THREADS // 7.45pm // Thursday 5th May 2011
Purcell Rooms // Southbank Centre // As part of ‘These lands are our lands’ festival, a weekend-long celebration of traditional music, dance and ceremony from Britain and beyond.

More information on the event can be found here http://ticketing.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/dance-performance/tickets/keira-dance-58147

Irish dance and music has its roots based firmly in tales and tradition and is expressed through the medium of family and community gatherings; in this way it has been passed down from generation to generation.

‘THREADS’ is a synthesis of different rhythms and movement that taps into this vein and seeks to express the self same spirit of story and sentiment evoking the Celtic past of struggle, joy, love, travel and loss while at the same time fusing with contemporary influences to give a lively and absorbing experience which will both haunt and enchant the audience combining soulful laments and toe tapping beats.

Keira Martin http://www.keiradance.com/ is a West Midlands based dancer, choreographer, teacher, mentor and musician. She began her dance adventure by ring-leading her friends into dancing in the streets with her for free tickets and camping at folk festivals. At age four Keira trained in traditional Irish step dance on a concrete floor in a church in Barnsley, before the age of ten she was competing at an international level.

A versatile and passionate artist with years of experience in performing to the max on-stage and crafting dance and creating imaginative choreography for a range of audiences and clients.  Keira enjoys collaboration and exchanges, working with artists such as Rachael McShane from Bellowhead

Her loves are; traditional music and dance, the rush of being on stage, cultural diversity, folk-fusion, politics, reggae, helping young people to achieve their potential, hard-working ethos and keeping it real. Keira’s down-to-earth manner and knack of inspiring hard to reach people makes her an asset to community and outreach projects. With stroppy teenagers and young offenders being a speciality, she says ‘bring on the challenge!’ Keira wants to pass on her passion, give her a ring or drop her an email to discuss projects ideas.