The word “mám”, synonymous with descriptions of the wonders of Hibernia, means “yoke” or “mountain pass” in Irish. It is also the name of Irish choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan’s critically acclaimed play that filmmaker Pat Collins has brought to Irish audiences in the form of a documentary entitled The Dance.
Michael Keegan-Dolan told The University Times that The Dance is dissimilar to the standard Netflix-type documentaries that we have become accustomed to. “In fact, I don’t think anybody looks at the camera. It is extremely intimate and reserved.” Set in the Gaeltacht region of Corca Dhuibhne in Kerry, the documentary captures the magical allure of rural Ireland. Mám involves storytelling through music and dance rather than dialogue.
Michael Keegan-Dolan moved to Kerry four years ago, which he believes has aided his creative process. He explains how he “chose to live in a remote part of the world. I live up a mountain in west Kerry. I have chosen to isolate myself and try to create space for something that maybe is bigger or has more potential than your egotistically driven agendas”.
When asked how he conjures up ideas for new projects, Keegan-Dolan replied “I have a practice that I follow meticulously that starts and finishes with a form of meditation. I often find that new thoughts, images or solutions to the creative challenges I’m facing kind of appear in my consciousness”.
Michael Keegan-Dolan came from an academically centred family in which “going to Trinity was pretty much expected”. Growing up, he always had a passion for dance. His early influences included “old Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire movies that my mum would have been watching in the 70’s”. Although he adored theatre, “early on I was in the National Youth Theatre of Ireland and I realised that I didn’t like how actors sat around and talked a lot”. Therefore, he shifted his focus to dance.
However, Keegan-Dolan’s vision did not closely align with the plans of most working in his field because “most dancing was very focused on aesthetics and the technical virtuosity of the person”. He was “more interested in the transformation that’s possible through dancing”.
Keegan-Dolan’s love for the Irish language was a huge impetus behind his work on Mám. His two children are in school in the Gaeltacht and he is currently learning Irish, commenting “tá a lán suim agam inár dteanga dúchais”. Keegan-Dolan is completely fascinated by Gaeilge and believes that “what happened with our language was such an extraordinary event and we are only beginning to get into that conversation about what the potential behind that is for us all creatively”. He further explains that “a trauma around the Irish language and your teacher’s difficulty enthusing you as a student stems from that trauma”.
Michael Keegan-Dolan and Pat Collins’ The Dance is an impactful piece showcasing the magic of Irish culture through dance and song. It is a piece that everybody should try and see.
