TW/WeATHER Fe ARTS THE SUNDAY XOURKAL ‘SUNDAY, MARCH 10, 2013 SANTATONORTH Journal Sar sunoay sure aeas az ita Fe AZO UILXADON OF Seema TESUNTAYIOUINAL ‘Riverdance’ lead to perform with Irish company By Manette Newnorp For the fournat For the first time since Adrienne Bellis start. ed the Belisama Contemporary Dance company, her master class teacher Michael Patrick Gal- Iagher will perform with the studio's frish com- Baty i the seventh anna! “Rhy thin of Pre” tn It's big deal, Beliis said, because Gallagher isaw performer, has been 2 lead in “Riverdance” and was a former Irish World ‘Chaimpion. In the “Rhythm of Fire" show, the company will perform a new traditional Irish dance choreographed by Gallagher. “He's been our master teacher for five years,” Bellis said, “This will be the first time we actu- ally get to share the stage with him. He's toured. all over the world and it's ust really exciting to have him say yes to performing onstage with us” ‘The Belisema Irish Company is mado up of 1 dancers from Santa Fe, Los Alamos and Albu ‘quergue. Ages range from 12-2and they are all advanced dancers, Bellis said, with some of theta being regional, national und open cham- plons. “Rhythm of Fire” will feature both recorded and live music. year-old company dancer Maria Jones will pay thefiddle, offering edgy interpretationsof irish music. According toanewsrelease, she has studied and played with fiddle greats Liz Carroll, Alasdair Fraser and Brittany Haas. Well-known Santa Fe folk singersongwrlier Jono Mansoo, whose songs have been recorded by Grammy Award-win- ‘ning artists and features in major motion pic- tures, will perform on the guitar. Mark Clark, ‘wha has been professional drummer since age 12, also will play during the performance. A variety of musical numbers will be involved, from traditional? irish, to Americana tojazz. Inan interview, Jones pointed oat that the show wit he quite diverse in terms ofthe styles of dance, even though the performance fits into the Irish genre, ‘Company dancor and choreographer Celia Kessler added. “We've not all completely tradi- tional. Ithink it's coal to show that Irish dane: Dancer and choreographer Colia Kessler will be performing In “Rhythm of Fire.” If you go WHAT: elisama Irish Dance presonts the seventh annual *Rhythim of Fire” WHEN: 7:30 p.m, Friday, Mareh 15 WHERE: Lonsie Performing Arts Center, 211 W. ‘San Francisco St., Sanita Fe HOW MUCH: Tickets are $40-$20 a1 wine, Licketssantafe.org, 505-988-1234 or at the Lensic box office ing ts more versatile than some people think. Using music and daneing, the ish dance company has several stories to tell. Bellis said there are countless trish inumigration siories in America, In “Rhythm of Fire” there will be. traditional music and nontraditional, mixing in the sounds of Jones, Manson and Clark. ‘Bellis enjoys the annual "Risytim of Fire” performance because the Irish Company doesn't get to perform with no strings attached very often. Usually, itis competing. “Treally like performance and most of Irish dancing schools do competitions, but not alot of performing,” she said. "So, for me, when creat- ing @ company, a fot of it was about creating a Performing group that could compete at a very high level event though it was a student group.” Itheres one thing Bellis would like the audi ‘ence te gain from seeing “Rhythm of Fire,” it's. ‘simply that they have a good time. “The Irish are all about having fun,” she said. “Ijust want them to go away thinking that was.a fantastic thing to do for St. Patrick's Day. “weekend.”