Ballet dancer Niamh O’Flannagain: “Art is so important in everyone’s lives, it brings so much joy.”

As Ballet Ireland takes to the stage with their production of Nutcracker Sweeties, Her caught up with Niamh O'Flannagain, one of the show's stars.

After a year and a half of closed doors, the past few months have seen the curtain rise on live events in Ireland again, bringing delight to audiences and professionals alike. One performer who is particularly excited to return to the stage is Niamh O'Flannagain, a professional ballet dancer with Ballet Ireland. Niamh is all set to grace stages across the country this winter for the company's brand new Christmas ballet, Nutcracker Sweeties. "It's so special to be back with live performances now," Niamh tells Her. "To be back with the live audience, it's really incredible. I know for all of us here, it's very emotional to have people there in front of us, to have our jobs back, but also to be doing what we love and to get that feedback from the audience. Art is so important in everyone's lives, it brings so much joy." [caption id="attachment_539971" align="alignnone" width="1986"] Photo by Mario Gaglione.[/caption] Indeed, after months of uncertainty and lockdown, Nutcracker Sweeties appears to be the perfect antidote to the gloom and doom of the past year. The ballet takes inspiration from Petipa's classic The Nutcracker, but with a distinctly Irish twist. "It's pure fun and joyful," Niamh explains. "It's perfect to welcome families back to theatres. There are loads of bits where you'll be laughing. There are moments where the music is just so beautiful, and it should really move you as well." While the dancers of Ballet Ireland certainly make their movements look effortless on stage, the road to getting where they are today has been anything but. In Niamh's case, her journey to becoming a professional ballet dancer began when she was just 13, and her teachers encouraged her to take her training to the next level. Two years later, she moved to Tring Park School for the Performing Arts in the UK to study ballet while continuing with her academic education. [caption id="attachment_539972" align="alignnone" width="1365"] Photo by Darren Kenna, PrimaChroma Photography.[/caption] "For me, leaving home and going abroad makes you grow up," Niamh reflects. "You learn the skills you need as a dancer, you learn the maturity, the resilience." When she graduated in 2018, she successfully auditioned for Ballet Ireland. "It was fabulous to have something to go straight into," Niamh says. "It was so special as well to come home to where I started to perform. I remember watching them in the Gaiety and now to be on the other side of the curtain, it was really special for me." She continues: "The fabulous thing about Ballet Ireland is that one of their goals is to bring new work to audiences. So we have our classical ballets - The Nutcracker, Swan Lake - but also introducing neo-classical or contemporary dance. There's a huge appetite for that here, and we feel very lucky to bring that to audiences." Nutcracker Sweeties opens in the Gaiety Theatre on Wednesday 17 November before touring other venues in Ireland. Head to Ballet Ireland's website right here for more information. Feature image by Daren Kenna, PrimaChroma Photography.