Your Next Move Award 2023 Announcement
Dance Ireland, in association with Dance World, is pleased to award 4 pre-professional members with the Your Next Move award. This award aims to provide pre-professional and early-career dancers with the opportunity to further invest in the development of their dance careers.
Successful applicants receive:
€250 to use towards your future development- this could go towards training, a photo shoot, a video reel, etc
€100 voucher for Dance World
An advice session with a relevant DI staff member, to guide a chosen aspect of your development
Find out more about our Your Next Move 2023 recipients below!
Shana Gruber
Shana trained with Nicola Farcas and was a senior company member of the Irish National Youth Ballet from 2020-2022. She is currently in her 1st year of full time training at Kings International Ballet Academy.
Shana was fortunate enough to experience many semi professional performances with INYB including:
INYB's Spring triple bill including Coppelia, Danse Macabre (April 2022)
INYB's Cinderella, Fairy Godmother (December 2021)
Shana has attended summer intensives both in Ireland and abroad including:
Ballet Ireland
The Dance Institute
Royal Ballet School White Lodge
Shana is currently in rehearsals for the Kings Summer show. She will perform the ‘Enchanted Garden fairy’ variation from Sleeping Beauty, as well as other excerpts from Sleeping Beauty. As part of the show Shana will also have the opportunity to perform other genres including contemporary, jazz and fosse.
Katie Murray
Katie began ballet at 4 years old at the Anne Maher School of Ballet and has been taking weekly classes ever since. She has completed her grade examinations up to Advanced 1 and recently performed as Odette in ‘Swan Lake’.
In 2017, Katie successfully auditioned for the Irish National Youth Ballet Company where she has been a member for 6 years. Progressing from the junior company to the senior company, she has performed many roles including lead Waltz of the Flowers and Arabian (The Nutcracker), prayer variation and Swanhilda pas de deux (Coppelia), and The Fairy Godmother (Cinderella), to name a few. Most recently, in Katie’s last season with the company, she performed the lead solo in ‘Schubert Impromptu’ along with performing in ‘Paquita’ and ‘An Coill’.
Katie will attend The School of Ballet Theatre UK from September 2023 where she will complete vocational ballet training, to obtain a BA(Hons) degree in ballet performance.
Ellen Nowak-Ni-Cheallaigh
Ellen Nowak-Ní-Cheallaigh is a Contemporary and ballet dancer. She was born and lives in Dublin, Ireland.
Ellen started dancing with DYDC under Artistic Director Mariam Ribon in 2021 in the junior group. In 2022 she was offered a place in the transition group. In 2023 she was offered a place in the senior group. She now dances and performs with both groups.
Ellen has performed with DYDC at Irish Youth Dance Festival 2022 and 2023, Kaleidoscope 2022, Unanimous (Belfast) 2023, DYDC Winter Gala 2022, and Laois Dacnce Festival 2022. Ellen will perform in Glasgow in July 2023 with DYDC senior group under the direction of Mariam Ribon. In 2021 Ellen completed work experience at Irish Modern Dance Theatre with John Scott. In 2022 Ellen auditioned successfully at Monica Loughman Elite Ballet School where she is now dancing. She performed in Monica’s production of the Nutcracker in December 2022 Prior to this, she danced at Clare Connolly Ballet school from the age of 6 to 16, having reached RAD Grade 5. Ellen performed in several shows with Clare, where she had solos, duet, and group dances.
Ellen is a member of Dance Ireland under the pre-professional category.
“My life wouldn’t be a life without dance” Ellen aged 9.
“Dance is my life” Ellen aged 17.
Caitlin Clarke
Originally from San Francisco, California, Caitlin currently resides in Dublin, Ireland, and dances with the world-renowned Scoil Rince Mona
Ni Rodaigh. She moved to Ireland to continue her education at University College Dublin, and most recently graduated with her Masters
in International Relations. At UCD, Caitlin joined the Dance Society and went on to win the All-Ireland Dance Society Inter-Varsities with her crew in her first year and became the choreographer for the following four years.
While at UCD, she was also selected for the Irish Dance Ensemble & Scholars under the artistic direction of Jean Butler, and was later invited to participate in a research residency with Jean at Jacob’s Pillow. Throughout her competitive career, she has placed in regional, national, and international competitions. Most recently, winning the 2022 World Championships with her Ceili team. Aside from competing, Caitlin has danced alongside The Chieftains, made an appearance on the national television competition America’s Got Talent, and danced on Broadway with the contemporary Irish dance show Fainne Oir.