Dublin Irish Dance Perform at Segerstrom Center for the Arts this February

Dublin Irish Dance performs Stepping Out, a high-energy extravaganza of sights and sounds, on Saturday, February 24 at 7:30pm at Segerstrom Center for the Arts and on Sunday, February 25 at 3:00pm at the Younes and Sarah Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya).

A company of world champion Irish step-dancers, along with an eight-member traditional Irish band and vocalist, take the audience on a journey, exploring the history and evolution of the Celtic cultural experience through favorite Irish melodies, traditional steps and Celtic instrumentals.

This entertaining production reveals influences that have shaped Irish music and dance throughout history: from the farms of rural Ireland in the 1800s, to the vibrant Irish community that migrated to New York - a bygone generation that crossed the Atlantic to escape the Great Famine in Ireland, lured by the promise of the American Dream. Once here, Irish and American cultures blended and influenced each other.

Greeted by diverse cultures and rich traditions from around the globe, the new Irish emigrants congregated in dance gatherings where ancient Irish melodies fused with African rhythms, creating American tap dance and early roots music. Stepping Out celebrates the incredible evolution of Irish traditional dance and music, showcasing the new pioneers who will define the new standard of traditional Irish music and dance.

This company of high-steppers has toured the world, many appearing in the original Riverdance and Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance. Dublin Irish Dance is led by its two principal choreographers and movement directors: Ciarán Connolly and Alan Scariff.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts - Tickets for Dublin Irish Dance start at $29 and may be purchased online at SCFTA.org, the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787. For inquiries about group ticket savings for 10 or more, call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236.

The Soraya - Tickets for Dublin Irish Dance, starting at $33, are now available ValleyPerformingArtsCenter.org or by calling (818) 677-3000. Valley Performing Arts Center (The Soraya) is located on the campus of California State University, Northridge (CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff Street Northridge, CA 91330-8448, at the corner of Nordhoff and Lindley.

Dublin Irish Dance tells the story, through Irish music, song, dance, of the immigrant Irish as they left their homes in Ireland for the shores of America.

On New Years day 1892, 17-year-old Irish colleen Annie Moore was the first foreigner to pass through Ellis Island. Today the U.S. census states than more than 40 million people claim to be of Irish decent. With moving themes of immigration, love, loss and triumph over adversity, in good times and bad, Ireland's traditions of music, song and dance have been the soundtrack to the life of millions of people.

The performance comprises a blend of classic contemporary tunes with traditional Irish rhythms alongside stirring and emotive vocal tracks - the audience can experience the dazzling dance performances, the incredible emotion of the pure Celtic voice and the sensational multi instrumentalists on fiddle, flute, uilleann pipes, accordion, banjo, mandolin, whistle, bodhrán, guitar, piano, drums and bass.

The program features world champion dancers, all Ireland champion instrumentalists, principal performers from Riverdance together with sensational performers from Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance and Celtic Woman. Dublin Irish Dance is like no other show in its genre, unique in its imaginative design. Complete with pulsating and stirring Irish music together with original choreography, this exciting production is steeped in Ireland's cultural traditions and infused with worldly influences and vast experience.

About the Principal Choreographers and Movement Directors
Ciarán Connolly (Principal Choreographer and Movement Director) is originally from Dublin and has worked successfully in London for the last 14 years as a commercial dancer and choreographer, working on shows as The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and Strictly Come Dancing. He's worked alongside and toured the world with names such as Take That, Robbie Williams, One Direction, Girls Aloud, Michael Bublé and many more.

Last year Ciarán choreographed Season 5 of The Voice of Ireland for Ireland's national broadcaster (RTE). He was also Creative Director and Choreographer of The June Rodgers Show and Summer Tours 2010-2014, as well as for Women of Ireland World Tour 2014-2015.

