FREE SHARINGS

Friday 1st September 6pm

FREE but pre-booking is required

Booking (021) 4507487 (Opening hours 11am – 2pm Tuesday to Friday)

RAVENOUS

Step Up: Dance Project is a partenership between Dance Limerick, Dance Ireland, the Irish World Academy at the University of Limerick and the Arts Council, which aims to bridge the gap between dance education and professional contemporary dance practice in Ireland. This year five exceptional dancers have been selected to work with renowned choreographer and Dance Artist Gary Clarke (UK) on the creation and performance of a new dance piece culminating in performances in Dance Limerick, Firkin Crane, and DanceHouse, Dublin.

The successful dancers, selected from a competitive Open Call earlier this year are:

Bianca Paige Smith, from NJ, USA, currently living in Limerick, has just completed her MA in Contemporary Dance Performance at the University of Limerick, she also holds a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. Bianca recently created Two Can Do, which premiered at 2017 Limerick Fringe Festival where it was awarded the Most Innovative Show, she has also received Arts Council Funding to train in Brussels to continue evolving the work.

Celina Jaffe received a dual BA from Indiana University in French and International Studies with a minor in Contemporary Dance, she also studied contact improvisation under Nancy Stark-Smith and Charlie Morrissey. Celina is on a full scholarship from Enterprise Ireland pursuing and MA in Contemporary Dance Performance at UL. Her recent work includes dancing, acting and singing  and choreographing solos and films for her MA.

Sarah Greene, from Kildare, living in Scotland is a 4th year student at The Scottish School of Contemporary Dance. She is a strong, creative, technically trained dancer with an interest in physical theatre and improvisation and has recently worked as a rehearsal director, assistant choreographer and soloist in Rite of Spring as part of Aspire Dundee Project.

Niamh Kelly, a graduate from the BA Voice and Dance at the University of Limerick is based in Cork. She recently received a bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland to take part in an intensive 3 week workshop with the Aerial Creation Centre in Clare. She has worked as an assistant choreographer with Cork based dance company New Moon Youth Dance Co.

Oran Leong, half Chinese, half Irish, but calls Dublin home and has been an Irish dancer for nearly 19 years, obtaining his TCRG (teaching credentials) in 2016. He was introduced to contemporary dance by Mariam Ribón and the Dublin Youth Dance Company and is now completing an MA in Contemporary Dance Performance at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick

Now in it’s 7th year, Step Up aims to enhance the dancers’ professional networks by connecting them to the Irish contemporary dance community, thereby improving their professional opportunities in Ireland. The programme includes different elements carefully devised to help dance artists to progress and grow in their practice including learning and performing, entrepreneurship, creation and personal development.