LUAIL – Ireland’s National Company announces foundational partnership with Belfast’s Maiden Voyage Dance

The launch of this partnership will take place at The MAC in Belfast, on November 6th, marking a momentous occasion for dance for artists and audiences in Northern Ireland.

A pioneering investment by the Arts Council Ireland / An Chomhairle Ealaíon, Luail is a new contemporary dance ensemble within a professional collective of resident dance makers, performers, and other artists. This collective model offers a programme of new dance productions, revivals, and creative opportunities. Partnering with international and Ireland-based choreographers, Luail will create invigorating, high-quality collaborative work across diverse disciplines and performance spaces.

Luail will develop under the artistic leadership of Liz Roche, with strategic partners Maiden Voyage Dance from Belfast and the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick.

The foundational partnership with Maiden Voyage Dance in Belfast and The Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick with Luail will invigorate dance creation and experiences across Ireland.

Speaking about the launch, Artistic Director of Maiden Voyage, Nicola Curry said:

“This launch marks a pivotal moment for dance and Maiden Voyage welcomes this foundational partnership with Luail for the collaborative strategic development for contemporary dance on the island. Artists and audiences will benefit with an invigorating dance offer of scale and ambition, with opportunities for shared commissions, touring and development programmes that will improve the access to, understanding of and visibility of the artform across the island.”

Luail, Artistic Director Liz Roche also commented, saying:

“There has never been an all-island dance company in Ireland before, and in order for this to be truly meaningful and authentic, Luail will develop its strong foundational partnership with Maiden Voyage Dance here in Belfast, to ensure that we build a deep connection to the dance infrastructure here in Northern Ireland. The name Luail means movement, motion, energy, impulse and is grounded in the belief that dance is a vital pulse of human creativity, connecting people and ideas, in understanding and re-imagining the complexity of our shared island.”

IMPASSE @ The MAC, Belfast, Wednesday 6th November
“There’s nothing quite as exciting as seeing a terrific new work for the first time. At the end of the Edinburgh festival I was knocked out by IMPASSE, an exciting and thoughtful duet by choreographer Mufutau Yusuf for himself and (in this performance) Kennedy Junior Muntanga.

It begins with a piece of magical stagecraft. A sculpture made of those checked bags that people on the move pack all their possessions into is on one side of the stage; suddenly it begins to move, sliding across the space until a pair of red-fringed legs emerge and begin a ritualistic dance like a river god come to life. Then there’s darkness. The next time the lights go up, the naked form of Yusuf is leaning against Muntanga, who is fully clothed and carrying one of those bags.

It’s an indelible, suggestive image, conjuring complex thoughts and feelings. Yusuf was born in Nigeria but has lived in Ireland since he was nine; IMPASSE was made with support from the Arts Council of Ireland. Muntanga, based in Yorkshire, was born in Zambia. The piece, to a score by Tom Lane and Mick Donohoe that mixes the sounds of Africa with Bach and hip-hop, places their black bodies in a white space, and asks questions.

For most of the time, the dancers face away from the audience, moving in tandem, their muscles delineated by Matt Burke’s lighting. When they turn, it is both a relief and a challenge. The movement is sharp, detailed, full of grace, building to a propulsive climax where they run in endless unison. Original and impressive, it marks Yusuf as a choreographer to watch.”

Review 5 Stars *****: Sarah Crompton, The Observer. 1st September 2024

About Luail
Luail, Ireland’s National Dance Company is a full-time contemporary dance ensemble housed within a professional collective of resident dance makers, performers, and designers. With its partners at Maiden Voyage Dance in Belfast and the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at University of Limerick, the Dublin based dance company offers a program of new and existing dance work promising invigorating, high-quality collaborative dance experiences across diverse disciplines and performance spaces.

We are building island-wide and international opportunities for developing, archiving, and touring dance, fostering engagement with the company and audiences. Through established artistic relationships and cross-border collaborations, Luail is committed to advancing dance practice and performance across Ireland.
Luail’s core values are to be fearless and inventive in our work, attuned to what matters most to our artists - and be joyful, in our endeavours, with our audiences, artists.

Three interconnected programme pillars will inspire and guide our work into the future.

The first is to fully Embody the unique identity, culture and strength of dance makers on the island through the commissioning of original cutting-edge work, and the reimagining and touring of existing repertoire.

The second pillar aims to Embed dance within our cultural life, through a series of bespoke outreach, participation and touring programmes which will connect dance with communities and audiences, island-wide, at home and abroad.

And thirdly, we will Empower our artists to be life-long dancers and dance makers, dreamers, leaders and innovators through a series of professional development initiatives that will strengthen and sustain the career life of dancers and choreographers.

About Maiden Voyage Dance
Maiden Voyage are Northern Ireland’s contemporary dance commissioning company. Based in Belfast, they create and tour new work at home and abroad for all ages in diverse spaces with guest local, national and international choreographers, composers and collaborators. Over the past 23 years Maiden Voyage has established a respected and diverse repertoire of new work with artists from home and abroad and a range of artist development opportunities and a growing suite of engagement and participatory routes for all ages and abilities to discover the joy of dance. Maiden Voyage is principally funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and is supported by Belfast City Council.

The Belfast launch event will be a performance of IMPASSE by Mufutau Yusuf, one of Luail’s resident choreographers, @ The MAC, Belfast, 6th November, as part of Belfast International Arts Festival.

IMPASSE had its debut at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, August 2024.

IMPASSE 5 Star Review in The Guardian 1 September 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/article/2024/sep/01/state-ballet-of-georgia-swan-lake-london-coliseum-nina-ananiashvili-review-impasse-mufutau-yusuf-dance-base-edinburgh