Please note: Booking for WOMEN & WORK: The Contract performances on Culture Night, Friday 17 September, and Saturday 18 September, opens on Friday 3 September. Please check back then to reserve your place.
A creative performance project open to women aged 18 to 80+. Led by choreographer Philippa Donnellan, produced in association with Dance Limerick as part of the new initiative DL.BRIDGE. Kindly supported through an Arts Participation Award 2020 from the Arts Council.
WOMEN & WORK, THE CONTRACT is a new intergenerational dance theatre project open to women aged 18 to 80+ taking place from 3 August to 19 September 2021, plus taster workshops in June / July. Led by choreographer Philippa Donnellan, it takes a quizzical look at life at work– from the highs and lows to the fabulous and humdrum as experienced by women. Be it in the office, at home or in virtual reality, this vivid new project delves into the knotty relationships of the workplace, to query what happens when routines and responsibilities shift, trust breaks down, and agreements go awry.
Site Specific Performance
WOMEN & WORK,THE CONTRACT will culminate in a special site specific performance by the participants, and presented in the unusual setting of a Limerick City office as part of Culture Night weekend, 17 – 19 September 2021.
Taster Dance / Theatre Workshops (via Zoom)
Led by Choreographer Philippa Donnellan and Theatre Artist Ruth Lehane.
You are invited to collaborate with other women, to develop your dance/drama skills, to co-author stories about women and work, and to devise and perform dance theatre. The taster workshops will introduce you to the artists and the project themes through technical and creative dance practice and dramatic tasks. Come along and find out how to get involved!
Free of charge, all experiences and abilities welcome.
Take part in 1, or more as you prefer.
Dates: Mondays, 14, 21 June and 12, 19 July
Time: 6.30-8pm
To Register for the Taster Workshops or for More Information: Email info@dancelimerick.ie with the subject Women & Work: The Contract.
CREATIVE PERFORMANCE PROJECT | What’s involved in taking part?
Experience of dance, theatre and performance of any genre is useful, but it is not essential to be able to participate in this project. There is no charge for taking part in the Women & Work, The Contract.
To ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone, and in line with Covid 19 guidelines, this project will be developed in 3 small groups (A, B & C), with a max of 5 participants per group (8 participants for online workshops).
– All groups will be part of the same final performance piece
The project offers an opportunity to participate, create and perform live and/or digitally, with a schedule designed to suit your needs as you wish!
– You may select your preferred group
PROJECT SCHEDULE | 3 August to 19 September
Sessions will run on the following days/times for each group:
GROUP A (Online) | Starts Tuesday 3 August
Tuesdays & Thursdays: 6 – 8pm | Via Zoom, Max 8 people
Saturdays: Live practice at Dance Limerick in September / exact times tbc
GROUP B (Live) | Starts Wednesday 4 August
Wednesdays & Fridays: 3 – 5.30pm | In person at Dance Limerick Studio, Max 5 people
Saturdays, mornings if required tbc
GROUP C (Live) | Starts Wednesday 4 August
Wednesdays & Fridays: 6 – 8.30pm | In person at Dance Limerick Studio, Max 5 people
Saturdays, mornings if required tbc
Project Background
WOMEN & WORK, THE CONTRACT began in 2019 as part of Philippa’s Percolate Residency at Dance Limerick through creative research with a group of local women. Out of this lively process different stories and dramatic ideas grew, and interest in collaborating to develop a site specific dance theatre performance piece.
The Artists
Philippa Donnellan | Choreographer | More info here.
Ruth Lehane | Theatre Artist | More info here.
Rachel Sheil | Project Dance Coordinator | More info here.
About Philippa Donnellan’s Previous Work
Highlight Video from a recent project, BODY OF WORK | What’s the story?, at axis, Ballymun | Click here to watch.
An example of other projects led by Philippa can be viewed on CoisCéim dance theatre’s website here.
COVID 19
In the event that live performances will be restricted, WOMEN & WORK | THE CONTRACT will be redeveloped as a digital dance and performance project during this period. Participants will be guided through an exploratory online process, that will focus on creating dance theatre for the small screen. This digital project will culminate in a special online, public screening event in Autumn 2021.
