Bád Shiobhán

Description

Bád Shiobhán (Siobhán’s Boat) is an honest, tender and authentic performance touching on themes of care, tradition, power and play in familial relationships.  The work centres around the relationship between choreographer Siobhán, her father, traditional boat-builder Pádraig Ó Duinnín, and a 3-hand West Kerry Naomhóg, a light-weight, wooden-framed, canvas-covered canoe usually rowed at sea on the west coast of Ireland.

In the performance Siobhán and Pádraig work with some of the boat's materials including 22 foot, spruce laths and 10 yards of canvas. Set to an original score by composer Neil Quigley, with visuals by Dervla Baker, Bád Shiobhán weaves the traditional into a contemporary performance setting. 

Bád Shiobhán uncovers the nuances of an imperfect relationship, sharing heartfelt experiences of the joyful and sometimes tragic aspects of life in connection to the sea, rowing and boat-building.  This work celebrates an intimacy that evolves from building a boat and making a dance together.