by Saoirse Anton

The sun is shining, the oven has been left to languish in favour of a picky bits dinner, skin across the country is prickling as people realise they should have been applying sun-cream earlier, and petrol station forecourts and pavements outside corner shops are awash with people happily licking already-melting 99s. I don’t know about you, but the return of summery weather in May always makes me keen to be out and about and moving. Whether it’s swimming in the sea or the lake near where I live, wandering round a woodland, meeting up with friends in the park to practice circus skills or play games, or just pottering about the garden getting tasks done. May feels like a time for movement, so read on to see who is moving and shaking on Irish stages this month!

Dublin Dance Festival

No column with recommendations of movement and dance in May would be complete without a mention of Dublin Dance Festival. A highlight in the dance calendar every year, Dublin Dance Festival runs from the 13th to the 25th May and is jam packed with a feast of different dance shows, workshops, films, club nights, talks and discussions. When I say that there is something for everyone in the programme, I am not kidding. Whether you are interested in a somatic yoga workshop, or want to see a classic ballet reimagined by Matthew Bourne, you’ll find something to delight you at Dublin Dance Festival. Some highlights of the programme for me include Boris Charmatz’s SOMNOLE, a meditative solo exploring the tension between the mind’s desire for stillness and its restless motion, and Re:INCARNATION by Qudus Onikeku, which is described as “an ode to the richness of Nigerian culture, bursting with energy, colour and joy.”

Dublin Dance Festival runs from 13-25th of May in venues across Dublin.

Chora

This entry actually features in the Dublin Dance Festival programme too, opening the festival at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre on the 13th of May, but I wanted to give this show its own section as it is a new offering from one of Ireland’s newest dance companies, Luail. Luail was established in 2024 as Ireland’s National Dance Company, and Chora is their first major production. A triple bill of works by Guy Nader and Maria Campos, Liz Roche and Mufutau Yusuf, performed alongside the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Chora draws on the ancient Greek concept of “chora", as a place that is both physical and abstract to present a dynamic exchange between dancers and musicians, drawing on themes of memory and landscape.

Chora tours to several venues across Ireland in May.

Bealtaine Workshops

If you want to get moving and shaking yourself in May, then have a look at the Bealtaine Festival programme, Ireland’s national festival which celebrates the arts and creativity as we age. From beginners “Jig Fit” dance classes in Kerry, to Social Dancing in Wicklow, and Balkan Folk Dancing demonstrations in Dublin, there’s a host of excellent dance and movement events on throughout the festival.

Bealtaine Festival runs country-wide throughout May

Six Out of Seven

Heading out West we meet some movers from Eastern Europe, as Romanian dance company M Studio brings Six Out of Seven to Galway. Based on the seven deadly sins and their virtues, this piece choreographed by Eoin Mac Donnacha for M Studio promises to be a captivating and visually stunning piece of dance theatre.

Six Out of Seven runs at the Black Box Theatre in Galway on the 9th of May.

Earthfall

Hanging around the West, we head up to Ballina Arts Centre for our next entry, with Earthfall from Undercurrent. Bringing together four distinct cultural dance styles from an international and intergenerational ensemble, Earthfall explores a story in which four people find themselves trapped inside a Kafkaesque realm of incomprehensible rules, walls and boundaries that change without rhyme or reason, and relentless schedules. An intriguing piece that I will definitely by trying to make it along to!

Earthfall runs at Ballina Arts Centre on the 2nd of May.

Miss Mary

Miss Mary is a co-production between Roscommon Arts Centre, Backstage Theatre Longford and An Táin in Dundalk for Bealtaine Festival 2025. Combining workshops and performances, Miss Mary explores the stories and histories of Irish dance masters of the past, as step dancer Kristyn Fontanella follows in their footsteps in her outdoor performances.

Miss Mary tours to Roscommon, Longford and Dundalk in May.

So what are you waiting for? Nab yourself a ticket, sign up to a workshop, and get moving and shaking in May!