An exciting new wave of dance initiatives is shaking up the art form and reshaping how audiences engage with it today
Main image; Melissa wears: Cream silk and linen lace knit dress by Dior. Melissa’s custom pointe shoes are by Bloch, embossed with her name on the sole of each shoe. Photographed by Kip Carroll at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. Styled By Aislinn Coffey.
Earlier this year, actor Timothée Chalamet stated in an interview for CNN and Variety that ballet and opera are dying art forms and “nobody cares” about them anymore. His statement provoked a widespread backlash from both audiences and those in the industry. After all, there’s a reason ballet and opera have endured for over 400 years. Both these art forms are pure outlets of artistic expression that can tell real stories, evoke emotion, create human connection, and enable us to get lost in beauty and escape the real world for a couple of hours. So they’re arguably more important than ever.
But the statement did get everyone talking. Melissa Hamilton (above), the only Irish ballerina to be made principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London, said: “In a sense I agree with him and it’s part of the reason I set up the ballet production company Hamilton Christou with my husband Michael, to make sure that ballet was at the forefront of theatre, and it’s why I’m so passionate about bringing world class ballet to Ireland.”
Hamilton is also clear on the need to adapt and speak to new audiences. This is a driving force for her to bring her production of Melissa Hamilton’s Ballet Stars Gala to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre on May 9. “Ballet doesn’t have a big enough voice or platform, and I think it is up to us as artists to use our platforms to shine a brighter light on what we do. That’s what I hope to show in the gala, that ballet and dance – and opera – are very much alive.”
“I really hope this show shakes up people’s perceptions of what ballet is today.”
Ballet Ireland dancer Niamh O’Flannagain.
Curated specifically for Irish audiences, the show consists of performances by Hamilton alongside Ballet Ireland’s company of twelve dancers, as well as international ballerinas including Gareth Haw, Tatiana Melnik and Maria Baranova. “Along with global stars, we are incorporating homegrown talent, giving them the chance to shine on stage with dancers from around the world.” Of this opportunity, Niamh O’Flannagain, a dancer with Ballet Ireland since 2018 says: “It’s such an honour to share the stage with incredible artists from around the world. As a dancer, you get so much inspiration from watching other dancers, so it will be such an exciting and inspiring evening, not just for the audience, but for us as dancers too.”
Rather than producing a traditional full-length ballet, Hamilton explains that the show is split into segments, in a bid to capture shortening attention spans. “I think the ballet gala will give people a different way of enjoying ballet and dance in a more ‘flick-friendly’ format for today’s culture. It’s not a threehour performance that you have to sit through and watch the same story: instead, you see short excerpts and it’s like next, next, next. You will be mindblown by so much talent and variety in one night!”
Melissa will also perform with soprano Rachel Croash from the Irish National Opera live on stage, with music specifically created for Hamilton Christou Productions by Valentino Zucchetti. She explains: “There will be not only the big blockbuster ballet grand pas de deux, but also neo-classical and contemporary ballet that pushes the boundaries physically and visually – it’s not just tutus and tiaras anymore. I really hope this show shakes up people’s perceptions of what ballet is today.”
Gerardine Connolly with Constance Colin.
It’s all part of a move within contemporary companies to shine a new light on the art form. Think mixed bills, interactive performances, open studios which allow the public a glimpse behind the scenes, outdoor stages, immersive activations and modern storytelling that captures the zeitgeist. It’s all designed to broaden the horizons and attract new audiences who may not have previously engaged with dance.
Gerardine Connolly is a former barrister who has a long history with ballet and was previously Director and Chair of Ballet Ireland. She co-founded Balletto di Venezia with Creative Director Alessio Carbone in 2024, with the dream of bringing ballet back to the city of Venice, which has not had a professional company since the 1980s. She explains: “To build a new company such as Balletto di Venezia requires exceptional dedication, rigorous work, and the courage to dream. The shared passion and unwavering commitment behind this project have brought this vision to life – and will continue to drive it forward.” Connolly, who has recently been appointed to the role of Honorary Consul of Ireland to Venice, is passionate about strengthening the cultural ties between the two places. Balletto di Venezia is a not-for-profit company which relies on the donations of sponsors and patrons, many of whom are Irish supporters.
