Powerful Trouble: A thrilling story of rebellion and craft
Witches both past and present meet in Junk Ensemble’s promenade dance
RHA Gallery, Dublin Theatre Festival
★★★★☆
Witches are making a comeback. Whether appearing among protestors during the Trump presidency, or identified as authors of recent books about female empowerment, the figure, once considered monstrous enough to be a liability, has become a feminist symbol. Yet, in late capitalism concerns eventually turn towards profit. (Have you considered the new spate of books about hexing your ex, or buying the Urban Outfitters shirt with “Boss Ass Witch” printed across it, or following the many “magical influencers” on TikTok and Instagram)?
If modern witchcraft is in a weird stage of being grimly marketed to the masses, some of the original appeals of magic are woven into Junk Ensemble’s Powerful Trouble, a promenade dance roaming through the RHA Gallery. Witches can be muddled with contradictions: are they a damaging stereotype or a genuine source of healing? Choreographers Jessica Kennedy and Megan Kennedy’s 2021 dance for young audiences The Veiled Ones got lost somewhere in that ambivalence, trying to use the novel The Witches as an entry point. Here, instead of Roald Dahl, they turn to a growing number of collaborators, including visual artists Aideen Barry and Jesse Jones, and the trans electronic musician Planningtorock (who was invited by Lady Gaga to contribute to the remix-version of her Chromatica album).