Through this bursary I will research physical language through the senses, exploring how dance can communicate beyond the hierarchy of the spoken word. Central to this is film – both as a creative medium and as a means of recording – where I will investigate the different qualities of working with analogue and digital. Together with filmmakers Aoife Desmond and Bonnie Boyle, I will experiment with shaping dance into visual performances and installation ideas. I will also be joined by Alexandra Macdonald – a bilingual Australian dance artist based in French-speaking Switzerland, with nearly 30 years’ experience as a dance maker, including close collaborations with Rosalind Crisp and Julian Hamilton – who will provide movement direction support and mentorship. Alongside this, I will collaborate with American writer and artist Louise Stern, now based in London and an Associate Artist with Surface Area Dance Theatre, whose work engages deeply with ideas of language, communication and isolation, informed by her upbringing in an exclusively Deaf community. From Surface Area, General Manager Sara Chezari – originally from Tehran and now based in Newcastle – will also join us in the studio, bringing her experience in supporting diverse artists and communities.

During our first week we will be joined by guest community artist Erin Macnamara, who works with us at Dance Limerick on the Inclusive Dance Artist Training, as well as DL bridge artist Katy Hewison who I work with regularly here at Dance Limerick. Together we will draw from the expertise in the room, including a day trip to the Burren to explore landscape through the body, and to record our sensory responses through film, movement, and writing.

In our second residency in December, we will be joined by my final collaborator, Stephanie Keane, a sean nós and free-style percussive dancer. This stage of the research will look ahead to future plans and include opportunities to share some of our findings. I am looking forward to this unique gathering and to being in Dance Limerick, which has become a second home for me during my years living in Clare.

This research is generously supported by The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon

Dance Limerick, Surface Area Dance Theatre and Enable Ireland, Limerick.