Anyone expecting pirouettes and tutus at the opening of Real Pearls, a new dance piece by the Irish Modern Dance Theatre in the Project @ the Mint on Monday, would have had a surprise coming. But then most of the audience who came to the first night were used to artistic director, John Scott, keeping them on their toes.
Those grande dames of the theatrical world, Phyllis Ryan and Agnes Bernelle came along to wish John well. John, who was looking snazzy in a silver shirt, accepted their good wishes and added a frisson of alarm by calmly informing them he had just changed the entire running order of the show. Agnes will be taking to the boards again shortly when she brings a work by Brecht to the John Field Room in the National Concert Hall in March.
Fonala Cronin, the choreographer whose work we last saw in The Chirpaun at the Project, and Joanna Banks of the College of Dance were among the many members of the dance world interested in the new work. Andrew Synott was another member of the audience with a particular interest in Monday's performance, as he had composed the original music for the piece. Andrew, who has just completed a stint as assistant conductor on Opera Theatre Company's Cosi Fan Tutti, was accompanied by Gavin Quinn of Pan Pan theatre company.
Project director, Fiach MacConghail had just returned from a trip to Sao Paulo in Brazil, accompanying artist Brian Maguire. Brian is Ireland's entrant into the Sao Paolo Biennale and will be hard at work in the city for a couple of months before the exhibition. Mind you, it seems an interesting coincidence that he arrived just before the world famous Brazil carnival which takes place this week.