Support our Fund It Campaign



Please help support our project Dusk Ahead at Kilkenny Arts Festival by donating to our Fund It campaign. Any donation, small or large, is hugely appreciated.

Just click here to donate!

Residency at Dance City Newcastle



We are delighted to be back in residence at Dance City in Newcastle in June for research and development on Dusk Ahead. The relationship between junk and Dance City began in 2011, when we were researching and developing Bird with boy with Jo Timmins.


Dusk Ahead at Kilkenny Arts Festival 2013



Our new production Dusk Ahead will premiere at Kilkenny Arts Festival in August 2013 and Dublin Theatre Festival in October 2013. You can book tickets here

Kilkenny Arts Festival performance dates and times at The Watergate Theatre:

Saturday August 10th at 9pm

Sunday August 11th at 6pm

Monday August 12th at 8pm

Dusk Ahead is commissioned by Kilkenny Arts Festival to mark its 40th Festival. Co-produced with Kilkenny Arts Festival and Project Arts Centre and supported by The Arts Council, Dublin City Council, Dance City Newcastle and Dance Ireland.


Sarah Trist Dance Agency



Sarah Trist Dance Management Agency is currently working with junk to tour The Falling Song throughout the U.K. in February and March 2014. 

For expressions of interest please contact sarah@stdma.com


Dance Ireland Film Commission

Dance Ireland have commissioned junk to create a one-minute dance film as part of their Minutes in Motion programme.

Created with filmmaker John McIlduff, Blind Runner will screen on August 21st 2013. A blind runner and her guide race and struggle through a forest.


The Falling Song at Belfast Festival 2012



The Falling Song performed at Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queens on October 23-24th at The MAC.

Tickets: www.belfastfestival.com

Performance times: Tuesday October 23rd & Wednesday October 24th at 7.45pm

Location: MAC Theatre, 10 Exchange Street, Belfast


Bird with boy at Dublin Theatre Festival 2012



Bird with boy performed at Dublin Theatre Festival 2012 from October 4th - October 7th at 6pm and 9pm daily.

Birds, boys and snow in a crumbling old house on Henrietta Street. Go to 'video' to watch the Bird with boy promo.

To find out more go to: www.dublintheatrefestival.com


Sky Arts Documentary



Watch 8 minutes of the Sky Arts documentary on the process of The Falling Song at Dublin Dance Festival 2012 here:

http://skyarts.sky.com/sky-arts-at-dublin-dance-festival-2012-video-2

The 25 minute documentary is regularly aired on Sky Arts 2 in HD, check their website for times.


Five Ways to Drown National Tour



Five Ways to Drown is back after great acclaim at Dublin Dance Festival 2010. Touring throughout Ireland in June 2012, catch us along the way.

Garter Lane Arts Centre, Waterford
Thursday June 7th - www.garterlane.ie

Town Hall Theatre, Galway
Thursday June 14th - www.tht.ie

Backstage Theatre, Longford
Saturday June 16th - www.backstage.ie

Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda
Tuesday June 19th - www.droichead.com

Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire
Thursday June 28th - www.paviliontheatre.ie

  • The living room strewn on the front garden for all to see. Five Ways to Drown looks into the interior of peoples’ lives and exposes the sadness, the absurdity and the banality through vignettes of dance and installation. In this public display of the private, the choreography of everyday life becomes extraordinary. Continuing junk ensemble’s explorations of how spaces can be reinvented, Five Ways to Drown creates a different perspective on live performance.

  • Choreography and Creation: Megan Kennedy, Jessica Kennedy
    Performers: Joshua Dyson, Eddie Kay, Jessica Kennedy, Megan Kennedy, Ingrid Nachstern
    Visual and Lighting Design: Aedín Cosgrove
    Sound Composition: Denis Clohessy
    Costume Design: Catherine Fay
    Video Design: Kilian Waters
    Producer: Richard Wakely

    Press on Five Ways to Drown
    ‘Genius… extraordinary… mesmerising… fantastically liberating… superbly attained dancers’ The View, RTE Television
    ‘Absorbing and affecting - a fitting opener to this year’s Dublin Dance Festival’ The Irish Times
    ‘It's rare to wish that something wasn't over when the lights come up, and this was that very rare thing indeed’ The Evening Herald
    ‘Talented identical twins Megan and Jessica Kennedy have created a magical inside/outside world full of inter-generational musings, melancholy moments, offbeat humour and imagination.’ Irish Independent

    Supported by an Arts Council Touring and Dissemination Award.


