Our Top 5 Fringe Picks for Dance Fans

The Act of Existing 

If you’re looking for a Fringe pick with a strong Dublin Dance Festival connection, put The Act of Existing on your list.

This provocative new duet from Croí Glan explores what it means to exist in relation to others. Blurring the boundaries between observation and participation, the work creates a playful and unpredictable encounter where rules, choices and responsibilities are constantly shifting. It’s playful, unsettling and revealing, inviting audiences to question how we influence one another and what happens when the lines between performer and observer begin to blur.

We’re especially excited to see this one, with choreographer Philip Connaughton, whose work has featured with Dublin Dance Festival, and performers Ben Sullivan, who recently performed at DDF Lates at Bewley’s, and Bobbi Byrne, who was part of this year’s Artist Pass.

The Act of Existing runs from 7–11 September at Project Arts Centre. 

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Trolley Boy

For something surreal, dark and a little bit strange, Trolley Boy takes audiences into an endless shop where Bob is born, lives and dies among the aisles.

This dance-theatre piece follows Bob as he searches for meaning, connection and a sense of belonging in a strange, cyclical world. Dark, grotesque, absurd and cathartic, the work promises a journey through a world that feels both completely unfamiliar and oddly recognisable.

The choreography comes from Diarmuid Armstrong Mayock, who recently appeared at Dublin Dance Festival as part of Catherine Young’s Ciseach: An Embodied Manifesto. Another lovely crossover between the two festivals, and one we’re particularly looking forward to.

Trolley Boy runs from 15–17 September at the Civic Theatre.

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Chronically Hopeful

For something that sits at the intersection of dance, music and interdisciplinary performance, Chronically Hopeful is one to have on your Fringe radar. This bold new production from Musici Ireland delves into the raw, complicated and often invisible realities of living with chronic illness, unseen disability and neurodivergence. Through movement, music and storytelling, the work brings together humour, vulnerability and hope, offering an intimate look at the different ways we experience and navigate the world.

Chronically Hopeful runs from 6–9 September at Smock Alley.

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The Boxes 

A raw and honest fusion of dance and physical theatre, The Boxes puts movement, voice and lived experience at the centre of a conversation about masculinity.

Directed by and performed with Yves Lorrhan alongside members of the Inner Man Community, the work explores male identity, social expectations, vulnerability and transformation. Through movement and voice, the performers break down some of the invisible walls surrounding masculinity and ask what it means to be a man today.

The work is supported by Dance Ireland and Aerowaves and was developed through Dublin Fringe Festival Studios, making it one to watch for anyone interested in contemporary dance and physical performance. It also sits within Fringe’s Home Ground programme, creating a welcoming space for the communities represented in the work.

The Boxes runs from 10–12 September at Smock Alley.

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Please Break My Heart

Looking for something a little more chaotic? Please Break My Heart brings together dance, physical theatre, text and film in a playful exploration of heartbreak and all the ways we turn it into art.

Drawing on heartbreak icons from Taylor Swift and Shakespeare to Jane Austen and Bridget Jones, the work asks what happens when you deliberately put yourself through heartbreak in the name of creativity. Expect camp, comedy, drama and plenty of movement in a show that doesn’t take heartbreak — or itself — too seriously.

From NAF Dance, this one is a great pick for anyone who likes their dance with a healthy dose of humour, pop culture and theatricality.

Please Break My Heart runs from 15–19 September at the Black Box at Smock Alley.

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Honourable Mentions

And, of course, these are just a few of the movement-led works catching our eye this year. We’re also looking forward to West Meath Gothic, a dark and atmospheric work combining aerial dance, physical theatre and an original electronic score, alongside Welcome to Traumatraum, SWEAT and Rolling!

There’s plenty more to discover across the programme, so check out the full Dublin Fringe Festival programme and see where the movement takes you.

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