Dancer From The Dance 2023 – Gathering 2

Choreographers: Siobhán Ní Dhuinnín, Gearóid Solan, Favour Odusola and Seán Curran
Curator: John Scott
Producer: Carla Fazio
Production Manager: Gearoid o’Hallmhurain
Stage Manager: Michaela Conley
Festival Administrator: Lia Bernhardi
Festival Interns: Angelina Hujber, Bryce Reynolds, Emma Winikow

Gearóid Solan: Gearóid grew up in Dunboyne, Co Meath. He received his early training under the guidance of Grainne McArdle, Sarah Chester, and the late Katherine Lewis of Irish National Youth Ballet. At the age of 15, he continued his dance education at The Royal Ballet School. Upon graduating, he became a member of Ballet Zürich, where he danced choreographies by renowned artists such as Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, and Crystal Pite, among others. He has been a dancer with Boston Ballet since 2020.

Seán Curran: Seán’s career in the arts spans 35 years, beginning with traditional Irish step dancing as a child in Boston. A graduate of New York University, Curran now serves as Arts Professor and Chair of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Department of Dance. As a dancer, he is known for his early performance work with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, and as an original New York City cast member of STOMP! His 30 choreographic works for his contemporary dance ensemble, Seán Curran Company, are characterized by collaborations across artistic genres and have toured to nearly 100 venues in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Seán Curran Company’s highly regarded service to the field includes donation of performances and classes to the American Civil Liberties Union NYC Chapter, Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Residence (a safe house for LGBTQ youth), Dancers Responding to AIDS and the Hetrick-Martin Institute.

Siobhán Ní Dhuinnín is a dance artist based in Cork, Ireland. Her primary focus is on place-based and site-specific work manifesting in film and live performance. Trained in the UK and Ireland, Siobhán has performed with various choreographers to include: John Jasperse & Liz Roche, Mary Nunan, Joan Davis, Jessie Keenan, Junk Ensemble, Laura Murphy and Mary Wycherley. Her work has been shown at Salt Festival of the Sea and Environment (UK), Ullapool Dance Festival (SCT), Dublin Dance Festival, Dance Limerick, Echo Echo Festival of Dance and Movement, What Next Festival, Tipperary Dance Platform and Firkin Crane amongst others. Siobhán is a recipient of the Decade of Centenaries Markievicz Award (2022) from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Favour Odusola (Proud African King) is a Nigerian Irish multidisciplinary artist who has worked across several contexts from traditional dance & percussion to commercial work and contemporary theatre for over 15 years in Europe (Ireland and London), Africa (Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria), and UAE (Dubai). As a dancer, he established UMAKOKO Productions, a production company, and UMA, a dance outfit dedicated to equipping dancers with the skills, information and process of growing as a dancer/dance professional. He has since begun to establish himself as a successful director, dancer, writer, producer and curator of dance for several prolific Irish choreographers, and production companies.

“Launched in 2019, Scott’s personal crusade to promote Irish choreographers on the global stage began as a labour of love to challenge limiting, confused, and often negative notions about Irish choreography and identity… the festival’s growth over the past three years has been staggering… Scott’s determination has this year’s festival shining a light on some of our finest choreographers, and dance film makers, positioned as part of a global practice and historic tradition, commanding form and space with the very best. [The Festival suggests] “that Irish choreography, like being Irish, like dance itself, and dance on film, is everything you thought it was and everything you thought it wasn’t. And lots in between you never thought possible or never thought of at all. Shaping identity, and dance, well into the future.” Chris O’Rourke, The Arts Review, July 2021

Supported by The Arts Council, Dublin City Council, Dance Ireland, Irish Film Institute, Dublin City University, Galway Dance Project, Dance Cork Firkin Crane, Dance Limerick, Scottish Government Ireland Office, Fidget Feet, Culture Ireland

Project Arts Centre is proudly supported by The Arts Council and Dublin City Council.