Sky Arts Documentary



We are delighted to be in a new documentary by Sky Arts featuring two dance companies from Ireland. In collaboration with Dublin Dance Festival, the process of The Falling Song and junk ensemble's history will be televised globally from May 2012 until May 2013 on Sky TV.

Watch the trailer here: 
http://skyarts.sky.com/sky-arts-at-dublin-dance-festival-2012-video

The Falling Song at Dublin Dance Festival 2012



The world premiere of The Falling Song will be presented at Dublin Dance Festival 2012.

Performed by an international all male cast and a live children’s choir, The Falling Song looks at the nature of flying and falling and the dangerous relationship between the two. Male physicality is pushed to the extremities to explore self-destruction, invincibility and failure. So quickly wings can be replaced by crutches.

Performances: Friday May 18th, Saturday May 19th at 8pm & Sunday May 20th at 6pm
Venue: Project Arts Centre, Space Upstairs
Tickets: www.dublindancefestival.ie / (01) 679 0524

The Falling Song is supported by The Irish Arts Council and Dublin City Council. junk ensemble are part of Project Catalyst, Project Arts Centre’s Associate Artist scheme.

Tate Performance Installation - Sometimes we break



junk ensemble have been commissioned by the Tate to create a performance installation titled Sometimes we break as the culmination of the company's residency at Tate Britain, London. Moving through different areas of the gallery with live music and performance punctuating the space, junk ensemble explored the ideas of parts to a whole, interruptions, missing parts, and blank white spaces. 

During the residency at Tate, junk ensemble worked with dance artists Delphine Gaborit and Carl Harrison, composer Tom Lane, and Jo Timmins and Valerie Reid on design. This event is free and unticketed.

Date: Friday February 17th
Time: 11am - 3pm with performances at 11am, 12pm, 1pm and 2pm. 
Performance duration: 30 minutes
Location: Tate Britain, Millbank, London.

www.tate.org.uk

Culture Ireland delegation to APAP, NYC



junk ensemble has been selected to attend the Association of Performing Arts Presenters Conference (APAP) as part of Culture Ireland's delegation. The conference is held in New York City from January 6th-10th, 2012.

Residency at Tate Modern/Britain



We are pleased to announce that junk ensemble will be in residence at Tate Modern and Tate Britain in early 2012 with a performance installation on February 17th.

Best Production Award



Bird with boy was awarded Best Production at the ABSOLUT Fringe Awards 2011. 

Bird with boy was also nominated for Best Design and Best Female Performer (Liv O'Donoghue).

Bird with boy at ABSOLUT Fringe 2011



junk ensemble were recently in residence at Dance Ireland, Dublin and Dance City in Newcastle upon Tyne, working on Bird with boy, performed in Kilmainham Jail as part of ABSOLUT Fringe 2011. 

Performances: September 12th - September 20th,  at 7.30pm.
Location: Kilmainham Jail, Inchicore Road, Dublin 8.
Tickets: euro14 / concession euro12 / preview euro10
www.fringefest.com / 1850 374 643

New England Foundation for the Arts Dance Conference



junk ensemble attended the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) Dance Conference and Festival. This was held in Boston and Vermont in early June.

APAP Conference 2011 in New York City



junk ensemble will attend the Association of Performing Arts Presenters Conference (APAP) in New York City in January 2011 as part of Culture Ireland's delegation. APAP takes place annually as part of Culture Ireland's strategic arts initiative to showcase Irish arts in the United States in 2011.

junk ensemble invited to speak at Mayo County Council Creative Careers Day



junk ensemble have been invited to participate in Mayo County Council's 'Creative Careers' (Careers in the Arts Day), Castlebar. This is an opportunity for young people who wish to pursue a career in the arts to talk to professional artists.

junk ensemble are Artists in Residence for Fingal County Council



junk ensemble have been appointed Artists in Residence for Fingal County Council. This includes teaching a weekly class at Donabate/Portrane Educate Together National School.

Aix-en-Provence Commissed Choreography



junk ensemble were commissioned to make a new work in July 2010 in Aix-en-Provence, France as part of Une Nuit Sans Opera Festival.

Pygmalian ReVisited is an original collaboration between two architects, two sound designers, and junk ensemble taking the story of Pygmalion as its starting point. The performance occured in Cézanne's Atelier and surrounding gardens at dusk.

