One of Ireland's leading contemporary dance companies
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Liz Roche Company presents
WRoNGHEADED
Wrongheaded merges film, poetry and movement to confront the realities of women's rights and freedom of choice in Ireland. It was created in response to the on-going debate to abolish the Irish constitutional ban on abortion; a ban which was eventually overthrown by referendum in May 2018. While standing as a testament to a momentous time of change in Ireland, WRoNGHEADED also delves deep into the institutional repression that mediates much of our society's behaviour to this day. Driven by Elaine Feeney's spoken word poetry and electrifying performances from the dancers, the piece is a jolt to the system.
Alongside the fearless poetry of Elaine Feeney, the piece features the exquisite work of film director Mary Wycherley, composer Ray Harman and lighting designer Stephen Dodd with electrifying performances by dancers Sarah Cerneaux, Justine Cooper, Jack Webb and Kevin Coquelard.
"...you will certainly be stimulated, challenged, and provoked to deeper engagement by what is an undeniably powerful production by a truly remarkable artist."★★★★ Chris O Rourke The Arts Review May 2018
"[Roche's] choreography is sharp and expressive, thrashing us with the narrative and revealing the savage beauty at its heart"...... "the fierce and feisty spoken words of Galway poet Elaine Feeney; a fire-cracker delivery of vicious text that has emerged from the so many dark, heart breaking and sickening examples of women subjugated through their bodies" Review by Mike Smith Art Scene in Wales
4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from
The Irish Times
The Stage
The Arts Review
The Edinburgh List
The Outlier Scotland
The Fringe Review
Arts Scene in Wales
Photo by Maria Falconer
This extended version of the original 2016 production, played to full houses and critical acclaim at the 2018 Dublin Dance Festival. Featuring a new male dance duet performed by Kevin Coquelard and Jack Webb, which mirrors the choreography of the two superb female dancers Sarah Cerneaux and Justine Cooper. Together with Elaine Feeney’s spoken words this creative ensemble staged a new extended interwoven tapestry to the exquisite work of filmmaker Mary Wycherley, projected in a new format for this show; alongside new music from composer Ray Harman (from the band Something Happens); and superb stage illuminations by lighting designer Stephen Dodd. All these elements gathered together to create an intense forum for emotion and physicality but ultimately, Wrongheaded is a refuge from the necessary but ongoing debate; and a space to consider these issues from a new perspective.
Wrongheaded at EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL 2018
August 3rd - 19th at 1.30pmt DANCE BASE 14-16 Grassmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2JU, UK
Supported by Culture Ireland as part of GB18: Promoting Irish Arts in Britain
WRoNGHEADED Edinburgh Fringe
17/08/2018
“WRoNGHEADED examines women’s rights with diligence and finely balances vulnerability
with determination, reminding its audience of how far women have come, and how much
farther to go.”
4 Stars (4 / 5) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Outlier Scotland
http://www.theoutlierscotland.co.uk/2018/08/17/review-wrongheaded/
05/08/2018
“Sarah Cerneaux and Justine Cooper are sublime dancers. (…)
The combined effect is intense without hectoring. The elements of WRoNGHEADED are
perfectly balanced, and the piece ends as the women embrace, a poignantly humane image
for this timely work.”
4 Stars (4 / 5) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The List
https://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk/article/102535-wrongheaded/
“Liz Roche has produced a show that deals with hard-hitting subject matter through the
arts, which is an effective way to open up and continue the debate about these important
issues. The visual and aural storytelling in this show is impactful and resonates with people
in different ways, allowing each person to step back, reflect and consider what was the past,
is the present and may be the future. (…) A very creative and moving show with excellent
dance quality: Highly Recommended!”
4 Stars (4 / 5) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fringe Review
http://fringereview.co.uk/review/edinburgh-fringe/2018/wrongheaded/
04/08/2018
“It’s a piece that plays cleverly, but never explicitly, with the scrutiny and judgement of
female bodies. (…) There’s a sense of lonely interiority here, even in the shared effort of a
lift or the touch of hands. This intense inwardness is heightened by the verbal
accompaniment of Elaine Feeney’s poetry, a striking stream-of-consciousness that traces
evocative nuances of guilt, rage and grief.”
4 Stars (4 / 5) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Stage
https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2018/wrongheaded-review-at-dance-base-edinburghsubtle-
WRoNGHEADED at PROJECT ARTS CENTRE FOR DUBLIN DANCE FESTIVAL 2018, PAVILLION THEATRE DUN LAOGHAIRE, HAWK'S WELL THEATRE SLIGO
Dublin Dance Festival 2018 at Project Arts Centre - 16 & 17 May, 2018 |
Pavilion Theatre Dun Laoghaire Tuesday May 22nd
Hawkswell Theatre Sligo Thursday May 24th
"Liz Roche’s new collaborative work exploring the concept of choice, especially for women, is full of ... subtle offsettings... Roche wants to underline how wrongheaded so much has become in the current debates where men need to be part of any solution. Roches’ gift is to sense how dance of its essence allows the body speak for itself, articulate, nuanced and powerful." ★★★★ Seona Mac Reamoinn Irish Times May 2018
"Both captivating and infectious, Liz Roche’s choreography is ultimately a pleasure to watch. Moments of tenderness and comedy disrupt the tension of the piece, rendering Wrongheaded a complex study of the immense capacity of body and soul. Both touching and terrifying, Roche succeeds in marrying the horror of loss with the sheer beauty of dance." Sarah McKenna Barry MEG.ie May 2018
"The women are here to count,
To sit together and carve out arms.
To bury their dead, to feed their living,
When they are done they can
Dance in the end clutches of their spat energy,
Bone of bone’s, sharp cuckoo barrage.
Sweet desire,
All spent."
WRoNGHEADED Duet Version
Duration 30 minutes Filmed at CDF 2017
Photo by Ewa Figaszewska
WRoNGHEADED opened the Cardiff Dance Festival November 2017 - Supported by Culture Ireland
In Wrongheaded, Liz Roche brings together the fearless spoken word poetry of Elaine Feeney, the exquisite work of both film director Mary Wycherley and lighting designer Sinead Wallace and electrifying performances by dancers Sarah Cerneaux and Justine Cooper. All are gathered together in this intense mix of emotions and physicality to highlight the desperation and frustration that many Irish women feel today when it comes to the choices available to them regarding their bodies.
The Irish Times 4*
Thereviewshub.com 4*
Top Picks for Tiger Dublin Fringe 2016
“..there’s an urgency, immediacy and power to 'Wrongheaded' that catches your breath. … digging beneath the sounds and movement to find that living impulse of rage, fear, frustration and defiance with a rawness and a vulnerability that is almost palpable. Not to be missed.” The Arts Review 4*
First shown at Internationale Tanzmesse nrw in Tanzhaus Dusseldorf on September 1st 2016 - Supported by Culture Ireland.
Dublin Fringe Festival in Project Arts Centre - September 11th - 16th 2016
Irish Tour October 2016
