Irish Art in New York City
(written by I. E. Kutter)

An extraordinary invitation brought choreographer Helga Deasy and her team from Cork to New York City, USA: She was selected to present her work ‘Helica‘ at ECOPOETIC, the perfomance showcase at the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies 40th anniversary celebration and conference. Accompanied by live music her three dancers performed the mesmerizing work in Washington Square Park in Manhattan for a large audience of conference attendees and park visitors. ‘It was an exhilarating and very special experience to be part of this wonderful event‘ says Helga Deasy.

Born and raised in Bavaria, Germany, Helga Deasy lives and works in Ireland since 2012. She trained at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, specialising in Choreological Studies – the contemporary development of Rudolf Laban’s movement concepts, which form the theoretical basis for much of modern and post-modern dance. Since 2017 she has held the post of Dance Artist in Residence at Uillinn: West Cork Arts Center, where she developped the choreography for ‘Helica‘.

‘Helica‘, which means ‘spiral‘, is a poetic performance about the cyclic nature of life, the coming and going of the seasons, the constant flux of growth and decay, awakening, thriving and returning to rest. The three dancers Sara Hernandez, Kevin Hayes and Bella Boldt weave around each other like whirl winds, captivating the audience with their graceful, swiftly flowing movements.

The music for ‘Helica’ was written by composer Darragh Kearns-Hayes, who accompanies the performance live with flute and voice.

Amidst the New York skyscrapers, Washington Square Park offers a lush green oasis for ECOPOETIC, the artistic highlight of the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies 40th anniversary celebration. This site-specific performing arts event, which showcases the work of 13 choreographers, expresses the Laban Dance Community’s desire to raise environmental awareness and to cultivate meaningful relationships and healthier, liveable places.

The Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies is a cultural organisation, centred in New York City, with a global network of movement professionals. As an accredited school of higher education, research centre, and cultural arts institution, they have been training movement analysts, teachers, and coaches for forty years.

“It was a great honour to have had my work showcased at such a prestegious, international event“ says Helga Deasy. “I am very grateful to Culture Ireland for funding our tour to New York, which wouldn’t have been possible without their support. I also want to thank Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre, the Firkin Crane, Cork County Council, Cork City Council and the Arts Council Ireland who have been kindly supporting the creation of the work.“

‘Helica‘ will be presented at West Cork Arts Centre on October 26th 2018 as part of their dance season and at Firkin Crane, Home of Dance in Cork on November 9th.