The Green Table_Ballets_Jooss

The Green Table by the Ballets Jooss The first choreography seen by Patrick Scott, in 1939

I was on Arts Tonight with Vincent Woods on Monday evening, interviewing choreographer Liz Roche, and composer Ray Harman (during their rehearsals at Dance House), about their contributions to “Bastard Amber” at the Abbey Theatre as part of the imminent Dublin Dance Festival (May 19th – 30th).  It’s the first commissioned Irish Contemporary Dance piece on the Abbey theatre main stage – which got us talking about WB Yeats, Ninette de Valois, and the shortlived (1927 – 1933) Abbey Theatre Ballets; as well as my upcoming collaboration celebrating our considerable (but often overlooked), dance legacy at The Art Park.  This also led to the mention of an anecdote the late Saoi of Aosdana Patrick Scott related to me of his young 19 year-old self’s auspicious chance encounter with the Ballets Jooss and their epic anti-war ballet “The Green Table” in Dublin at the outbreak of World War Two.  So we can only imagine he would be delighted with his influence on Liz Roche’s contemporary dance show at th Abbey this month.  In case this and the Dublin Dance Festival is of interest, you can listen back to the full programme here:

http://www.rte.ie/radio/utils/radioplayer/rteradioweb.html#!rii=9:10415652:1538:11-05-2015:

Ninette de Valois_300dpi

Ninette de Valois, 1931, while she was running the Abbey Theatre Ballets