Trinity Irish Dance Company Comes to The Joyce

 The Joyce Theater Foundation will welcome the return of Trinity Irish Dance Company (TIDC) for its fifth engagement at The Joyce, celebrating the company's 35th anniversarywith a vibrant mixed repertory program. Performances will take place February 17–22 in The Joyce's Tino & Rajika Puri Auditorium.

The engagement features a slate of premieres, including the world premiere of SÉseacht (shay-shokht) by acclaimed tap choreographer Michelle Dorrance and the New York premiere of The Sash, a new work by TIDC Founding Artistic Director Mark Howard, Associate Artistic Director Chelsea Hoy, and contemporary choreographer Stephanie Martinez that continues TIDC's long tradition of genre-defying innovation.

For more than three decades, Trinity Irish Dance Company has stood at the forefront of innovation in Irish dance, transforming the form from a competitive tradition into a contemporary performing art grounded in musicality, athleticism, and cultural imagination. Founded in 1990 as a creative forum for Artistic Director Mark Howard's visionary approach, TIDC emerged as the birthplace of “progressive Irish dance,” a genre that fused vibrant Irish traditions with evolving American influences and reshaped global perceptions of the form. Despite the widespread commercialization of Irish dance that followed, the company has remained deeply committed to artistic integrity, allowing the work to evolve while maintaining a clear lineage to its cultural roots. 

“Trinity Irish Dance Company has been the trailblazing force for Irish dance, and in their 35th year, they remain at the cutting edge of what is possible for this traditional form in the 21st century. They achieve what commercial Irish dance shows do not: a powerful combination of genuine innovation, cultural depth and authentic artistry with exceptional technical range,” says choreographer Michelle Dorrance.

Led by the pioneering vision of Howard in partnership with Associate Artistic Director Chelsea Hoy, TIDC continues to push beyond the boundaries of traditional step dance through intricate footwork, sculptural ensemble patterns, cross-genre collaboration, and a powerful blend of percussive precision and theatrical dynamism. The company's 35th anniversary season follows a landmark debut at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, where TIDC made history as the first company to present a full program of Irish dance on the Ted Shawn Theatre stage in the festival's 93-year history. 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

TIDC's week-long run will feature a mixed repertory program performed with original live music by the company's band, led by Killarney-raised, New York-based vocalist Brenoshea. Highlights include SÉseacht (shay shokht), created and directed by Michelle Dorrance in collaboration with the dancers; a rhythmic tour de force built exclusively on TIDC's distinctive Irish step dance vocabulary and set to original music performed live by the company's four musicians. Exploring complex and unconventional time signatures, SÉseacht expands the percussive and technical possibilities of the form while remaining deeply rooted in its traditions.

The New York premiere of The Sash is choreographed by Mark Howard, Chelsea Hoy, and guest contemporary choreographer Stephanie Martinez. Set to a rousing score by Northern Irish composer Kevin Sharkey, the work draws inspiration from Sharkey's childhood during the The Troubles, fusing Irish precision and history with contemporary movement. The Sash offers a meditation on unity and resilience, presenting an unprecedented movement vocabulary that bridges past and present. The program will also include the world premiere of Sofía, a duet featuring Sofía Dorantes of Querétaro, Mexico, and Patrick Grant of Toronto, Canada, alongside additional repertory works by Howard, including Soles, A New Dawn, and Push, among others. The company's increasingly international roster of dancers and musicians reflects TIDC's global reach, with artists hailing from the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Ireland.