‘Rythm of Fire’

Event Description

Performance Information:
Internationally award-winning Belisama Irish Dance presents ‘Rhythm of Fire’ at James A. Little Theater at the New Mexico School for the Deaf, 1060 Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe.  Performances take place Friday, March 16th and Saturday, March 17th at 7:00pm and Sunday, March 18th at 2:30pm. Tickets are $15 for adults, and $10 for children, students, and seniors, available at The Lensic Box Office at 211 West San Francisco Street in Santa Fe, 505-988-1234 and www.ticketssantafe.org, and Brownell’s Hallmark in Los Alamos at 609 Central Avenue.  Call Belisama at 505-670-1325 or visit www.belisamairishdance.com for more information.

Belisama Irish Dance presents the sixth annual ‘Rhythm of Fire’ performance, March 16th, 17th, and 18th, 2012 at James A. Little Theater at the New Mexico School for the Deaf in Santa Fe, Friday and Saturday at 7:00pm and Sunday at 2:30pm.  Recognized for internationally award-winning Irish dance, Belisama will perform both world premiere works and signature favorites from their repertoire.  Styles span traditional Riverdance to contemporary, and the program includes live music. A fast-paced, high-energy show for the whole family, ‘Rhythm of Fire’ will feature compositions by Artistic Director Adrienne Bellis, choreographer Michael Patrick Gallagher—former lead of Riverdance and current lead dancer in ‘Celtic Woman: Believe’ on PBS and DVD—and Celia Kessler, Associate Artistic Director for ‘Rhythm of Fire.’  Gallagher commented, “I was delighted to be asked to choreograph a number for the upcoming Belisama show. Belisama is one of the most innovative Irish dance groups currently performing in the western US, and the high caliber of the dancers made it a very easy and enjoyable experience.”

Set to the melodic accordion and triangle sounds of Beoga tune ‘Soggy’s,’ Gallagher’s updated work for Belisama revisits a choice piece of new-traditional Irish music.  “I had worked with the same piece of music for a show I did back in Ireland called ‘The Rising Step,’ so it was interesting for me to revisit it with new dancers, a new perspective, and a new energy,” said Gallagher.  A more avant-garde, raw arrangement, Kessler’s ‘Mecanix’ highlights mechanical undertones with the cadence of dancers’ feet. “‘Mecanix’ unites the industrial rhythm of hardshoe with lyrical softshoe, and their ability to complement and play off each other. It’s light and dark, graceful and powerful, and the interaction between hardshoe and softshoe dancers lends itself to a dynamic experience,” said Kessler.

And, see the company’s award-winning choreography, Gillie, newly updated for the upcoming 2012 World Championships in Wexford, Ireland! In addition to qualifying for Worlds, Belisama also placed third at the October 2011 North American Championships in Chicago; every one of the eleven dancers to compete took home medals.  “The challenge of Irish dancing is awesome.  It really makes you think, and you have to work hard. What I like most about our performances is showing people there is another (more contemporary) side to Irish dancing,” said dancer Sofia Bomse, who is beginning her advanced level training. Over fifty of the renowned Belisama dancers will take the stage in Santa Fe for ‘Rhythm of Fire.’

The evening will also showcase new choreography by Belisama students and alumnae Elizebeth Barnes, Deena Rice, Natalie Smith, Shannon Kossmann, and Maria Jones.  “Founded in large part to empower students to be choreographers, one of my biggest goals with the Belisama company is to create a balance between performance, training, competition, and choreography.  Choreography by students is a keystone of the program as a whole, and a feature of the show.  The dancers always come up with something new and fresh, and the performance is an important place for them to see the audience respond to their work,” said Bellis.