Trinity Irish Dance Will Come to Berklee Performance Center
The performance is on February 8th.
Fresh off of a month-long tour of Japan, the Chicago-based Trinity Irish Dance Company will come to the Berklee Performance Center on February 8th. This company of elite dancers and musicians presents a new take on their innovative approach to a traditional form: “Jig, a Trinity Irish Dance Company production.”
Celebrating its second season following its successful 2024 premiere across 8 US cities, JIG is a groundbreaking, alternative approach to an immersive theater experience that redefines what is possible for Irish music and dance. From the innovative mind of Founding Artistic Director Mark Howard, JIG is centered around Trinity’s long time, critically-acclaimed live band in a unique space that celebrates the thrill of connection through vibrations, rhythm and movement.
Howard’s lifelong mission to elevate communities through what he calls the “power and grace of Irish dance” has informed 35 years of pioneering work. He describes his latest creation, JIG:
“At a time when the world needs healing, I see the dancers and musicians of JIG as movement and sound doctors always searching for something real, something with humanity in it. They are powerful and determined connectors that surround audiences with a unique force field of positive energy, emphasizing the critical importance of savoring the joyful moments.
Dance and music are commodities that we consume with our imaginations. As humans, we often personify art to help us understand our own humanity. The dances and songs are alive because we are, and I believe the inverse is also true.”
Fronted by Killarney-raised, New York-based singer songwriter BRENOSHEA (Brendan O’Shea) the TIDC band is comprised of All-Ireland fiddle and bodhran champion Jake James, along with Chicago musicians Chris Devlin (guitar/vocals), and Steven Rutledge (percussionist/vocals). This eclectic and dynamic quartet combine with an international cast of ten awe-inspiring, virtuosic dancers including TIDC’s Associate Artistic Director Chelsea Hoy, Toronto-based solo world champion Patrick Grant, and Mexico’s most accomplished Irish dancer: Francisco Lemus, who was just named to Dance Magazine’s 2025 “25 to Watch.” The company will be rounded out by percussive powerhouses Saori Nakasone Nakamurakari, Anna Gorman, Lydia Fredrick, Rachel Olson, Aubrey Chann, and Micah Roby.
Lead singer BRENOSHEA, who splits his time between New York’s East Village and Woodstock is grateful for the opportunity to embark on a new venture. “Howard has always looked for imaginative ways to break the fourth wall. The band and I are thrilled for the opportunity to be part of JIG’s transformative experience. At the heart of the show lives a sentiment that both Howard and I grew up hearing from our resilient Irish mothers, ‘Things will turn out.’
|
Beetlejuice Jr. The Company Theatre (11/06-11/08) |
|
Wicked Boston Opera House (9/23-11/15) |
|
Little Shop of Horrors 40th Anniversary Tour with Ellen Greene (the Original Audrey) Emerson Colonial Theatre (8/28-8/28) |
|
Puppet Showplace Theater Presents: A Pirate’s Great Adventure by Peanut's Playhouse Puppet Showplace Theater (7/26-7/26) |
|
Purpose Boston Center for the Arts (9/10-10/11) |
|
John Waters: Going to Extremes Provincetown Town Hall (7/23-7/23) |
|
Puppet Showplace Theater Presents: Summer Puppet Slam Puppet Showplace Theater (8/15-8/15) |
|
Guitar Women: An Evening with Sue Foley and Rory Block Payomet Performing Arts Center (8/24-8/24) |
|
Duane Betts and Palmetto Motel Payomet Performing Arts Center (7/30-7/30) |
|
Leo Season Country Dance and Drag Extravaganza Huntington Theatre, Maso Studio (7/24-7/24) |