MÁM is a powerful contemporary dance work rooted in Irish tradition, created by choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan and performed by his company Teaċ Daṁsa. Drawing inspiration from the landscape of the Dingle Peninsula — his home territory, where the Irish language and its legends remain alive — the piece takes its name from the Irish word for a mountain pass, evoking a threshold between the known and the unknown.
The work weaves together the energy of traditional Irish step dancing and the fluidity of contemporary movement. At the centre of the drama, a young girl witnesses an unfolding festive ceremony that sets bodies ablaze and feet hammering the ground in rhythmic ritual.
Around a dozen dancers perform alongside the seven-piece Berlin ensemble stargaze and concertina virtuoso Cormac Begley, whose playing anchors the music at the heart of the piece. The collision of youth and age, past and future, propels the dance into an intensely resonant celebration.
The show runs without an interval and lasts approximately 1 hour 10 minutes. Tickets are priced from $49 to $89 (taxes and fees included), with a youth rate also available. The production is presented by Danse Danse at Théâtre Maisonneuve, Montreal.