MÁM, Teaċ Daṁsa
Michael Keegan-Dolan's MÁM © Ros Kavanagh
A man takes a breath from a cigarette.
Beside him, a girl in a white dress sits, staring both placidly and judgementally at him. He looks back considering. “Surely not” I think, aghast at the thought of a cigarette being offered to an 11 year old. Then again…it would be quite the political commentary, and choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan isn’t beyond politics, having recently parted ways with Sadler’s Wells due to a disagreement over Palestine. The dancer rummages in his pockets and pulls out…
…a packet of crisps.
Michael Keegan-Dolan's MÁM © David Gray
Of course this shouldn’t have been a surprise. The girl, a silent observer of this ode to the Irish Pub, has already been handed a lemonade to drink and carried upon a table out of harm’s way. She was the guest of honour, so much so that at one point she came across as both the object of worship and sacrifice in a cultish ritual. She could also bust a move as much as the professional dancers surrounding her, perfecting Keegan-Dolan’s signature resistive movement: unbridled but with enough control to be reminiscent of dancing through oil. In a post-show talk, Keegan-Dolan said that the girl was representative of him as a child in Ireland watching a new side of his parents as they socialised at the local pub. The gender switch was an ode to the Irish-Catholic pedestal placement of women - see the Virgin Mary. This piece was full of Irish references and very much an ode to his homeland.
Accompanying the work was the concertina player Cormac Begley. He raced through heritage ditties as the ten dancers jigged around him. And jig they did. After being revealed by a falling curtain the dances raced through an hour and a half (no interval) of fluid choreography. At times it was sensual, their arms stroking their bodies and exploring the air in their closest vicinity, others joyous (rapid spinning with chairs comes to mind). Most brilliant was the interaction between the cast, their eyes ever expressive, swinging from loving to confused to questioning to judging to scared.
Michael Keegan-Dolan's MÁM © Ros Kavanagh
But this is Teaċ Daṁsa and, as we have already established, their work is never straight-forward. As soon as the work settled into some sort of rhythm, the unexpected would occur: screaming matches, eerie crisp consuming (packets thrown into the audience, naturally), a man kissing everyone in sight (bar one, justice for bald men everywhere!), a second curtain falling to reveal the fantastic s t a r g a z e orchestra.
But despite these surprises, there was a formula hidden within that made the work, by the end, a tad wearisome. Structurally the piece flowed in a circular motion from a singular dancer exploring a new type of movement to everyone joining in as the work built and built and then BAM “bet ya didn’t see that coming!”.
But make no mistake. Keegan-Dolan is a unique choreographer with a knack for getting visceral reactions out of audiences. With him in charge, you are always in for a wild ride.
★★★★
MÁM, Michael Keegan-Dolan Performed by Teac Damsa
Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury / 20 February 2026
Press Ticket
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