Fresh off of a month-long tour of Japan, the Chicago-based Trinity Irish Dance Company (TIDC) is bringing its renowned legacy and awe-inspiring precision to BERKLEE PERFORMANCE CENTER  on February 8^th.  Called “impossibly complex” by The New York Times and “sophisticated and commanding” by the Los Angeles Times, this company of elite dancers and musicians presents a new take on their innovative approach to a traditional form: “Jig, a Trinity Irish Dance Company production.”

Celebrating its second season following its successful 2024 premiere across 8 US cities, JIG is a groundbreaking, alternative approach to an immersive theater experience that redefines what is possible for Irish music and dance. From the innovative mind of Founding Artistic Director Mark Howard, JIG is centered around Trinity’s long time, critically-acclaimed live band in a unique space that celebrates the thrill of connection through vibrations, rhythm and movement.  

Howard’s lifelong mission to elevate communities through what he calls the “power and grace of Irish dance” has informed 35 years of pioneering work. He describes his latest creation, JIG:  

“At a time when the world needs healing, I see the dancers and musicians of JIG as movement and sound doctors always searching for something real, something with humanity in it.  They are powerful and determined connectors that surround audiences with a unique force field of positive energy, emphasizing the critical importance of savoring the joyful moments. 

Dance and music are commodities that we consume with our imaginations. As humans, we often personify art to help us understand our own humanity.  The dances and songs are alive because we are, and I believe the inverse is also true.” 

Fronted by Killarney-raised, New York-based singer songwriter BRENOSHEA (Brendan O’Shea) the TIDC band is comprised of All-Ireland fiddle and bodhran champion Jake James, along with Chicago musicians Chris Devlin (guitar/vocals), and Steven Rutledge (percussionist/vocals). This eclectic and dynamic quartet combine with an international cast of ten awe-inspiring, virtuosic dancers including TIDC’s Associate Artistic Director Chelsea Hoy, Toronto-based solo world champion Patrick Grant, and Mexico’s most accomplished Irish dancer: Francisco Lemus, who was just named to Dance Magazine’s 2025 “25 to Watch.”  The company will be rounded out by percussive powerhouses Saori Nakasone Nakamurakari, Anna Gorman, Lydia Fredrick, Rachel Olson, Aubrey Chann, and Micah Roby.

Lead singer BRENOSHEA, who splits his time between New York’s East Village and Woodstock is grateful for the opportunity to embark on a new venture. “Howard has always looked for imaginative ways to break the fourth wall. The band and I are thrilled for the opportunity to be part of JIG’s transformative experience.  At the heart of the show lives a sentiment that both Howard and I grew up hearing from our resilient  Irish mothers, ‘Things will turn out.’”

Doubling down on their longstanding tradition to share their platform and empower communities and young people, TIDC will invite a handful of young representatives from local dance schools including to be a part of each JIG performance. In the spirit of their mantra, offering everything you expect and nothing you’d imagine, “JIG” will take audiences on an authentic and inclusive musical and dance journey.

MORE ABOUT THE COMPANY:

Founded by Mark Howard in 1990, TIDC is the birthplace of progressive Irish dance, an innovative movement genre that “ushered in a new era for Irish step dance, one which led directly to commercialized stadium tours like ‘Riverdance.’” (Chicago Tribune) Pushing the boundaries of a traditional form through a performing arts lens and considered a performing arts treasure by critics and enthusiasts worldwide, TIDC is on a mission to save the integrity of Irish dance from the overly commercialized productions that have become synonymous with the form. The strength of this mission brings dancers and musicians together from around the world. While commercial shows seek sameness, TIDC celebrates uniqueness and individuals who will bring the work to life in dynamic ways.

Called “Irresistible” by Dance Magazine and “a stunning program of groundbreaking dance” by Broadway World, TIDC has sold out tours in Europe and Asia and distinguished venues throughout North America, including Washington’s Kennedy Center, NYC’s Joyce Theater, LA’s Royce Hall, and Tokyo’s Orchard Hall to name a few. TIDC was recently acknowledged as the most toured foreign dance company in Japan's history. A dance legacy that is rooted in tradition yet forward-looking and ever evolving, TIDC celebrates Founding Artistic Director Mark Howard’s unique vision to fuse vibrant Irish traditions with ever-evolving American innovation. Through a combination of hard-driving percussive power and aerial grace and rep that consistently presents males and females on equal footing, TIDC sends a clear message of female empowerment. “The women of TIDC don’t only get to make noise,” says Associate Artistic Director Chelsea Hoy. “We’re expected to make noise.

In many ways the Company’s journey started when Howard’s creative success led to him becoming a regular guest on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson from 1989 until Carson’s retirement in 1991. Over the years he accumulated a multitude of national and international television credits including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CBS This Morning, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Today Show, Live with Regis, Good Morning America, Martha and CONAN, to name a few. From PBS and Network specials, to extensive film work for Disney, Touchstone, Universal, and Dream Works, Howard has worked with the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Ron Howard, and Sam Mendez. Howard’s body work in the arts has led to numerous Choreographer’s Fellowships awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts. He has been named three times as one of Irish American Magazine’s “Top 100 Irish-Americans,” and most recently, his global impact on the form was recognized with an induction into the Irish American Hall of Fame, joining recent Arts & Humanities inductees including Bill Murray and Conan O’Brien.

Howard continues to choreograph new dances and shows, as well as expand his independent career to work in theater, television, concert, and film. The feature film screenplay SOLES, which focuses on Howard and Trinity is currently in the works.