At a party in Temple Bar's Project this week, members of the Institute of Choreography and Dance announced the recipient of its first fellowship award.
Dubliner Michael Keegan Dolan flew in from London to receive the inaugural Choreographic Fellowship Award, which is a joint venture between the institute and Cork City Council.
"I would be more interested in character . . . and emerging theatre as opposed to making beautiful shapes," said Keegan Dolan who trained at London's Central School of Ballet following completion of his Leaving Cert in St Paul's in Raheny. Since 1997 he has directed and choreographed award-winning productions both here and in the UK.
Next he's off to Houston Grand Opera to choreograph the opera, Manon, by Massenet. After that he'll be doing a devised piece with a cast of ten men at this year's Dublin Theatre Festival at the Samuel Beckett Theatre. Next year he is booked to choreograph the ballet, Faust, by Gounod at London's Royal Opera House.
Mary Brady, artistic director of the institute, also announced plans to showcase innovative contemporary dance at the Fête de la Danse, a short season of work from France next month. The festival is to become an annual event in Cork.
Patrick Thomas, cultural counsellor at the French Embassy, which is supporting the upcoming Fête de la Danse 2003, says dance "has been a neglected field until now. It's growing very fast and we have a very long tradition in France. It's becoming like a global art with video, multimedia, light and virtual reality. It's an emerging global language and we need that".
Paul Johnson, choreographer and newly-appointed Artists' Services manager with the Arts Council, was there to meet members of the Cork based institute.
Olwen Grindly, dancer and board member of the Association of Professional Dancers in Ireland, which represents a range of people involved in dance, including 65 professional dancers, was also there, as was Nicola Swanton, City Arts Centre's performance programmer.
John Scott, artistic director of the Irish Modern Dance Theatre, Vallejo Gantner, artistic director of the Dublin Fringe Festival, and Martine Moreau, arts officer with the French Embassy, were all present at the party.
Fête de la Danse starts on Tuesday, April 15th, at the Cork Opera House showcasing work from the Conservatoire de Paris.