After working as Assistant Choreographer on The Daniel O'Donnell Rock and Roll UK Tour, Ciarán went onto work with a host of top choreographers on major tours and events, including as Assistant Choreographer of Cliff Richard's 2011 Solicious Tour, Dance Captain and a coordinator on the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Ceremonies under the direction of Creative Director Kim Gavin, Assistant to the Choreographer Paul Roberts on One Direction's World Stadium Tour 2014 and Assistant to choreographer Paul Domain on The Saturdays tour 2014.

Alan Scariff (Principal Choreographer and Movement Director) was born in Galway city in the west of Ireland. He commenced his formal Irish dance lessons at the tender age of four. A formidable dancer from an early age, he later went onto win All Ireland and World Dance championship titles. In his early days of touring as a professional dancer, Scariff performed lead roles in productions of To Dance on the Moon, Spirit of Ireland and Dance of Desire. He later joined the now world-renowned Irish dance show Riverdance and toured internationally for eight years as Principal Dancer and Dance Captain.

Following extensive work in North America as Irish dance instructor, Alan now heads the Gibbons/Farrell/Scariff School of Dance in his native Galway, while simultaneously working as a choreographer on different international projects.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts' International Dance Series is made possible by the Audrey Steele Burnand Endowed Fund for International Dance and The Segerstrom Foundation Endowment for Great Performances. Segerstrom Center for the Arts thanks its corporate partners including Kia Motors America, Official Automotive Partner; United Airlines, Official Airline; and Omaha Steaks International, Official Fine Food Retailer. Classical KUSC and COAST Magazine are Media Partners of the International Dance Series.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is an acclaimed arts institution as well as a beautiful multi-disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence, offering unsurpassed experiences and to engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring arts-based education and community engagement programs.

Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center is Orange County's largest non-profit arts organization. In addition to its six performance venues, Segerstrom Center is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School.

The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza and many other special events.

Segerstrom Center is a leader among the nation's performing arts centers for providing education programs designed to inspire young people through the arts. The Center's programs reach hundreds of thousands of students each year in five Southern California counties. Community engagement programs developed through the Center for Dance and Innovation and Center Without Boundaries also connect the Center more comprehensively with Orange County's many diverse communities. The CDI supports flagship artistic programming and a wide range of projects that celebrate innovation, nurture creativity and engage audiences of the future. It is home to the ABT Gillespie School and the School of Dance and Music for Children with Disabilities. The Center Without Boundaries develops partnerships with non-cultural organizations to help them in their own efforts to respond the ever-changing needs of the community.

The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya)
The Soraya opened its 2017-2018 season on September 16 with a performance of AMADEUS Live (Milos Foreman's 1984 Academy Award-winning Best Picture with live orchestra) with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and members of the LA Opera Chorus. The evening honored the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Foundation in recognition of the family's recent $17 million gift that will rename Valley Performing Arts Center as the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Performing Arts Center, known as The Soraya. The gift is one of the largest in the history of the California State University and the system's largest single gift to support the arts; gift to support the programming and operations of the award-winning Valley Performing Arts Center - which has become one of the cultural jewels of the region in the six years since it opened.

The 2017-18 Soraya season signals a new era for the premier event venue. Under the leadership of Executive Director Thor Steingraber, the renamed Younes and Soraya Nazarian Performing Arts Center expands its programming and outstanding multidisciplinary performances. The mission of The Soraya is to present a wide variety of performances that not only includes new and original work from the Los Angeles region but also work from around the world that appeal to all of LA's rich and diverse communities.

Located on the campus of California State University, Northridge, The Soraya's season offers a vibrant performance program of nearly 50 classical and popular music, dance, theater, family and international events that will serve to establish The Soraya as the intellectual and cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley, and further establish itself as one of the top arts companies in Southern California. The award-winning, 1,700-seat theatre was designed by HGA Architects and Engineers and was recently cited by the Los Angeles Times as "a growing hub for live music, dance, drama and other cultural events."

Photo Credit: Keith Dixon

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