Arts Insider - Eileen McCrory, Off the Rails Dance

Eileen McCrory has already built up an impressive repertoire across subject matters and dance styles, the recipient of the Arts Council Northern Ireland Major Individual Award Artist 2022 and Belfast International Arts Festival Artist in Residence 2020/22. As a choreographer and creative, leading on productions with Maiden Voyage Dance, The Playhouse, Derry and Tinderbox Theatre Company as just some of her accolades.

As Creative Director with Off the Rails Dance, she continues to push boundaries of the possibilities of dance production. This June, Off the Rails immersive production BPM comes to theatres; a bold and ambitious contemporary dance piece set during Northern Ireland’s 1990s–2000s rave scene.

We spoke with Eileen to get her insights on this production and Off the Rails exciting plans for what’s to come.

Can you share the first memory you have of a piece of Dance impacting you?

I was around 11 or 12 years old on a family trip to Galway when I witnessed a performance that blended contemporary dance with live Irish music. It completely blew me away. I remember the absolute buzz and excitement I felt afterward; it was a total lightbulb moment. Right then and there, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life.

Off the Rails defines their artistic quest as ‘authenticity as we explore the raw, highly physical movement material that mirrors the intricacies of the human condition’. Can you expand on what this means to you?

For me, it means creating work deeply rooted in everyday life, social topics, personal memory, and social impact. At my core, I am a storyteller. I want to create work that resonates on a human level, whether through pure dance or a theatrical approach, challenging audiences to think or inspiring change. Movement is an incredible vehicle for human connection; the physical body often communicates far more than words ever could.

Your new production, BPM, comes to theatres next month. Can you talk us through your creative process and the first creative spark that inspired this piece?

I’ve wanted to make this show for about 15 years, but I only recently found the right vehicle for it. As I began creating more immersive work, I realised that immersion was the key to bringing the audience into the club experience.

The creative process has been brilliant. We explored beats with our composer, Isaac Gibson, who used a Roland TB-303 synthesizer in the studio to help us build our narrative. We also had a week-long residency with lighting designer Mary Tumelty, which allowed us to experiment with club-style lighting as our primary staging. It’s been a joy to create, though the pre-opening nerves are definitely kicking in!

Club Nights in Northern Ireland during the 1990s were a space for people to unite during a very politically divided time. What do you think it is about this style of music that was so attractive to people at this time?

It was about the beats and the collective opportunity to let go. Without phones or social media, people were fully present. It was pure, raw, tribalistic movement that allowed everyone to shed their differences and connect on the dancefloor. It was a history lesson in social impact; a generation proved that living together was possible simply by crossing county lines to rave together.

What are some of your favourite songs from that period?

I’ve always been a bit of a trance girl. My ultimate favourites from that era are:

- Paul van Dyk – "For An Angel"

- Sasha – "Xpander"

- Binary Finary – "1998"

Can you tell us what’s next for you and for Off the Rails?

Our immediate focus is launching BPM, and we hope to tour the show in the future. Following that, we have an exciting R&D residency called ROOTS: Global Echoes in the Biome in partnership with The Eden Project and PLAYHOUSE, we are delighted to receive Four Nations funding from ACNI to make this possible, We are exploring the feasibility of an immersive dance-theatre experience inside the Tropical Biome at Eden Project, Cornwall. We’re jumping straight from the neon lights of the 90s rave scene into the heart of the rainforest!

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is proud to support, through National Lottery funding, Off the Rails Dance.

Get your tickets here - BPM | Shows