Philippa Donnellan
Professional

DANCE ARTIST - CHOREOGRAPHER – TEACHER/FACILIATOR

I am an independent professional choreographer based in Dublin 8. Originally from the UK, I trained in Contemporary Dance at the Martha Graham School, New York, and gained an M.A in Dance Ethnographic Studies from Surrey University, UK. Passionate about dance of all kinds, my work is driven by an interest in people’s lived experiences, stories that are personal and collective, social, and political – and more recently by themes concerning the environment and our relationship to nature.

PROFESSIONAL WORK SUMMARY

Philippa worked with CoisCéim Dance Theatre as BROADREACH Director (2006 – 2020) with whom she directed and facilitated a range of projects, residencies, educational and community programmes in partnership with leading institutions and organisations across Ireland.

From 2021 to 2022 she worked with Dance Limerick to establish the DL.BRIDGE public engagement programme. This included co-directing with Ruth Lehane, WOMEN & WORK - THE CONTRACT, an intergenerational women’s project exploring themes of work and its impact, which culminated in performances at Limerick Chamber of Commerce for Culture Night 2021.

Beginning 2022 and continuing to the present, Philippa took up a Dance Residency at Uillinn, West Cork Arts Centre to research a new interdisciplinary work TAKING FLIGHT with artists and local communities of place/age, surrounding themes of care, confinement and imaginative escape.

Also in 2022, she collaborated with dance artist Ailish Claffey to devise DANCE BUALADH BOS, a creative performance project with/for communities in Kildare, funded by Kildare County Council’s Creative Ireland Award.

Since 2022 she has been Co-Dance Artist in residence with Mia DiChiaro, at DCC Culture Company/ Richmond Barracks, leading a diverse range of artform activities and wildly fun collaborative projects.

In 2023 she directed The BIG REEL a dance and live music performance project touring to older-age communities in healthcare/arts centres, supported by Dance Limerick, Waterford Healing Arts and Dance Ireland, and funded by an Arts Council Dance Project Award 2022-23.

Philippa is currently Kildare Dance Artist in Residence 2023-24 developing a range of creative dance activities including new project STEPPING THE LAND, exploring our connection to the land and the natural world, developed in partnership with Kildare County Council Arts Service and Riverbank Arts Centre, and funded under the Arts Council DAR Scheme.

Further information about Philippa’s work can be found here:

www.dancelimerick.com

www.coisceim.com