Step Up Dance Project, now in its ninth year, once again plays host to some of Ireland’s most promising contemporary dance graduates. The Programme is a partnership between the Arts Council, Dance Ireland, Dance Limerick and the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at University of Limerick, which aims to bridge the gap between dance education and professional contemporary dance practice in Ireland.
Curated by International Choreographer and Director of Donlon Dance Collective Marguerite Donlon, Step Up 2019 brings a new outlook. The six promising young dancers were chosen following a competitive open call and audition process. They are Aliina Lindroos (Finland), Claudia Gesmundo (Italy), Ginvera Cecere (Italy), Juliana Tarumoto (Brazil) Ambre Twardowski (France) and Rosie Mullin (Ireland). The dancers selected are a mix of Irish natives who have travelled abroad to complete their training and who seek work, and dancers who have trained in Ireland and are now resident here.
The dancers will train with Eoin McDonagh (Ireland), Rivca Rubin (UK) and Deiter Heitkamp (Germany) and will create new dance works with Marguerite Donlon, Emanuele Soavi (Germany / Italy) and Francesco Vecchione (Italy / Spain), over a period of ten weeks at University Limerick culminating with an Irish tour in August 2019. The August tour dates are: Monday 26th at Dance Limerick, Wednesday 28th at Backstage Theatre, Longford, Friday 30th at Firkin Crane, Cork and Saturday 31st at Project Arts Centre, Dublin.
The programme combines creating three brand new works with International choreographers, working on specific technical skills, from a renowned improvisation teacher, learning repertoire from one of the greatest masters-in-dance and personal coaching followed by a performance tour. Step Up will enhance young dancers’ professional networks by connecting them to the Irish and international contemporary dance community, thereby improving their professional opportunities for young dancers in Ireland and abroad.
Jenny Traynor, Director of Dance Limerick said;
“We are now in our ninth year of the Step Up Dance Project and we are delighted to have Choreographer Marguerite Donlon with us to curate a new and fresh programme for our chosen dancers. The talent during the audition process was exceptional and it wasn’t an easy decision to choose our final six dancers. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the tour at the end of August.”
Step Up Dance Programme is an annual intensive programme of training, rehearsals, performance and development for selected dancers who have completed their professional training within the last three years. The specific elements of the programme include:
- Working with high profile choreographers to create new work
- Working with Professional Dance Artists to enable the dancers in the reconstruction/setting of existing choreography
- Development Workshops and Information Sessions
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