About Us

Company Profile
Who's Who
Diary/Funny Pics

Company Profile

The Name

The name comes from the Irish word for Footstep and is pronounced "Kush Came".

The Style

CoisCéim's style of performance is contemporary and vibrant, with a knowing regard for the everyday. Artistic Director David Bolger embraces a selection of dance styles as a creative device to demonstrate and articulate stories and emotions that are relevant to the landscapes in which we live. A sense of fun and vitality set in a visually appealing environment along with a depth of emotion and poignancy are key attributes to CoisCéim's success. Our work is created with highly skilled performers and collaborators and with a care and understanding of the needs for their health and well being.

The Work

We have created works for live performance ranging in scale from duets to larger ensembles featuring up to eleven dancers and often including live musicians. In the main, CoisCéim's shows have been conceived for presentation within theatre spaces. In recent years, the company has become interested in site specific work, for example Swept was made for and presented in a bar/foyer area and Chamber Made in a hotel bedroom.

In 2001, CoisCéim became the first dance company to secure funding from Bord Scannán na hÉireann for a dance film. Co-produced with Rough Magic Films, Hit and Run was filmed on location around Dublin. It premiered as part of the first International Dance Festival at the Irish Film Institute in May 2002 and was shown on Network 2 Television on 25 December 2002. It has subsequently been shown at over 16 national and international film festivals during which time it has won five major awards including the Paula Citron Award for choreography, the very prestigious Jury Award at the Dance on Camera at the Lincoln Centre Festival for Dance and a Creative Excellence award at the Houston Indie Festival in 2002. Hit and Run has allowed CoisCéim to reach new audiences nation-wide and world-wide.

As CoisCéim establishes itself within the Irish psyche, the company has participated in a range of diverse projects: for the Special Olympics which took place in Ireland in 2003, CoisCéim choreographed A Dash of Colour involving 75,000 people as part of the Opening Ceremony; in 2004, CoisCéim performed in Opera Ireland's production of Orfeo Ed Euridice, which went on to win the Irish Times/ESB Award for Best Opera; and last September, CoisCéim presented Intimate Details, a dance spectacle as part of the Opening Ceremony of the Ryder Cup.

Touring

CoisCéim has taken its vibrant form of dance throughout Ireland and beyond. The company has developed an international reputation through its presentations at prestigious festivals such as the 10 Days on the Island Festival in Tasmania (2000) and at the Jacob's Pillow Festival in USA (2001). In 2004, CoisCéim played in Beijing and Shanghai to sell out audiences, as part of the Ireland China Festival of Arts and Culture. For the past two years, CoisCéim has showcased at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, initially with Chamber Made as part of the Traverse off-site programme (2005) and with Knots as part of the Aurora Nova Fringe programme (2006).

critical success

We have attracted excellent media attention and have gained widespread critical acclaim from dance practitioners, journalists and audiences alike.

AWARDS

Aug 2006	Scotsman Fringe First Award, Edinburgh Fringe Festival for KNOTS
Aug 2005	Scotsman Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for CHAMBER MADE
Sept 2005	Best Production Award at Dublin Fringe Festival 2006 with KNOTS
Sept 2004	Sexiest Show, Dublin Fringe Festival for CHAMBER MADE
2003	The Jury Prize, New York and Award for Creative Excellence Houstoun, HIT AND RUN
2002	Paula Citron Award for Choreography for the Camera at the Moving Pictures Festival for Dance on Film and Video in Toronto for HIT & RUN
Aug 1998	AIB Better Ireland Award for SEASONS
Dec 1997	Irish Times Choreographer of the Year Award for HIT AND RUN, BACK IN TOWN and BALLADS
Dec 1996	Irish Times Dance Show of the Year with STRAIGHT WITH CURVES Irish Times Choreographer of the Year with DRAGONS AND TONICS

Nominated for Total Theatre Award at Edinburgh Fringe Festival with Knots (2006)

Nominated for Carol Tambor Award at Edinburgh Fringe Festival with Knots (2006)

CoisCÉim Broadreach

Is an integrated programme underpinning the performance work of the company and providing access and opportunity for people to experience and participate in dance.

For further information on Broadreach see Access & Participation

Our Home

Since 2001 and with the assistance of a capital grant from the Arts Council/An Chomahire Ealaíon, CoisCéim secured a lease and has been resident in its own premises in Sackville Place in the centre of Dublin. These premises house a rehearsal studio, dressing room and office space.