The critically acclaimed Trinity Irish Dance Company (TIDC), a Chicago-based company whose versatility and percussive power have been hailed as “impossibly complex” (The New York Times) and “sophisticated and commanding” (Los Angeles Times), will launch its 35th Anniversary season at the Museum of Contemporary Art in May 2025. Their milestone season will include other special local events and performances across the country to be announced.
Continuing TIDC’s longstanding history of pushing the boundaries of a cultural form, the Museum of Contemporary Art performances will include the world premiere of “The Sash,” choreographed by Trinity Founding Artistic Director Mark Howard, Associate Artistic Director and dancer Chelsea Hoy and guest contemporary choreographer Stephanie Martinez, founder and Artistic Director of Chicago’s PARA.MAR Dance Theatre. Completing the program will be a selection of TIDC’s diverse repertoire, featuring original music performed live by TIDC’s band, fronted by Killarney-born Brendan O’Shea.
Trinity Irish Dance Company members: dancers pictured - left to right: Anna Gorman, Patrick Grant, Rachel Olson, Chelsea Hoy, Francisco Lemus, Saori Nakasone Nakamurakari. Photo by Todd Rosenberg.
"Everything starts with a dream," Howard describes, “and this is especially true of our newest work, ‘The Sash.’” Set to a rousing soundtrack by Northern Irish composer Kevin Sharkey, “The Sash” blends cultures, movement genres and percussive complexities. Howard, Hoy, and Martinez fuse Irish precision, traditions, and history with contemporary flair, bringing to life Sharkey’s dream inspired by his childhood during the Northern Ireland Troubles, and reminding us that unity is stronger than conflict.
The four-performance series at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., May 16-18 will include:
- Friday, May 16: 7 p.m. - 11 p.m. - Opening night performance and 35th Anniversary gala celebration, featuring special guests: local Trinity Academy students that won the 2024 world championship gold medal for the United States
- Saturday, May 17: 2 p.m. matinee and 7:30 p.m. performance
- Sunday, May 18: 1 p.m. matinee
Tickets will range in price from $40 to $80 and will go on sale Nov. 22 at trinityirishdancecompany.com. Tickets for the opening night gala performance are priced at $275 and include the performance and post-performance celebration with drinks, hors d'oeuvres and mingling with the artists.
FURTHER COMPANY GROWTH
Leading into its 35th Anniversary Season, TIDC is celebrating artistic and administrative expansion. The company recently welcomed a longtime leader in the Chicago dance community, former executive director of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and River North Dance Chicago, Gail Kalver, to their team as Development Manager and Board Liaison.
In response to growing interest from elite dancers around the globe to join TIDC’s mission and study Howard’s unique movement genre, known as progressive Irish dance, TIDC launched a new Training Company this fall. TIDC’s legacy is also celebrated through multi-generational artists: new main company artists include Aubrey Chann (Columbus, OH) and Phife MacGabhann (Novato, CA), both who were trained in their competitive Irish dance careers by Founding Members of the Trinity Irish Dance Company: Katie Irwin and Alisa Belew, respectively.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF TRINITY IRISH DANCE COMPANY
TIDC’s 35-year history is one of unlikely successes and unexpected evolutions: the rise of an ambitious young Irish dance coach to an internationally celebrated choreographer. Howard founded the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance at the age of 20, winning the first world championship team titles for the United States in 1987 and ultimately bringing home America’s first gold in all team categories. Trinity’s competitive dominance garnered national and international media exposure, including regular appearances on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. Their meteoric rise in the 80’s led to the creation of groundbreaking repertoire and the ultimate founding of the non-profit TIDC.
Founded in 1990, TIDC is the birthplace of progressive Irish dance, an innovative movement genre created by Howard that “ushered in a new era for Irish step dance, one which led directly to commercialized stadium tours like ‘Riverdance.’” (Chicago Tribune) Pushing the boundaries of a traditional form, TIDC celebrates Howard’s unique vision to fuse vibrant Irish traditions with ever-evolving American innovation.
The company’s history includes seven runs at New York City’s Joyce Theater, performances throughout Asia, North and South America, and Europe, collaborations with internationally-renowned choreographers of different movement genres, and the creation of a diverse repertoire that continues to redefine what is possible for Irish dance.
“Since inception, Trinity has always been an art-driven company that uniquely celebrates Irish dance through a performing arts lens,” says Howard. “We seek higher ground by allowing the form to morph and evolve with integrity while keeping a clear lineage to the ancestors.”
Through a blend of percussive power and aerial grace that consistently presents males and females on equal footing, TIDC sends a clear message of female empowerment. “The women of TIDC don’t only get to make noise,” says Associate Artistic Director Chelsea Hoy. “We’re expected to make noise.”
Described as “a stunning program of groundbreaking dance” by Broadway World and a place “where women make the form their own” by The Boston Globe, Trinity’s ability to carve new traditions continues to attract critical acclaim both at home and across the world. Writing for the Chicago Tribune, Lauren Warnecke said “Since 1990, Howard and TIDC have sought to locate Irish step dance, a 17th-century cultural dance form, in the now, developing a cool vibe, and stretching the limits of what Irish dance can do aesthetically and rhythmically.”
