As the curtain rises to give a tantalising glimpse of the opening night of Irish choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan’s new production ‘Mám’ at the 2019 Dublin Theatre Festival, Pat Collins’s latest documentary immediately cuts to a community hall on the Dingle peninsula eight weeks previously. There, an international gathering of musicians such as Cormac Begley and dancers under Keegan-Doyle’s leadership, begin the long, arduous undertaking of the piece’s construction.

What follows is an enthralling account of the creative process, depicting the painstaking accumulation of details as Mám finds form, with movement and music taking shape in tandem through willing experimentation and fearless trial and error up to to the finished piece’s triumphant premiere.

 

PRESS
“There was something about the Gaeltacht area of Dingle, diving into the traditions and seeing what one could learn” – Hot Press
"The Dance: Fascinating close-up portrait of a creative process" - The Irish Times
"A rousing and immersive love letter to the power of creativity" - The Irish Examiner
"An emotional study of Irish performers’ work in progress"  - The Guardian

Warnings: none
Trailer: Watch Here
Running Time: 97 minutes
Age: 12+