RENOWNED dancer Colin Dunne is joined by acclaimed musicians Becky Ní Éallaithe and Ultan O’Brien to present For The Record.
Directed by Kellie Hughes, For The Record brings together traditional music, voice, electronics, spoken word and dance in a shape-shifting encounter where roles blur, rhythms fracture and no two performances unfold in exactly the same way.
With luscious sound worlds, apocalyptic footfalls and a set of unruly microphones, For The Record is part traditional music gig, part live experiment, placing listening, spontaneity and presence at its core.
The production is created by Colin Dunne with Becky Ní Éallaithe, Ultan O’Brien, Hugh Clery Ward and Kellie Hughes.
Colin Dunne is internationally recognised for redefining the possibilities of traditional Irish dance across a body of work that spans intimate contemporary performance, improvisation and interdisciplinary collaboration. Best known internationally for his performances in Riverdance and Dancing on Dangerous Ground, his later work has consistently pushed beyond spectacle toward a more exploratory and deeply musical performance language. The New York Times described his solo work Out of Time as “an unprecedented achievement; an Irish dance performance of emotional and intellectual complexity.”
Having begun his performance career in the early 90’s as a featured dancer with music groups such as The Chieftains and De Dannan, Dunne now comes full circle with this new work by returning to the performance framework of a music concert, or gig. “I don’t think that much has changed since the early 90’s” he said. “The traditional music concert is still very much the terrain of musicians. Dancers might be invited to do a number or two and the conversation about how dance and music might interact is brief and fast. I want to really reimagine this encounter between music and dance,
musicians and dancers so that the dancer as performer and sound maker is fully integrated into the sonic landscape. And it feels important to do that within the performance framework of a gig, rather than making a piece of theatre about it”
A recurring thread throughout Dunne’s work is improvisation and live responsiveness. Writing in 2023 about traditional dance and improvisation, Dunne described improvisation as “an act of autonomy” that allows the body “to play and reorganize itself around its learned patterns.” That spirit runs through For The Record, where structure and spontaneity continually collide.
Becky Ní Éallaithe is a concertina player and sean-nós dancer from the Connemara Gaeltacht, where she grew up immersed in music, song and dance. A graduate of the Irish World Academy at the University of Limerick, she performs throughout Ireland and Europe.
Her work moves fluidly between music and movement, blending traditional music, dance, song and contemporary performance. Recent credits include Sclimpíní by Edwina Guckian for Luail, An Fear Liath with Fíbín and Centro Dramático Galego, and Women of Note at Temple Bar TradFest.
Ultan O’Brien is a fiddle and viola player and composer from County Clare. Rooted in the Irish music tradition, his work also moves into sound art and experimental music.
His debut solo record, Dancing the Line, was released in 2025 through Nyahh Records and described by Jim Keaveney as “stunning and frequently surprising.” A sought-after collaborator, Ultan regularly performs and records with artists including Laura Jurd, John Francis Flynn, Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, Martin Green of Lau, and Nic Gareiss.
For The Record is produced by Once Off Productions, commissioned by Luail – Ireland’s National Dance Company, and coproduced by glór and Dance Limerick.
Upcoming Performances
7 July glór, Ennis Tickets: https://glor.ie/events/colin-dunne-becky-ni-eallaithe-ultan-obrien-for-the-record/
9 July Dance Limerick, Limerick Tickets: https://dancelimerick.ie/event/for-the-record/
12 & 13 August The Set Theatre, Kilkenny Arts Festival Tickets on sale soon
