The Irish Gaelic word mám has a double meaning. It is both a mountain pass that encourages people to go a certain way, and it’s an obligation. These meanings resonate throughout. In a 90-minute unbroken performance, the dancers seem unable to stop, compelled to keep moving, sometimes individually, sometimes collectively. Music and movement feel indivisible, driving one another on.

The production opens with mythological references. A ram’s head masks a concertina player, and dancers are hidden behind rough and ready masks. There is a sense of deeply held traditions, and a sense in which things are not always as they appear to be. But the presence of a young girl, dressed in white, suggests that beliefs will be challenged and cultural norms breached.

There are perhaps also references to contemporary affairs. At a point where movements of women dancers reach a frenzied peak, thoughts come to mind of how mass hysteria is used as a means of control and domination. Thoughts, perhaps, on how we see themes of the Salem witch-hunts captured by Arthur Miller in The Crucible playing out today.

At times, the focus shifts to notions of humanity, of what it is to love, to lose and to grieve, and as the 12 dancers split into two groups, opposing each other aggressively, there are moments when the best and the worst of us are present.

At other points, there is passion and tenderness, as one dancer moves amongst the others, taking each in an embrace. All but one, who is left out. It is playful, but it touches a human nerve. It is about connection, and about separation.

Music performed by the live band also oversteps the rules, building on the jig to produce complex rhythms and tones. As concertina and violin are joined by oboe, double bass, guitar, piano and percussion, the music shifts into a new realm. The dance is compelled to morph into new forms of movement, from the emotionally charged, to the frenzied and rave-like, to that which seems inspired by whirling dervishes.

Is there resolution to all of this dissonance? As the role of the young girl shifts towards the end, there is a suggestion that it is possible, with a hint of the young taking on old traditions and cultures, of shaping them into a new mould, and of carving out a new heritage. Arresting and fearless, MÁM takes dance into another dimension.

MÁM was directed and choreographed by Michael Keegan-Dolan. Music and concertina were by Cormac Begley. The young girl was danced by Delilah Neilson. It was co-produced by Dublin Theatre Festival, Sadler’s Wells London and New Zealand Festival, with support from NOMAD and NASC touring network.

For further information visit teacdamsa.com or birminghamhippodrome.com