Jason Turk and Stephanie Keane

Seabord and Electronics X Sean Nós Dance

Residency Showing Friday 11 September, 6pm

This residency and performance marks the culmination of a week-long residency at the Firkin Crane, presenting the outcomes of an ongoing collaboration between musician Jason Turk and percussive Sean Nós dancer Stephanie Keane.

Alongside piano and live electronics, Jason Turk explores new approaches to Irish traditional music through the use of a new expressive digital instrument - the Seaboard. Its use within Irish music opens up new possibilities for ornamentation, phrasing and sonic expansion while remaining grounded in traditional forms. Stephanie Keane’s practice in Sean Nós dance is deeply rooted in rhythm and musicality, with a strong emphasis on percussive sound. Here, her dancing functions not only as visual expression but as an active musical voice. Stephanie’s use of electronics in dance parallels Jason’s own explorations.

The collaboration began through a chance encounter and a shared conversation around the role of technology in traditional arts, leading to an initial performance at a Dance Cork Firkin Crane Season Launch. Keane, a previous Ceist residency artist, returns to support this phase of development. This residency and performance will be a testing of the waters to allow Stephanie and Jason to develop an understanding of where their traditional arts meets electronic instruments and techniques. This performance acts as both a sharing and a demonstration of that process, offering insight into how traditional forms can be reimagined through contemporary tools.

Supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, the project forms part of an ongoing investigation into the integration of live electronics within Irish traditional arts practice.

Jason Turk is a full-time professional musician and composer specialising in Irish Traditional Music (ITM), a multiple All-Ireland medalist, and a respected touring performer. He has toured extensively across Ireland, Europe and the United States with his own projects and with groups including The Young Irelanders and The Kilkennys.

His work explores the intersection of traditional Irish music and emerging technology, most notably through the Seaboard, a Multi-Polyphonic Expression MIDI instrument. His “Seaboard Sundays” series has received national and international attention, and his Irish music arrangements feature in a global Seaboard advertising campaign and in the Junior Cycle Music Maker syllabus.

With inspiration from the Sliabh Luachra tradition, his compositions draw on traditional dance forms while incorporating influences from classical and contemporary music. He is currently developing this work further through new performance and composition projects integrating live electronics with Irish traditional music.

Stephanie Keane is an Irish dance artist from Limerick, working as a performer, choreographer, filmmaker, and theatre maker. With over 40 years of experience, she began in competitive Irish step dancing, reaching world championship level, and then discovered the older form of Irish dance, Sean Nós. Her dance practice is rooted in developing her own style and sound of Irish dance. Her work blends dance with sound, film, and contemporary practices, with a strong focus on musicality. Stephanie has performed all over Ireland and internationally, including at Carnegie Hall in New York and the National Concert Hall in Dublin, and continues to create and collaborate across dance, film, and theatre.

Supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, Dance Cork Firkin Crane