Performance dates: Friday July 9th + Saturday July 10th at 8pm in Cezanne's Atelier, Aix-en-Provence.

Information and Tickets: www.sobha.fr

Five Ways to Drown at Dublin Dance Festival



EXTRA PERFORMANCE ADDED!
Both performances of Five Ways to Drown sold out so an extra show was added at 2pm on Sunday May 9th.
See 'press' for reviews.

The living room strewn on the front garden for all to see.

junk ensemble's world premier of Five Ways to Drown performed on Saturday May 8 & Sunday May 9 at Project Arts Centre at 8pm.

Choreographed and created by: junk ensemble
Producer: Richard Wakely
Visual and Lighting Design: Aedín Cosgrove
Sound Composition: Denis Clohessy
Costume Design: Catherine Fay
Video Design: Kilian Waters


Performers: Lee Clayden, Joshua Dyson, Jessica Kennedy, Megan Kennedy, Mary O'Connor

Booking:
www.dublindancefestival.ie / +353 1 672 8815

Commissioned by Dublin Dance Festival 2010 and supported by The Arts Council, Dublin City Council, Project Arts Centre and Dance Ireland.

See 'productions' for more details and 'press' for reviews.

Box of Two at Lighthouse Cinema



junk ensemble's short film Box of Two was shown at The Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield, Dublin in July 2009 as part of Dublin Dance Festival's DANCE ON FILM.

Elusive, mesmerising and deceptive, Box of Two plays with gravity from the confines of a wooden box.

Box of Two can be viewed by clicking on video.

junk Facebook Page



Join us on Facebook by clicking on the above link.

Drinking Dust recent tour date



Drinking Dust performed at Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris on November 20th + 21st at 7.30pm.

Booking: www.centreculturelirlandais.com
tel: +33 (0)1 5852 1030

"Particularly thrilling is Drinking Dust, junk ensemble's award winning piece. Co-directors of the company, twins Megan and Jessica Kennedy bring incredible vision to the work, creating a fantastical, slightly eerie yet heartfelt and moving atmosphere. Impressive." The Irish Herald

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"Drinking Dust is a cunningly elusive piece...highly memorable imagery." The Scottish Herald

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junk ensemble gratefully acknowledges the kind support from Culture Ireland, The Arts Council, Dublin City Council and Dance Ireland.

Irish Times Highlight 2008



Drinking Dust was listed as an IRISH TIMES HIGHLIGHT of 2008. See link above.

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Richard Wakely is International Producer for junk ensemble.

junk ensemble to APAP 2009, New York City



junk ensemble attended Association of Performing Arts Presenters Conference (APAP) in New York in January 2009, as part of the Culture Ireland delegation.

Drinking Dust press clips



The Critics Say:

'Drinking Dust is confident, winding up to a dust-strewn finale.' The Irish Times *****
'The dancers are compelling...All we want is to sneak in closer' Irish Theatre Magazine ****
'Razor sharp with detail...suitably bittersweet...utterly intuitive' The Metro ****

Dublin Fringe Festival 2008



junk ensemble presented Drinking Dust, a site-specific piece in collaboration with Brokentalkers. Drinking Dust was kindly supported by The Arts Council and Dublin City Council.

Hugh Lane Residency



junk ensemble were Dance company in Residence at Hugh Lane Gallery. The residency culminated in a site-specific piece in the gallery in June 2008.

www.hughlane.ie


junk ensemble facilitated dance workshops at the Ark Cultural Centre as part of Dublin Dance Festival 2008.

www.dublindancefestival.ie / www.ark.ie

junk ensemble at Dublin Fringe Festival 2007



The Rain Party performed sell-out shows at Dublin Fringe Festival 2007.

Drogheda Arts Festival



junk ensemble performed Watch Her Rain in an exciting double-bill of dance with ballerina Monica Loughman in the Drogheda Arts Festival (Droichead Arts Centre) on May 4th and 5th, 2007.

Other choreography by junk ensemble

junk ensemble choreographed and performed in eX Vocal's Christ Lag in Todes Banden at the Pavilion Theatre on Easter Day 2007. Directed by Eric Fraad.


junk ensemble choreographed Daniel Figgis' The Banquet as part of Fused Festival in July 2006.
Performers: Michael Cooney, Jessica Kennedy, Megan Kennedy, Aine Stapleton.