Dance Resource Base is the premier non-profit organization, which supports the dance community in Northern Ireland. It provides facilities and resources and advocates the raising of the profile of dance in the North. Dance Resource Base was incorporated and registered as an independent company in 2006 following a process of consultation with the dance sector. It is a membership organization and is run by a board of governors who are elected annually by company members. It is an annually supported client of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
In September 1977, Karen Callaghan and Joan Davis co-founded the Dublin Contemporary Dance Studio in Harold’s Cross, Dublin to pioneer modern dance in Ireland. Two years later, they established the studio’s performing company, the Dublin Contemporary Dance Theatre, which rapidly built up a varied repertoire of both original and guest choreographers’ work. Many of Ireland’s key choreographers and dancers began their professional careers with this company. In spite of its distinguished track record, the Dublin Contemporary Dance Theatre was forced to fold in 1989, when the Arts Council cut its funding. Its spirit lives on in Dance Theatre of Ireland, founded by the company’s former co-Artistic Directors Robert Connor and Loretta Yurick.
The artists’ association ) + ( = a O (spoken: Convex and Concave Equals a Sphere) was co-founded by performance artist Ursula Mawson-Raffalt and fine arts artist Anthony J. Faulder-Mawson in 1993. The collective is known particularly for the avant-garde nature of its work and unique artistic language, combining text, dance, sound, painting, light, and film. The collective’s performance installations have been shown in Israel, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Romania, Wales, and Ireland and have been the recipients of numerous grants and awards in Ireland and abroad.
The Ponydance Theatre Company was founded in 2005 by Leonie McDonagh (b. 1981), who received her training at Sallynoggin College, Dublin and at London Contemporary Dance School. The other founding member was Paula O’Reilly. Company members include Duane Waters, Ryan O’Neill, Lorcan O’Neill, Carl Harrison, Neil Hainsworth, and Oona Doherty. The company’s performances combine contemporary dance and commercial dance with comedy and theatre. Their success is evidenced by the Audience Choice Award, which they won in 2009 at the Pick’n’Mix Festival, Belfast.
Irish Modern Dance Theatre, also known as John Scott Dance, was founded in 1991 by Dublin-born John Scott to create and commission new works to expand the experience of dance theatre for audiences in Ireland and abroad. Since its instigation, the company has operated the policy of employing Irish dancers in its work whenever possible and seeking Irish dancers living abroad to bring them back to work in Ireland. It has also forged links with international choreographers and other artists, including Meredith Monk, John Jasperse, Thomas Lehmen, Sara Rudner, Sean Curran, Chris Yon, Deborah Hay, and Charles Atlas. The Irish Modern Dance Theatre has produced several ground-breaking works which break traditional theatre and dance conventions, leaving audiences thrilled and sometimes shocked. They have been performed in theatres, art centres and schools across Ireland. International venues include PS 122, Danspace Project at St Marks Church, La MaMa (New York), Forum Cultural Mundial, SESC (Rio De Janeiro), l’Étoile Du Nord (Paris), Pustervikstheatern (Göteborg), Varna Summer Festival, Kanuti Gildi SAAL (Estonia), Scenario Pub.bli.co (Sicily) andAl Kasaba Theatre (Ramallah).