***This event is now free entry for CULTURE NIGHT 2023 - limited tickets remaining at door***

Festival Artist-in-Residence

‘Absolutely No Problem’ by Sarah Fennell

New work created during Echo Echo Festival residencies with mentoring from Caoimhe Ennis

Image - Maurice Gunning

This new work explores the body in motion and in human existence. I am looking at ego, the mind, and living with memory, experience and emotion.

“My work at the moment is an enquiry into movement and performance. The ‘natural’ and the ‘unnatural’. How can I move through movement and through life with little remembered ‘motion’ and how can I be as ‘in the moment’ as possible. I’m finding it hard to articulate it with words , but hopefully ‘Absolutely No Problem’ can do that a little for me.”

Sarah Fennell is a dance artist and teacher based in Limerick. Her exploration lies within the parameters of Traditional Irish step dance through the lens of contemporary dance. Sarah is primarily interested in the processes involved when making dance.

She has worked as a professional dance artist with various Irish based dance companies and choreographers over the past ten years. These artists include, Kristyn Fontanella, Breandán de Gallaí (ériu dance company), Liz Roche Company (as an intern), Phillipa Donellan and Mary Nunan.

Having graduated from an MA in Traditional Dance and Contemporary Dance at The University of Limerick, she is delighted to be a tutor of Creative Practice on the BA in Traditional Dance at The Irish World Academy in UL.

Sarah considers her practice with Ériu Dance company to be a huge part of her development as a dancer and dance artist. She is a proud member of Ériu since 2016.

Caoimhe Ennis began her training at the age of four with the Clarke School of Irish Dancing in Dublin. The school has since evolved to become the Ennis & Clarke Goodman Academy where she is an active TCRG. Throughout her enjoyable competitive career, she achieved numerous Championship titles at both local and provincial level including the well acclaimed World Championship for which she attained six titles.

Caoimhe attended the Billie Barry Stage School from the age of four where she spent many happy years. She was afforded the opportunity of performing in The Gaiety Theatre in several pantomimes as well as ‘Carousel’ with the Rathmines Rathgar Musical Society and a ‘Hallelujah Production’ in the Royal Albert Hall London. She went on to train at The Institute of the Arts Barcelona and earned a BA in Dance and Theatre Studies. After completing her degree, she then joined the cast in Disneyland Paris as character and parade performer.

In 2022 Caoimhe completed an MA in Irish Traditional Dance Performance at the University of Limerick. As well as tutoring within the University, she is also continuing her studies this academic year undertaking an MA in Ethnochoreology.

Caoimhe has always been inspired by Ériu and the many significant works that they have produced. She was delighted to make her debut in their most recent production ‘The House of Bernardo Alba’.

A selection of short works by University of Limerick BA in Irish Dance students

These works emerge from the ‘Creative Practice’ classes of the Irish Dance BA programme, which are focussed reflective and exploratory sessions. Using approaches and tools such as deconstruction, authentic movement, and improvisation, amongst others, we facilitate an emergence of aesthetics and concepts which reveal the students’ innate artistic expression, a window to the world as they see it and as it manifests upon them.

"At The Irish World Academy (UL) we aim to create ‘thinking dancers’ and ‘dancers who think’. We acknowledge that these are people with formal training in the Irish step dance tradition. At the same time we embrace their lived experiences and consider how that affects their way with their movement, and how it manifests in poetic, emotive, and powerful dances, so that they may divulge to us a version of the world we may not have access to." Dr Breandán de Gallaí - BA Irish Dance Course Director

Double Bill Performance

Friday 22nd September - 8pm

Tickets

Tickets £8.80 ***This event is now free entry for CULTURE NIGHT 2023 - advance booking essential***

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Echo Echo Festival Presents Tradition and Beyond 2023

Festival Brochure

Click image above or click here (pdf, 1.8MB)

Ticket Prices

Festival Pass £35 ONLY £30 – Access All Events (3 performance events, 4 workshops, exhibition, screening, talk)

Performance tickets £8 - £10 each

Workshops £5 each

Booking information (Echo Echo Studios)

Online booking via WeGotTickets for all events except Áirc Damhsa event at Cultúrlann:

Booking (Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin)

Online booking via Cultúrlann website for Áirc Damhsa event:

Accessibility information

Festival venues Echo Echo Studios on Magazine Street and Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin on Great James Street are fully accessible.

If you have a specific query please contact us in advance by email: info [at] echoechodance.com or phone: 02871308883.

Further Access information about Echo Echo Studios.

Festival Supporters

Produced by Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company in partnership with Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin, Siamsa Tíre, Leitrim Dance Project and University of Limerick.

Tradition and Beyond 2023 is kindly supported by the Department for Tourism Culture Arts Gaeltacht Sport and Media Co-operation with Northern Ireland Funding Scheme. 

Echo Echo Principal Funder is Arts Council of Northern Ireland and The National Lottery through ACNI. Echo Echo is supported by Derry City and Strabane District Council and the Garfield Weston Foundation.