Professional Development Week for Traditional Dancers with Colin Dunne

Following the success of last year’s choreographic lab, Dance Limerick will host a Professional Development Week for Traditional Dancers from September 2 – 6 2024.

This 5-day intensive will be led by Colin Dunne will focus on solo work, and the nurturing and examination of dancers’ unique physicality and creative voice.

Who is this opportunity for:

• Emerging and mid-career traditional dance artists who are already making work, and professional dancers who are looking for direction and inspiration.
• Professional dancers across all styles of traditional Irish dance who wish to expand and re-focus their approach to dance-making and performance.

The week will include:

• Morning class and warm up focusing on the release of muscular tension in the body.
• A daily practice in improvisation in both movement and sound-making as a way into creativity.
• Writing exercises that encourage dancers to dream into the work they want to make.
• Short compositional studies

This opportunity aims to:

• Stimulate the participants’ movement practice and imagination.
• Give meaningful feedback and support on the artists’ creative and compositional methods.
• Allow a space for reflection on and development of each participant’s unique artistic voice.
• Provide space to meet, talk, dance together, share, play, and work through your questions in an open and nurturing environment.

How to apply:

Submit by email an Expression of Interest outlining why you feel this would benefit your practice, along with an Artist Statement and a link to one work you have recently created. [Early-career dancers that have not have created work may submit self-taped footage.] We ask applicants to send this information on a one-page PDF format to info@dancelimerick.ie.

Applicants must have confirmed their availability for the entire period (2-6 September).

Key dates:

• Zoom info session: Monday 8 April at 1 pm
• Deadline: Monday 22 April at 5 pm GMT
• Applicants will be notified of their outcome Tuesday 7 May

Email Dance Limerick at leonor.miralles@dancelimerick.ie for your zoom invitation and for any further questions.

COLIN DUNNE

Colin Dunne is a leading figure in the world of traditional Irish dance. He collaborates across dance, music and theatre performance platforms in Ireland and internationally. His first solo show Out of Time (2008), was nominated for a 2010 Olivier Award for outstanding achievement in dance, and toured internationally including performances at Biennale de Lyon, Barbican, London and Baryshnikov Arts Centre, NY. His most recent solo show CONCERT, based on the music of Irish fiddle player Tommie Potts, received the 2018 TG4 Gradam Ceoil Award for Music Collaboration in 2018, and a Bessie Award Nomination in 2020.

Other notable collaborations include: Session (2019) with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Whitby (2017) with Joan Sheehy, Edges of Light (2016 commissioned by Music Network), 20 Dancers for the XX Century (2015 Boris Charmatz, at the Tate Museum London), The Turn (2013) composed by Linda Buckley and The Bull (2005) by Michael Keegan Dolan. As movement director, his work includes In The Middle of the Fields by Mary Lavin (2021) directed by Joan Sheehy, The Risen People (Abbey Theatre 2013) directed by Jimmy Fay, and Christ Deliver Us (Abbey Theatre 2010) directed by Wayne Jordan.