Leading up to the 35th Anniversary Season kickoff in May at the MCA, TIDC will maintain a robust touring schedule through 2024 and 2025. This winter and spring, the company will share their percussive power across the country:
- Lyndonville, VT (December 13 & 14, 2024)
- Marietta, OH (January 18, 2025)
- Provo, UT (January 21, 2025)
- Ogden, UT (January 22, 2025)
- Olympia, WA (January 24, 2025)
- Medford, OR (January 26, 2025)
- Boston, MA (February 8, 2025)
- San Diego, CA (March 21, 2025)
Additional details will be announced as they are confirmed.
Tickets go on sale on Friday, Nov. 22. For more information about the 24/25 Season and upcoming details, please visit trinityirishdancecompany.com.
About MARK HOWARD:
For three and a half decades, this Emmy Award winning choreographer has been transcending craft to produce art that simultaneously represents the past while looking to the future. Born in Yorkshire, England and raised in Chicago’s Rogers Park, Howard began dancing at eight, teaching at 17, launched the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance by age 20, and had coached the first team to win a world championship gold for the United States by age 25, subsequently going on to break unprecedented world team records. In 1990, the non-profit Trinity Irish Dance Company was formed to celebrate and further Howard’s work and provide a unique forum for creativity. In the late 80’s and early 90’s Howard was a regular guest on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson and has worked extensively in TV and film, including with a wealth of celebrities from Tom Hanks and Conan O’Brien to Jimmy Fallon and Oprah Winfrey, to name a few. His work has brought extensive grants and awards, from choreographer’s fellowships with the National Endowment for the Arts to his recent induction into the 2023 Irish American Hall of Fame.
About CHELSEA HOY:
At age 29, Chelsea Hoy has already become a major player in the performing arts world. Hoy’s work as a choreographer and dancer has been celebrated by audiences and critics worldwide - from New York City’s Joyce Theater to Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre to Tokyo’s Orchard Hall. Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, she relocated to Chicago, joining the Trinity Irish Dance Company (TIDC) and receiving a B.S. in Psychology, a B.A. in Photography, and a minor in math from Loyola University Chicago. Named TIDC’s Associate Artistic Director in 2018, Hoy’s diverse skill set and affinity for connecting with her community made her uniquely equipped for a career in the performing arts. As a formidable performer, choreographer, Associate Artistic Director, and organizational leader, Hoy has been at the heart of shaping and evolving this important cultural organization throughout the past decade. A powerful activist and artist, Hoy is uniquely equipped to join Howard to spearhead the future of this cultural art form.
About STEPHANIE MARTINEZ:
Stephanie Martinez, a Chicago-based choreographer, captivates audiences with her dynamic, award-winning works crafted over 15+ years. Her creations have been commissioned by major companies like Joffrey Ballet, Ballet Hispánico, BalletX, and Bruce Wood Dance, as well as Chicago Shakespeare Theater and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Known for her bold, contemporary voice, Martinez has produced over 70 pieces that expand the boundaries of dance. Celebrated as a trailblazing female artist of color, her achievements have earned grants and high praise, with the Chicago Tribune calling her a “chameleon” of choreography. Martinez is also the founder of PARA.MAR Dance Theatre.
About TRINITY IRISH DANCE COMPANY:
The Chicago-based Trinity Irish Dance Company is the high watermark of the art form; a uniquely Irish-American dance legacy that is rooted in tradition, yet forward-looking and ever-evolving. The result is a fresh, engaging, and integrity-filled vision that goes beyond the source without losing touch with its essence. Founded in 1990 as a way to celebrate Founding Artistic Director Mark Howard’s pioneering vision, TIDC is the birthplace of progressive Irish dance, an innovative movement genre which opened new avenues of artistic freedom that led directly to commercial productions such as Riverdance. TIDC has significantly changed the direction and scope of Irish dance, re-introducing the art form as the phenomenon it is today. With a unique blend of uncompromising power and grace, TIDC sends a consistent message of female empowerment with a repertory that has elevated the art form for nearly three decades. For more information, visit TrinityIrishDanceCompany.com and follow us on Facebook or Instagram.
About TRINITY ACADEMY OF IRISH DANCE:
For over 40 years, this Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison institution has become the most widely recognized Irish dance school in the world. Trinity Academy’s unique program is rooted in a powerful philosophy that is a radical departure from typical programs. Trinity Academy has set numerous competitive records and thrilled audiences worldwide with their inspiring showmanship. Trinity won America’s first world championship team title in 1987, catapulting the academy to national and international attention, which significantly helped to raise awareness of Irish Dance. The academy, which has the unrivaled distinction of winning more formative ground breaking world titles than all other American Irish dance schools, has locations throughout Illinois and Wisconsin including: Chicago Northwest, Lakeview, Elmhurst, Palatine, Western Springs, Elm Grove, Waunakee and Madison. For more information, visit www.trinityirishdance.com or call 877-326-2328 and follow us on Facebook or Instagram.