Aon is a large ensemble, contemporary Irish dance work which addresses what it’s like to be unattached in the digital age of internet-dating and smart phones.

This is a story of uploaded personal profiles more in line with who we think we should be rather than who we really are.

Aon spins an intriguing narrative delivered through dramatic Irish dance with a modern twist, and performed to a wonderful, but all too familiar, soundtrack. Aon encourages us to throw off our masks, to shed our armour, and to join in a dance of liberation.

In the show, we acknowledge that we all construct identities in an undisclosed dialogue with the communities around us … that performing versions of ourselves that others might be more comfortable with, is a very human instinct, and we do this in an effort to belong, but at the expense of our real selves.

The show is framed in today’s digital age, where the orders of the day are uploaded personal profiles that are more in line with who we think we should be rather than who we really are.

The show is not a critique of the network society, nor does it bemoan the negative attributes of the internet. The culture of the technological age simply brings this behaviour into sharper focus.

Eventually each of the show’s archetypes confronts the delusion of presenting themselves as someone slightly ‘better,’ and comes to terms with who they really are – throwing off their masks, shedding their armour, and joining in a dance of liberation.

At its heart, Aon is about human connection, or lack thereof. Connection is why we are here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.

Aon is about identifying who we really are; the me that longs to be seen. It challenges us to face our brittle self-image head on; to fully embraced vulnerability, to see it as necessary. It convinces us to strive for a sense of worthiness, to believe that we are deserving of love and belonging, and to be willing to let go of who we think we should be in order to be who we are.

Aon is about letting ourselves be seen – really seen.

Aon had its world première at Donegal’s Earagail Arts Festival in the summer of 2017, followed by a 2-week run in Firkin Crane, Cork.

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“I and my companions were left stunned by the intense creative spirit that brought this fine work of art to fruition – de Gallaí, artistic director and choreographer of Ériu, caresses, shapes and anchors the Irish dance motif in an exhilarating universal language of music and movement.”

“…half-way between genius and madness…”

Sean Hillen | Worlditineraries.co

 

“Aon is a fusion of Irish dance and contemporary dance, combining many of the breath-taking elements of Irish dance with a deeper and at times more challenging approach.

The bare foot sequences are the most beautiful of all, accentuating the duality between the vulnerability on the one hand, and the incredible strength and speed on the other, of the dancers.”

Ellie O’Byrne | Irish Examiner

 

“Toward the end of the first half, the dancing stops, time stands still and we are transported to what feels like the heart of the work … in the evening’s most remarkable moment, Sarah Fennel sang Dido’s Lament from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas in a traditional unaccompanied style of Irish singing called sean-nós”

David Wallace | Magazine International