The streetwise Wolf and Peter

TO appreciate the arena that CoisCéim Dance Theatre commands, know that they have choreographed opening ceremonies for Special Olympics and The Ryder Cup.  View the brilliance of CoisCéim when their show ‘The Wolf and Peter’ prowls at Lime Tree Theatre on Thursday March 9, 7pm and Friday 10, 10am and 12noon.

It takes Prokofiev’s fable and music, ‘Peter and the Wolf’ and inverts them to award winning effect. Thanks to Culture Ireland, faraway Australia will receive this contradictory dance between the feral wolf and his slender prey this year.

David Bolger is artistic director and unusually, three shows of his present in Limerick this month: ‘Fancy Dress’ and ‘Step Up!’ project at Dance Limerick as well as ‘Wolf’ in Lime Tree.

He created this drama in dance, retelling the story through the lupine lens. Five dancers play people and animals – there’s a bird, a boy, a duck, a cat worse than any wolf – in a tale that pulls the story close to nature and a theme of mutual respect.

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“The Prokofiev story as written by himself ends with the wolf being captured by the huntsman. Peter saves him and marches him off to the zoo”.

“I started looking at why wolves were given such a bad name in adults’ and children’s stores.” This led David Bolger to research at the zoo, in books and nature programmes and… to a realisation that wolves are fine creatures indeed.

“There are five grey wolves at Dublin Zoo and their keeper’s passion for the wolves was so unbelievable and so inspiring”. From the wolf man he learned of other traits: “Their intelligence, they are organised, they never overeat – and they are really beautiful looking animals”. Ultimately, Bolger “took all the knowledge and love that I had gained for the wolves into the story”.

Expect a gorgeous production, the set worthy of these noble creatures created by Monica Frawley. 

Composer Conor Linehan has rewritten elements of the score and Bolger “was able to tell the story beyond where Prokofiev had told it”. He casts highly trained dancers as well as street dancers, with a street dancer playing the wolf “who teaches Peter all about wolves – which is how I end the show”. Ages 4 years to beyond.