The ecological, social and political clouds that are gathering above our heads only strengthen our view: to stay together, we must first stay connected to the real world, which nothing can replace, and face it head-on. Keeping the link between the madness of ideas, sometimes creative, sometimes destructive, and the pulse of a living, active physiological body: chopping wood, cooking, running, walking the dog, trimming the hedge, chatting with a friend on the footpath, playing ball with your children, running, or simply sitting on a bench to watch the rain or the sunset. And dancing too, of course.

Dancing more than ever, and not just to keep fit, maintain coordination or learn. But also, quite simply, to be who we are, stripped of the prosthetic, digital or other extensions that give us the illusion of power, the fantasy of superiority, the belief that we can extend our lives beyond what they are, and the illusion that there might be somewhere else. But we have only one Earth.

“Dance is at the heart of a new counter-culture.” This idea would not have crossed my mind just a few years ago, but it is perhaps not so surprising. The cards have to be shuffled regularly, so that our cultures, the body of our gathered bodies, do not succumb to the fantasy of permanence or the denial of time passing. To remind us that jubilation always takes the form of movement, which is dance.

A space of reality, then, transfigured, transcended, steeped in images and memory, sometimes joyful and sometimes painful. This year, we have the pleasure and honour of presenting artists who engage with their reality, whether in darkness or light, giving it form and sharing it with us.

In ‘An Immigrant’s Story’, Wanjiru Kamuyu tells us about her experience of a life in transit, of an immigrant status that is constantly renewed. With Los Perros, Led Silhouette and Marcos Morau remind us, with a touch of irony, of our natural condition as animals, where curiosity and instinct reign supreme. In ‘Country OK’, Siobhán Ní Dhuinnín takes us back to a celebration that brings together amateur and professional dancers and musicians. In ‘What the Trees Don’t Tell’, Kiko López and Héctor Plaza show us how masculinity can go hand in hand with tenderness.

With ‘In and Between’, we are offering a day of showcases, practical sessions and discussions centred on the experience of being an immigrant, particularly against the backdrop of a resurgence of racist sentiment in Europe.

For dance artists, we are also offering seven Pro Sessions and the opportunity to spend time with the festival’s artists, discovering their practices and approach to the creative process.

The second week of the festival is almost entirely dedicated to our local communities, with our All Day Do Dance event, and bringing a dance performance, workshops and a space for discussion into eight different schools across County Tipperary.