Danae Wollen and Samuel Arnold Keane
Where Seaweed Dances
Dates in January & February 2023

Sharing of Where Seaweed Dances on Saturday 25 February at 12 noon. Details here.

Where Seaweed Dances is a new performance piece created in 2021 by Danae Wollen and Samuel Arnold Keane. A melange of circus, live music and theatre, we bring the audience through a coastal and underwater exploration. This piece is aimed for children (of all ages of course), opening up the curiosity and imagination that is sparked by the ocean.

The story is inspired by personal experiences of life by the West coast, as seaweed foragers, sea swimmers, fish catchers... strongly influenced by the traditions of Irish myth, song and storytelling as well as the natural movements in foraging, swimming, climbing and wading... the edge of sea and stone, where salt air tingles and dances with dust. Told through music, acrobatic movement and visual art, we explore the mystery and power of the ocean; the creatures living there and their intermittent interactions with land dwelling humans.

During the residency at Uillinn, they will both continue the work on our current collaboration. This project and performance is called Where Seaweed Dances and is a circus, live music and theatre show for younger audiences. During this project they have explored life along the coastline and brought the magic they find there to the studio. During their time in West Cork they aim to use what they have gathered so far and further concrete the story, characters and essence of the performance. Danae and Samuel will use both the creative research they have done previously and their continuing research.

Danae Wollen is a contemporary circus performer, with specialisations in floor acrobatics, equestrian theatre and aerial. She takes particular interest in creating stripped back performances, incorporating elements of physical theatre and dance into her current practice. She has performed with a number of Irish companies and spent two years learning and exploring contemporary circus in Spain and France including Rogelio Rivel school of circus arts. She is always seeking ways to merge the variation in art forms; circus with live music, storytelling through movement, sculpture as a backdrop to theatre.

Samuel Arnold Keane is a forager, an illustrator, a musician... merging various art forms to tell the stories of the seaweeds, coasts and streets, he gathers, wades and walks. At the essence of his creative practice are songwriting and performance. Strumming since the age of 11, Samuel accompanies his voice with guitar, as well as playing all sorts of percussive instruments. Having grown up in France the ‘singer-song-scribbler’ sings in both English and French. He has performed and collaborated within Ireland’s emerging Modern Folk scene, as well as collaborating with physical performers.

Instagram: @danaecircusartist @samyelyel

With thanks to Islandconnect, Irish Aerial Creation Centre.

WCAC acknowledges the financial support of the Arts Council and Cork County Council in making these residencies possible.