Gathering Three - Dancer From The Dance Festival of Irish Choreography 2026

Dancer from the Dance Festival of Irish Choreography is a series of mixed programmes or gatherings of Irish and Irish-identifying choreographers, crossing borders of ethnicity, dance practices, generations, genders and dance styles from Contemporary to sean nós to classical ballet. Now in its 8th year, the festival features over 22 choreographers performing short exciting dance works celebrating the strength and diversity of the Irish identity and the Irish dance landscape.

Almost Blue Choreographed and Performed by Oona Doherty, Trumpet John Walsh

Commissioned by Cork Midsummer Festival, Almost Blue is a goodbye dance, a farewell. An attempt to move what has come before and expand through chaos back to the gentle hum that came before the beginning. It is a waltz of the inner solar system

ABIIM A Body in Internal Motion Choreography Josué Reis

Dancers: Talita Lima, Ikaro Cavalcante, Josué Reis

ABIIM blends Krump, funk (passinho), and contemporary dance The work follows the physical and emotional journey of a body shaped by memory, survival, and transformation. Through pure movement without words 3 dancers explore identity, exile, community, and resistance. The choreography emerges from personal experience and fuses Afro-Brazilian urban styles with the intensity and depth of contemporary dance

Bolero Choreography and performance by Aneta Dorotova, Bandoneon by Augustina Taborda

Stepping Solo Choreography and performance by Ronan Connor

CROSS Contamination Choreographer: Rory Fitzgerald

Dancers Santiago Novo, Raphael Lacombe, Sofia Antonia Ganeva, Natalie Fabiola Gustavsen, Giacomo Liam Durante

CROSS contamination explores how culture transforms across generations — using Ireland’s Angelus as a lens through which five dancers from five countries examine what their homelands have lost, gained, or buried over time.

BBOYALEON Solo Choreography and performance by BBOYLEON (Leon Dwyer)

A powerful solo by BBOYALEON, the first-ever Irish Bboy to qualify in any Olympic qualifier, multiple award winner of Redbull BC, known for his explosive moves and smooth transitions, Leon has made a significant mark on the international breaking scene.

Monologue II Choreographer: Justine Doswell in collaboration with Axelle Sechao, text by Marina Carr – performers Axelle Sechao and Justine Doswell

Who Calls the Wind?… Monologue II. A play for dancers, exploring what is passed down through the female line. Terpsichore remembers her mother, Mnemosyne, goddess of memory and mother of the Muses. The forgotten lineage with its old truths and old lies.

Di:Aspira Choreography and performance by Tobi Balogun

A drift, a breath, a bounce.

A work in progress addressing themes of masculinity, ethnicity, storytelling and belonging. Drawing from the rich traditions of Yoruba culture and afrofuturism.

This evocative piece positions the body as a transitory state, a vessel awash across waters to new shores.

Partners include Dance Ireland, Project Arts Centre, IFI Irish Film Institute, Dublin City Council, Galway Dance and Millenium, Année européenne des Normands