Bastard Amber is a ground-breaking dance production by the internationally renowned Liz Roche Company coming to the Lyric Theatre on 18th November. Drawing inspiration from two of the great Irish artists of the modern age, WB Yeats and Patrick Scott.

The work’s premiere at the Abbey Theatre during Dublin Dance Festival in 2015 was a resounding success, receiving fantastic reviews and standing ovations, and was seen by President Higgins and his wife Sabine Higgins. It was a historic moment for dance in Ireland, the first time ever for an Irish choreographer to be commissioned to create a full-length dance work for the main stage of Ireland’s National Theatre. The piece now stands as a landmark event both for Liz Roche – who remains at the forefront of defining a new landscape for dance in Ireland – and for Irish contemporary dance.

Choreographed and conceived by Liz Roche, Bastard Amber is a multi-disciplinary production, with sublime choreography, unforgettable imagery, live music and stunning design. A stellar company of Irish and international dancers performs alongside four renowned musicians from traditional, rock and classical backgrounds, with an exceptional set, lighting and costume design from celebrated designers Paul Wills, Lee Curran and Catherine Fay, and a specially commissioned score by composer Ray Harman.

A profound journey into humankind’s spiritual quest, Bastard Amber conjures up a lustrous Byzantine world, drawing inspiration from the imagery of W.B Yeats’ poem Sailing to Byzantium. The work of other artists is also strongly referenced, most notably Patrick Scott’s iconic Gold meditation paintings reflected in the set and light design, contrasting the subtleties of form, space and light with the wild, stark, beautiful reality of the body.

Bastard Amber is a co-production between The Abbey Theatre, Dublin Dance Festival and Liz Roche Company. The work was co-commissioned by the Abbey Theatre, Dublin Dance Festival and Kilkenny Arts Festival and was an affiliate event of Yeats 2015, Ireland’s National celebration of W.B. Yeats.

For more information, or to book tickets click here.

Laura Caldwell

Author: Laura Caldwell

Hi, I'm Laura. I'm 30 years old and have a degree in Journalism with Photo-Imaging at the University of Ulster. I have an undying love for Belfast and all that it has to offer, an undying love for sleeping, Tegan and Sara, trashy tv shows, foreign snack-foods and being irresponsible with money. I also quite like origami, reading, jazz, hip-hop, dubstep, anything acoustic and Food Network TV. I've written for The Big List, Culture NI, Chatterbox and The Echo, as well as writing for BBC Across the Line.