James son of James
Barbican
Three Short Works
Royal Opera House
James son of James
Barbican
Three Short Works
Royal Opera House
It is a pity that the definition ‘theatre dance’ is commonly used to indicate any choreographic activity that takes place on stage, for it could be much more effectively used to describe those performances which do not sit that comfortably under the much more genre-specific term ‘dance theatre’. Look, for instance, at Michael Keegan-Dolan’s James son of James. Not unlike the two previous instalments of his Midlands Trilogy, a triptych based on Irish culture and lore, James son of James is mostly a play with fluidly interwoven moments of dance and choreographed movements. It is, therefore, more ‘theatre’ than ‘dance’, even though the latter continuously underscores the action and often provides a subtle commentary on the events.
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