MICHAEL KEEGAN-DOLAN and MÁM

Interviewer: Pat Hayward 19th January 2026

Teaċ Daṁsa is a dance and theatre company rooted in the rugged countryside of West Ireland. Their work celebrates movement, music, and ritual, crafting transformative experiences that deepen connections between people bringing them closer to each other. Committed to empathy and authenticity, Teaċ Daṁsa has built a unique reputation for powerful and intimate performances that resonate globally—from Ireland’s Atlantic coast to stages across the world.

Michael Keegan-Dolan is the founder of Teaċ Daṁsa (est. 2016) and a leading voice in contemporary dance-theatre. Michael rose to acclaim as the artistic director of Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre (1997–2015). His work is raw, lyrical, and profoundly moving. With Teaċ Daṁsa, he has continued to explore the power of collaboration and place and with MÁM, he takes it to another level.

MÁM is international dance-theatre at its finest. Described as ‘90 minutes of ritualised ecstasy’ by The Irish Times, the piece sees 12 fearless dancers summon a whirlwind of myth and magic, moved by the collaborative music making of virtuoso Irish traditional concertina player Cormac Begley and European classical contemporary collective s t a r g a z e, performed live on stage. Nominated for an Olivier Award, MÁM has enjoyed sellout performances at Sadler’s Wells, London and at Festivals around the world. This rapturous production now embarks on its debut UK tour for Dance Consortium.

Ahead of Teaċ Daṁsa bringing MÁM to Mayflower Theatre, Pat Hayward got to speak to Michael Keegan-Dolan while he was in Santiago, Chile for the opening of the production at the international arts festival Teatro A Mil.

Michael, could we start by you telling me about your dance company and how it came into being?

Well I guess it goes all the way back to when I was at the Central School of Ballet. I must have been a kind of tragic character wanting to dance but not being much good at it. I remember being asked by a teacher, with as much kindness as she could muster, “Is there anything else you might like to do with your life?”. To be honest I couldn’t think of anything other than becoming a choreographer. I had always enjoyed putting a few steps together and as a boy considered myself as a master of movement. But to be a choreographer you need to have a company and established organisations want a track record of experience and therefore the only direct way forward is to set up your own company. That has always been in my mind and that was the intention. It might have taken a little longer, actually a lot longer than I anticipated, but I eventually got there.

As a child at home in Dublin, I was the youngest of six, I had three brothers and two sisters, I remember my mum at the ironing board with the shirts for four boys and my civil servant father, as well as the blouses for the girls, watching the tv as she pressed the clothes, she would watch anything with song and dance. As the youngest I would create steps and movement in time to the music coming from the tv, more often than not, getting in my mother’s way. My brothers all got places at Trinity College and University College in Dublin and I was expected to follow. It was around that time that I took my first dance class and although I was much older than the others around me I liked it and felt that I was in the right place. I was offered a place at Trinity but I was able to defer it for a year, a decision that was supported by both my parents. It was during that year that I left for London to join the Central School Of Ballet.

After leaving ballet school my career as a dancer was short-lived and I managed to get a choreography assignment with the Royal Opera but I was dependant on interim jobs like being a cycle courier in London. I couldn’t create the income that would enable me to realise my objective of becoming a fully fledged choreographer. I did consider the possibility of training to be a vet, but the Veterinary College declined my application as my maths wasn’t strong enough. So in the mid 1990s I returned to Ireland where I created opportunities to make dance and take the first steps to becoming a proper choreographer. I made the efforts to get to know the people at the Arts Council in Ireland and over time I gained their trust and with a little support I founded Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre in 1997 in the Irish Midlands. In 2015 I moved the company to Dingle and then in 2016 we reformed the company as Teaċ Daṁsa (the name means “house of dance” in Gaelic.) We have had strong links outside of Ireland for a long time, in particular I’ve had close ties with Sadlers Wells in London for probably 14 years.

How did you get your dance company onto the international map?

It’s partly about reputation but also, having the right contacts is key. Over the years I built close ties with a number of key figures, one of which is Dawn Prentice, a producer who works closely with the Arts Council and also the British Council which has an incredible international network of arts organisations. It was one step at a time, from West Kerry to Dublin, then London and by 2014 we were in Australia and since then we have covered much of Europe, New Zealand, North and South America and even Taiwan. Over time we have built a reputation and are now frequently being asked to participate in international arts festivals. In fact, as you know you’re speaking to me while I’m in Santiago in Chile, just days before we perform at their national arts festival, Teatro A Mil, opening this Thursday with MÁM, the production that we will be taking on tour across the UK In February.

Tell me more about MÁM and how it developed

First performed in 2019, MÁM takes you on an otherworldly journey steeped in the landscape and culture of West Kerry in Ireland. The 12 incredible dancers summon a whirlwind of myth and magic, moved by the music making magic of virtuoso Irish traditional concertina player Cormac Begley and European classical contemporary collective s t a r g a z e, performed live on stage. Cormac and I had worked together already and by 2017 when Cormac released his solo album, I had moved to live in the West, Kerry Gaeltacht not too far from Cormac. I listened to his album hundreds of times and I knew I wanted to work with Cormac, to build a dance and theatre show around this music and the way he played it. I had many conflicting thoughts about how to approach the undertaking. It takes time but by 2019, I knew I wanted to encourage a band and not from the Irish tradition, to gather around Cormac and set up a situation where things might start to happen. I came across André de Ridder as his ensemble, s t a r g a z e , had been recently working with Lisa Hannigan. André was in Dublin conducting Duke Bluebeard’s Castle for Opera Ireland. I met him in Fumbally Café by accident and the conversation started about the concertina. Together we settled on a band of seven, all regulars with s t a r g a z e , a violin, a double bass, piano, French horn and trumpet, oboe and cor anglais, flute and bass flute, and electric guitar. Then we all gathered with a group of twelve dancers, (some new to me and others I had worked with for many years) in a community hall in West Kerry and improvised for weeks until something started to take shape.

I tend not to direct in any traditional sense. I believe in a more natural way of doing things and being with things. Once you have gathered together a group of artists, dancers, and musicians for an agreed length of time with knowledge of the contract I have made with the Dublin Theatre Festival and other venues, to make a show, people start getting busy. Creating a certain quality of the atmosphere in a space feeds the experience and initially, you focus on the quality of a daily routine of cleaning the space, training, working, eating good food, sleeping in comfortable accommodation and so on. Everything leads on quite naturally from this. There are many discussions, collective and in smaller groups but not too many. Action leads to reaction, needs must, and necessity is the mother of invention.

How important is the relationship with Dance Consortium for the UK market?

It is critical, especially for opening up the regional market for dance. We have had a good relationship with Joe Bates, Dance Consortium’s Chief Executive for some time. So, working together we have managed to create this tour which opens in Salford on 3rd Feb and visits 9 major venues across England and Scotland. It seems amazing that with Dance Consortium we can take MÁM to corners of the UK that we would never have had the opportunity of reaching, from Aberdeen down to Southampton and from Plymouth across to Norwich, February will be an amazing month.

And for you Michael, what’s next?

I have my next project already being sketched in my head and it will be revealed in 2027, all I can say is that it will be amazing.

Many thanks for your time today Michael and I wish you every success in Santiago with MÁM and I look forward to seeing you in Southampton at Mayflower Theatre on 17th February.