Sonya Tayeh's 'The Surge' pays tribute to Sinéad O'Connor with over-40s dancers

Tony-winning choreographer Sonya Tayeh has created 'The Surge: An Ode to Sinéad O'Connor', a dance piece premiering at Aviva Studios, Manchester, from 25 to 27 June 2026. The work features 10 women over 40, with a combined age of 529, performing to O'Connor's music including 'Troy', 'Mandinka', 'In This Heart', and a cover of Nirvana's 'All Apologies'. Tayeh, 49, was inspired by O'Connor's defiance and her own childhood experiences of bullying as part of the only Arab family in her community. The piece uses wooden benches like church pews and explores themes of raw selfhood and community. Tayeh, known for her Tony-winning choreography for 'Moulin Rouge!', had been in discussions with New York's Joyce Theatre when she found the idea after O'Connor's death in July 2023. She listened to O'Connor's memoir audiobook 10 times. The title refers to a 'surge of energy, a hyper-awakening, a rumbling, a thrust'. Tayeh hopes O'Connor 'hears the volume in these bodies together'.