The Creative Process

So what is surfacing (Dublin Fringe Festival application)

This video is a compilation of different performances of Jessie Keenan’s live improvisation to audio she recorded in response to the question ‘So what is surfacing?’, adapted from a phrase written by Brian Friel during the composition process for Dancing at Lughnasa (1990). The audio in this clip is radio static processed by Robbie Blake and used as music for Jessie’s performances at the Belfast Book Festival in June 2019 and the UCD Humanities Institute in February 2020. This compilation was produced to accompany an application to the Dublin Fringe Festival that was subsequently withdrawn due to the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on live performance. The project was subsequently reimagined for film.

So what is surfacing

This film, directed by Jessie Keenan, is set in the stunning surrounds of the Museum of Literature Ireland. Three dancers - Lucia Kickham, Marion Cronin, and Sarah Ryan - move between their individual interior world and their collective exterior world.

The Creative Process

So what is surfacing, original improvisation

This is Jessie Keenan’s original dance improvisation to audio she recorded in response to the question ‘So what is surfacing?’, adapted from a phrase written by Brian Friel during the composition process for Dancing at Lughnasa (1990).

The Creative Process

Jessie Keenan interview, extract 1

Jessie Keenan talks about the origins and development of her dance film ‘So what is surfacing’.

The Creative Process

Running the Ending Compilation (Dublin Fringe Festival application)

This video is a compilation of different performances of Robbie Blake’s live version of ‘Running the ending’, inspired by Brian Friel’s composition process for Dancing at Lughnasa (1990).