Dance Limerick is excited to announce our new Associate Artists following a competitive open call earlier in the year.
In keeping with Dance Limerick’s objectives of surprising, challenging, inspiring and engaging people through dance, we invited applications for the new Associate Artist programme beginning in August 2019. The aim of the new position is to support the creative practice and organisational development of an emerging maker/practitioner who is keen to progress to the next stage, and to work with us to develop their practice further. Alongside a programme of development tailored to the individual artist, Dance Limerick offered a commission of €5,000 toward the creation of a new short work, to be presented as part of Dance Limerick’s programme of professional performances, which includes the What Next Festival.
Isabella Oberländer and Rachel Sheil have been selected as Dance Limerick’s first Associate Artists. The panel came to the decision of selecting two artists as a result of the high standard and clarity of vision from both dancer’s applications.
As well as the commission benefits for the Associate Artists include but are not limited to:
– A budget of €2,000 toward a programme of training and research
– Accommodation for up to 4 weeks in artist friendly house or artist apartment above Dance Limerick
– Up to four weeks studio space for creation and rehearsal
– Up to 5 days working with an artistic mentor or dramaturge on the new work
– Technical support from Dance Limerick’s Technical Manager
We are looking forward to working with Isabella and Rachel in the upcoming months.
Artist Biographies
Isabella Oberländer is an independent dance artist based in Limerick, Ireland. Originally from Austria, she studied at IDA – Anton Bruckner University Linz. In 2008 she moved to Ireland to work with Daghdha Dance Company, under the direction of Michael Klien. During her time with Daghdha, she worked with Lucy Suggate, Chase Granoff, Lucy Sexton, Riikka Theresa Innanen, a.o. In 2010 I participated in the DanceWEB Scholarship Program at ImPulsTanz – Vienna International Dance Festival.
Over the past five years, her interest in cross disciplinary approaches has grown. Subsequently she has worked more frequently on projects situated between the performing & visual arts, with Vivienne Dick, Breda Lynch, Amanda Coogan, Sandra Minchin, Mary Nunan a.o. Recently she worked with Pietro Marullo on ‘Wreck – a list of extinct species’ Dance Limerick, performed in Sara Shelton Mann’s ‘Solo Neutral Follow’ at Dock 11, Berlin, Germany, and showed her own work ‘The End’, a durational performance installation, at What Next dance festival in Limerick.
Rachel Sheil has been teaching, performing and choreographing in Limerick and Ireland since 2010. She has a BA and MA in Contemporary Dance from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance as well as an ADPA in Street Dance teaching. Most recently, Rachel became the Associate Artist for Dance Limerick and Artistic Director of Limerick Youth Dance Company. LYDC have already performed in Laois, Dublin, Belfast and Limerick. Her passion for dance is shown through a variety of mediums – she has her own YouTube channel where she showcases her work and also breaks down different choreographies. Fantasy, anime, cartoons and comics make up a big part of Rachel’s Contemporary dance practice. She lives in dreams and is eager to bring audiences into this world!
