New Work

Portrait: Sarah Ryan

Sarah Ryan is a dance artist based in Dublin. For the last 9 years she has worked as a professional performer and facilitator for a wide and varied range of choreographers, directors, companies and artists spanning across many artistic genres. These include Irish Modern Dance Theatre, Laura Murphy, Philip Connaughton, Áine Stapleton, Junk Ensemble, Opera Theatre Company, John O’Brien, Pan Pan Theatre Company, Mary Wycherley and Selma Daniel, amongst many others.

Sarah is particularly passionate about interdisciplinary work. She enjoys the challenge, growth and richness that comes with numerous perspectives of inspiration and crafting.

Portraits

These portraits capture a specific moment in time for eight individuals. The unwavering single-shot focus of the camera offers a poignant and intimate closeness to each subject. They were filmed in April 2021 in locations specially chosen by each subject: a place of sanctuary within the five-kilometre radius of their home. The films are inspired by Andy Warhol’s Screen Test from the 1960s and Jane McCormick’s This Moment capturing the significant people behind the TownHall Cavan Arts Space. The films pay homage to the dedication and talent which sustained the Don’t anticipate the ending project.

Directed by Robbie Blake
Filmed and Edited by Steve O’Connor

The Creative Process

Rehearsal, 3 September 2020

These photographs were taken by Zosia Kuczyńska during project workshops and rehearsals at Dance House on 3 September 2020.

Running the ending

This is a film, directed by Robbie Blake, about exhaustion, self-expression and joyousness. Blake’s score uses a graphic notation to represent three states: run, reset/shake-out, dance.

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The Creative Process

Task Sheet, 14 April 2020

These task sheets were given to all participants in a series of Zoom workshops during April 2020.

The Creative Process

Dance House, 13 August 2020

This is a recording of dancers Marion Cronin, Lucia Kickham, and Sarah Ryan performing the second part of a dance phrase taught to them by Jessie Keenan.

Related Manuscript

this nagging idea of Dance

Among Friel’s preoccupations whilst writing Dancing at Lughnasa (1990) were what he called ‘this nagging idea of dance’ on the one hand and the extent to which the play’s form should be naturalistic on the other.

The Creative Process

Jessie Keenan notes, 4

Jessie prepares for rehearsals with dancers Marion Cronin, Lucia Kickham, and Sarah Ryan.