Laura Murphy in residence

LAURA MURPHY is an award-winning choreographer, performer and teacher based in Dublin. Taking an expansive approach to dance, her work includes staged work, dance film, video installations, site-specific performances, solo and ensemble pieces and large-scale, socially engaged dance projects.

Laura Murphy Dance has been presented at galleries and festivals including Reykjavik Dance Festival (IS), Irish Arts Centre LA (US), Judson Church (US), the Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucharest (RO), NN Contemporary Northampton (UK), Dublin Dance Festival and Cork Midsummer Festival (IRL). Her large-scale site-specific work Abacus featured at FiraTarrega, Spain (2021) and Tanzmesse (2022), and toured Colombia (2024). She has been a recipient of numerous National Arts Council awards, and several national and international residencies. Notable awards include Dance Ireland’s HATCH Award 2019 & 2024, and Best Movement Director, The Irish Times Theatre Awards 2017.

Laura will use this time to reimagine her work The Shake into a portable and tour-ready format—a “workshop in a bag.” Originally a medium-large scale participatory performance with a heavy set and five performers (four dancers, one singer), The Shake sold- out at Cork Midsummer Festival (2021) and Dublin Dance Festival (2022). However, its current form is not feasible for touring or remounting. This residency presents a unique opportunity to revisit the work, which continues to hold artistic urgency and value for Laura.

‘The Shake’ is based on a structured shaking practice. It invites participants to “shake out” tensions, offering sensations of joy, calm, and relief. The practice champions shaking your body as an experience that is not exclusive but one that is for everybody’. This residency will help her me transform The Shake into a flexible, tourable experience that maintains its core values.