The Creative Process

So what is surfacing (rehearsal), 25 February 2020

This is a version of Jessie Keenan’s live 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). This is a rehearsal for a performance that took place at the UCD Humanities Institute as part of an illustrated talk by Friel scholar Zosia Kuczyńska, in which she spoke about the collaborative process of creating new work from creative encounters with the Brian Friel Papers. This presentation—a condensed version of an earlier talk at the Belfast Book Festival in June 2019—featured a showcase of work in progress by Jessie and Robbie, including early versions of ‘So what is surfacing’ and ‘Running the ending’.

Jessie would later go back to this footage and learn a phrase from her performance to teach to dancers Marion Cronin, Lucia Kickham, and Sarah Ryan. This phrase, danced in unison with moments of deliberate hesitation and repetition from two of the three performers, forms a significant portion of Jessie’s film ‘So what is surfacing’.

Gallery

Behind the scenes

These photographs range from the early days of the collaboration to behind-the-scenes images from the filming of interviews and portraits.

The Creative Process

Dance House, 11 August 2020

In this recording, Jessie Keenan teaches dancers Marion Cronin, Lucia Kickham, and Sarah Ryan the first part of a dance phrase. This phrase was taken from footage of Jessie rehearsing a live 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

Dance House, 13 August 2020

This is a recording of dancers Marion Cronin, Lucia Kickham, and Sarah Ryan performing the second part of a dance phrase taught to them by Jessie Keenan.

The Creative Process

Belfast Book Festival Trailer

A key phase in the development of ‘Don’t anticipate the ending’ was the showcasing of work-in-progress. This is a trailer for an illustrated talk at the Belfast Book Festival 2019, during which Friel scholar Zosia Kuczynska spoke about the process of creating new work by Jessie Keenan and Robbie Blake from creative encounters with the Brian Friel Papers. Keenan and Blake then performed early versions of ‘So what is surfacing’ and ‘Running the ending’ respectively. This trailer uses material from the first full recordings of Robbie Blake’s ‘Running the ending’, filmed in and around the UCD Humanities Institute in May 2019.