Tony-winning choreographer Sonya Tayeh was deeply affected by the death of Sinéad O'Connor three years ago. Now, she and a group of female dancers over 40 are honoring the Irish singer-songwriter with a new dance piece titled The Surge: An Ode to Sinéad O'Connor. The work will have its world premiere at Aviva Studios in Manchester from June 25 to 27.
A Personal Connection
Tayeh recalls watching O'Connor's iconic 1992 performance on Saturday Night Live, where she tore a photo of Pope John Paul II in protest against abuses in the Catholic church. 'I felt like the entire world paused,' Tayeh says. That moment resonated deeply with her as a Lebanese-Palestinian teenager in Detroit, who later shaved her head and grew out her armpit hair, echoing O'Connor's defiance.
When O'Connor died in July 2023, Tayeh was 'broken up' and found herself listening to O'Connor's music while painting her room. The idea for The Surge came suddenly while listening to the song 'Troy'. Tayeh envisioned 'sweaty women in a line' and immediately contacted her producer, who enthusiastically agreed.
A Dance for Women Over 40
The piece features 10 women with a combined age of 529, the oldest in her 80s. Tayeh wanted to highlight the experiences of middle-aged women in dance, a field where older dancers are often overlooked. 'Where are the dancers her age? Where are the artists talking about their lives, bodies and experiences as they get older?' she asks.
The title The Surge refers to 'a hyper-awakening, a rumbling, a thrust' of energy. The dancers move through a set of wooden benches resembling church pews, creating a sense of community and ritual. The soundtrack includes O'Connor's songs like 'Troy', 'Mandinka', 'In This Heart', and a cover of Nirvana's 'All Apologies', ranging from sorrowful to roaring anger.
Healing Through Movement
Tayeh relates to O'Connor's spirituality and her demand to be heard, which connects to her own childhood experiences of bullying as the only Arab family in her community. 'Hearing O'Connor's music gave me hope,' she says. 'I was like, OK, I'm not gonna die. I can actually create a world for myself and a voice for myself.'
During rehearsals, Tayeh felt O'Connor's presence. 'Beautiful things happened in that space,' she says. 'I hope that she hears the volume in these bodies together. I hope that the buildings we go to perform this work in vibrate loudly, through the clouds, to her heart. Because people love her. And people like me needed her.'
