND BOLDLY INVITES AUDIENCES OF ALL AGES, CULTURES AND BACKGROUNDS TO EMBRACE INNOCENCE AND HOPE.”
T.V. Honan, Director, Spraoi International Street Arts Festival
CREDITS
Director & Choreographer: Chantal McCormick
Music: Jym Darling from Fidget Feet and Thomas Johnston from Ceol Connected
Creative Cast: Oran Leong, Emma Poole, Sara Granda, Danielle Summers, Claire Carroll, Naomhan Joyce, Yolandi Daly, Tom Delany
Vocals: Kathleen Turner
Costume Designer: Sinead Lawlor
Dramaturg: Andrew Loretto
Photography: Jym Daly, Ste Murray
Sound and Production Manager: Fintan Sweeney
Rigging: Bryan Donaldson, Keylor Rojas Fernandez
WHAT IS AERIAL DANCE?
It’s Dance! It’s Creative! It’s flying with style! Combining athleticism & creative expression. While using low-hanging trapeze, aerial silks, spirals, hoops & cocoons. A beautiful art form, while having fun and building strength!
Wanna try it out?
Our Aerial Creation Centre in Limerick provides workshops, kids classes, adult classes & bootcamps.