Yes and Yes
by Liz Roche Company
An extraordinary dance performance inspired by James Joyce’s Ulysses.
September 9 & 10
Atlas Performing Arts Center
1333 H St NE, Washington, D.C. 20002
Solas Nua is delighted to confirm that Yes and Yes will be opened by Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, the recently arrived Ambassador of Ireland to the United States, on Friday September 09 at Atlas Performing Arts Center.
To mark 100 years since the first publication of James Joyce’s Ulysses, one of the most important works of modern literature, Solas Nua has commissioned leading Irish choreographer Liz Roche and her company to create a brand-new dance piece, Yes and Yes, to premiere in Washington DC this September.
Yes and Yes takes its title from the final episode of the book which both begins and ends with a “yes”. “...yes I said yes I will Yes”; the famous last words of the book, exclaimed by Molly Bloom, finally name the sense of surrender implied throughout. Yes and Yes follows the 18 episodes, suffused with curiosity, sensuality, release and resignation, and explores this in movement with four extraordinary dancers and through film, sound and design. Dublin city and its people, today and 100 years ago, serve as the heart and the backdrop of the piece, bringing this heady mix of ideas together. The performance connects us into the minutiae of a moment while opening us up to the fleeting nature of experience.
A stellar creative team will work on Yes and Yes, with film/visuals by José Miguel Jiménez, dramaturgy by Wayne Jordan, to an original score by Ray Harman, with lighting by Davison Scandrett and stage design and costumes by Katie Davenport. Danced by Sarah Cerneaux, Mufutau Yusuf, Grace Cuny and Diarmuid Armstrong, this show will be the premiere performance by one of Ireland’s leading contemporary dance companies on a Washington, D.C. stage. Yes and Yes will then travel to the John and Joan Mullen Center for the Performing Arts at Villanova University, Philadelphia and later to Project Arts Centre in Dublin and Cork Opera House.
Yes and Yes by Liz Roche is a co-production between Solas Nua in Washington DC and Liz Roche Company in partnership with Cork Opera House. Commissioned by Solas Nua. Kindly supported by Culture Ireland and the The Arts Council/ An Chomhairle Ealaíon.
On Saturday Sept 10, Liz Roche will also participate in a panel discussion as part of the Global Irish Studies Initiative of Georgetown University’s “Ulysses in the World” conference. https://globalirish.georgetown.edu/
“Liz Roche is an artist with a serious track record..." Judith Mackrell, THE GUARDIAN
"Liz Roche from Ireland continues to marry an increasingly unquiet rhetoric with gorgeous movement"
IRISH CHOREOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2018 TANZ Magazine (Ballet International/Tanz Aktuell
LIZ ROCHE COMPANY has been presenting evocative and compelling contemporary dance on Irish and International stages for over 20 years. Established in 1999, Liz Roche Company is now one of Ireland’s leading contemporary dance companies, known for its finely wrought and beautifully crafted choreographic style. The Dublin based company presents the works of choreographer Liz Roche in collaboration with artists, dancers and designers of the highest calibre. An artistically distinctive and ambitious arts organisation, the company has produced over thirty original productions touring in Ireland and overseas
Supported by Culture Ireland.
The company is dedicated to performance, collaboration, archive and research as well as extending the art of contemporary dance.
Liz Roche Company is strategically funded by the Arts Council and supported by Dublin City Council.
