Trinity Irish Dance Company, innovators of the lightning-fast footwork and dramatic choreography that paved the way for the "Riverdance" craze, gives an adrenaline-packed performance Friday, March 8 at 8 p.m. at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. A post-show St. Patrick's celebration and "Meet the Artists" party will follow.

Founded in 1990 by international Irish dance champion Mark Howard, Trinity Irish Dance Company is comprised of 22 dancers, ages 18 to 24, many of whom were groomed at the award-winning Trinity Academy of Irish Dance in Chicago, Ill. and Milwaukee, Wis. Dressed in colorful costumes, the troupe takes to the stage with fuel-injected footwork, intricate rhythms and high-kicking jigs. Trinity's form of progressive Irish dance has been called "impossibly complex" by The New York Times and "simply intoxicating" by the San Francisco Examiner.

Director Howard blends traditional Irish dance-a centuries-old art form synonymous with Irish independence and cultural identity-with influences from Japan's Kodo drummers, Mexico's Ballet Folklorico and Chicago's modern dance scene. He collaborated with African-American tap dancers to produce "Turf" in 1994, and, in 1992, melded East Indian, African and Irish traditions in "Umoja."

Trinity has appeared at New York's Joyce Theater, Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center, Princeton, N.J.'s McCarter Theatre and the National Arts Center of Canada, among other venues. In addition, they have been invited to perform for Monaco's Royal Family; Mary Robinson, president of Ireland; and Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, the Indian meditation master. The troupe has appeared in "Backdraft," a 1991 Ron Howard-directed adventure, and several other feature films, as well as on television programs hosted by Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and Oprah Winfrey. Trinity's appearance on the PBS special "World Stage" earned them an Emmy.

The performance is part of the Quick Center's Emerald Isles Series. Tickets are $40 and $35, with discounts available for seniors, students and groups. For tickets or information, call the Quick Center Box Office at (203) 254-4010 or 1-877-ARTS-396, or visit the website, www.quickcenter.com.

Posted On: 02-23-2002 09:02 AM

Volume: 34 Number: 155