An immersive performance of dance and theatre, folk memory and the the big-band era, recalling dance as a form of defiance in 1930's Ireland

‘The Devils in the Dance Hall’ is an immersive live performance combining dance and theatre, inspired by the true story of Jimmy Gralton and the suppression of Ireland’s rural dance halls in the early 20th century. Drawing on oral history, folk memory, and the energy of the big-band era, the performance celebrates the collective joy of dance as a form of defiance.

Through spoken word, song, and the roaring sounds of The Gralton Big Band, it tells how Ireland’s old dance halls became centres of community life, offering music, learning, debate, and freedom of expression, until church and state moved to close them down through the introduction of the 1935 Dance Hall Act.

As the performance unfolds, the boundary between stage and floor dissolves, and the audience are invited to dance the night away.

Choreographer and creator of the piece Edwina Guckian will teach the gathered audience dance steps across swing, trad, foxtrot, slow sets, sean-nós, lindy hop and set-dance.

Created by Edwina Guckian, who brings to Cork city a company that includes the Gralton Big Band, plus actors, dancers and traditional dance culture organisation Áirc Damhsa.

Suitable for age 14+ (u18s accompanied).

Description supplied by the event organiser.