Connolly and Carbone have established Stelle di Domani (Stars of Tomorrow), a summer programme which selects a group of young dancers from international ballet schools (including La Scala, Opéra de Paris and Vienna State Ballet) and offers intensive training and an international tour, before landing them their first professional contract. The 2026 repertoire includes an exciting mix of classical and neo-classical ballet to showcase the students’ individual strengths: they will perform works by six internationally recognised choreographers, including Ruaidhrí Maguire, a dancer with Ballet Ireland. The first performance will take place in the historic Scuola Grande San Rocco in Venice, followed by Venice and Orsolina. Book for a special performance in Dublin, at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, on July 13 (tickets at www.riam.ie).
Ballet de Santiago’s Swan Lake at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, August 18-23.
The company is currently seeking a permanent home in the historical centre of Venice, which would allow it to employ permanent dancers and stage regular performances, as well as establish a place of “dance discovery” for the public, with open ballet classes and studio rehearsals made freely accessible to offer people a behind the scenes view into the work and life of a ballet professional, a world which has historically been a closed-off space.
“I want to make ballet accessible to everyone,” explains Connolly. Embarking on another ambitious project, this September, Connolly and Carbone plan to erect a floating platform on the Grand Canal by the Rialto Bridge in Venice to stage an open-air performance. There will be 300 seats and no tickets required, so that anyone will be able to come along and see this spectacle. It is this inherent generosity that defines the work of Balletto di Venezia, a passion project whose only aim is to spread the joy of dance.
At the forefront of bringing contemporary international dance to Ireland, Artistic Director of the Dublin Dance Festival, Jazmin Chiodi says she wanted to bring a new energy to this year’s line-up of events, as the festival returns for its 22nd edition this month: “We are not living in the brightest times in the world today. When building the programme, I was looking for performances that are relevant to today’s society, and how we see the world now. Dance has the capacity to ground themes that can sometimes be complex in reality.”
Emma Martin’s Soft God.
As well as performances like Emma Martin’s Soft God at the Abbey Theatre, Silvia Gribaudi’s Suspended Chorus at Project Arts Centre and Catherine Young’s Ciseach at the Pavilion Theatre in Dun Laoghaire, the festival will host immersive events for the public: “I like to create journeys for people so that they can experience dance in all its forms,” says Chiodi; audience feedback from previous festivals was that “people wanted to move more”. She wanted to challenge the idea that audiences should “sit there quietly” and observe a performance in the traditional sense, so the festival has introduced nightclub events at Bewleys on Grafton Street with special guest DJs, outdoor performances in the streets of Dublin, workshops in St Stephen’s Green, a virtual reality experience designed for teenagers, and a projection in the gardens of IMMA.
It’s these interactive elements that are unique to the festival, which brings it a new energy – and importantly, new audiences. There will always be people who want to connect with the art form by seeing dance on stage, but there are also those keen to engage with dance themselves, and this festival is a celebration of dance in all its forms. “The festival will give you a sense of what dance can do for you,” says Chiodi. At the end of the day, the festival is for “anyone who is curious” about dance – but it is definitely not just for dance lovers in the traditional sense.
Ireland has a long history with dance, and yet only gained a national dance company within the past year. Luail, founded in 2024, has a full-time ensemble of eight dancers and performs around Ireland and internationally, and will present The Fifth Sun at Dublin Dance Festival. But, as is often the way with the arts, funding for dance remains a challenge, says Chiodi: “I believe funding should be more in line with ambition – there is a real ambition and a real potential for dance in Ireland to continue to grow, and funding needs to move at the same speed.”
Chiodi concludes: “My ethos is to create pathways for artists and dancers from our festival so that they can create relationships globally, and so that international programmers can see Ireland as a reference point.” With an industry filled with ambition, talent and motivation to move forward, maybe all Timothée Chalamet needs is a trip to Ireland to see the art form is alive and well.
