Getting jiggy in the centre of Dublin

Following a tip off on Darragh Doyle’s blog site (www.darraghdoyle.blogspot.com) I decided to get involved in a spontaneous performance in Dublin. The event was scheduled to happen on 16th March and it initially required texting a code to a number on the above blog site. Over the weekend I received, by text, further instructions and directing me to be at Temple Bar’s Meeting House Square for 3.45pm that day and to wait for further directions.

Once I arrived, quite nervously at the square, a small crowd of about 20 people had assembled and we were ushered down into a basement in central Temple Bar where we were told to get some chairs and wait until the crowd had increased to a Critical Mass (as it was referred to by one of the organisers).

But what was going to happen? Last year the people organising today’s event held a spontaneous performance in the Ilac Centre which a group of participants suddenly started kissing each other, among the hustle and bustle of shoppers, and it wasn’t a peck on the cheek. A video was made of it and there was some serious necking going on. While we were in the basement a video of that event was shown to us on a big screen. After what seemed like half an hour, when the crowd had swelled, we were told precisely the nature of today’s art performance. The idea was that we would all be involved in spontaneous Irish Dancing in the Central Bank Plaza, Dame Street.

But first we would have to be trained in Irish dancing. Following the training, in which I was convinced I’d lost weight, we were taken outside the basement up to the plaza where we would be spontaneously performing in the full glare of the passing public. The intense practice session in the basement was preparing us for the public display and there was plenty of opportunity for accidents to happen. I was particularly concerned of getting a knee in the nuts from all the intense activity, but thankfully that didn’t happen.

My partner for the dancing was Michelle; she was studious in her efforts to understand what was required. I must have been an annoyance to some degree, but Michelle was very patient. Soon we were ready to hop and when the dancing started, in front of the passersby and accompanied by a band of musicians, the on looking public were bemused at the sight of us jigging away. After about 10 minutes of the Irish dancing we dispersed and I can say the whole event was a joy to participate in.

Everyone, I’m certain, felt the same way. I would urge anyone interested to get involved in this form of performance art if the chance comes along and I myself would jump at the chance of getting involved again in such exciting activity.

My thanks go to Dublin’s Performance Corporation and also to Darragh for posting the info on his blog site.
© Ian Callagy 2009