About Us

Who's Who

David Bolger - Artistic Director and Choreographer

David is the co-founder and Artistic Director of CoisCéim Dance Theatre. To date he has choreographed Dances With Intent, Reel Luck, Straight With Curves, Hit And Run, Ballads, Toupees And Snare Drums, Dish Of The Day, When Once Is Never Enough, Boxes, Rite Of Spring, Mermaids, Swept, Chamber Made, Nutcracker and Out of Harm's Way. His work for CoisCéim has been seen throughout Ireland and in Europe, America and China.

In 2001, David co-wrote and choreographed the award winning film Hit And Run which won the Paula Citron Award for Choreography for the Camera in the Moving Pictures Festival, Toronto and the Jury Prize in the Dance on Camera Festival at the Lincoln Centre, New York. He was also nominated for the American Choreography Award, LA.

David's large scale work includes A Dash of Colour involving 75,000 people, for the Opening Ceremony at the Special Olympics held in Dublin (2003); and Intimate Details, a dance spectacle based on the human and animal ornamentation of The Book of Kells for the Opening Ceremony of the Ryder Cup (Sept 2006).

As a freelance choreographer, David was commissioned to make Ausserhalb der Gelfahrenzone! for the Tanztheater in Freiburg/Heidelberg. He also works in both theatre, opera and film in Ireland and overseas. His Opera projects include: Orfeo Ed Euridice for Opera Ireland (2004), which won an Irish Times / ESB award for best opera before going on to open the Maifestspiele in Wiesbaden; His second opera for Opera Ireland, Imeneo, (2005) was also nominated for an Irish Times/ESB Award; and in September last, he was Assistant Director/Choreographer on La Traviata with English National Opera.

Theatre projects include Sophie's Choice (Royal Opera House, London), Dancing At Lughnasa (TNM, Montreal), The Coast Of Utopia, The Relapse, Love's Labour's Lost (Royal National Theatre, London), Martin Guerre (Cameron Mackintosh, UK & USA), Pirates of Penzance (Guthrie Theatre, USA) Sive (Druid Theatre Company) and Big Maggie, Tarry Flynn, The Colleen Bawn and The Secret Fall Of Constance Wilde for the Abbey Theatre. During 2005/06, David worked on many projects with Druid Theatre Company including Sive, The Year of the Hiker and on the entire Synge Cycle: The Tinker's Wedding, Playboy of the Western World, Riders to the Sea, Deirdre of the Sorrows, The Well of the Saints and Shadow of the Glen.

Film Choreography includes Dancing at Lughnasa with Meryl Streep and directed by Pat O'Connor.

David has performed in many of CoisCéim's productions including most recently Knots at the Venice Biennale.

In 2007, David was elected as a member of Aosdána.

Jenny Traynor - Executive Director

Projects that Jenny has produced include Mermaids, Swept, Chamber Made, Nutcracker, Knots, the Threads Season of events in November 2006 and the tour of Out of Harm's Way in Spring 2007.

She worked for many years in the Arts Council in the areas of music, theatre, dance, arts education and venue development. She was General Manager at Project Arts Centre from 2001 - 2004 and has been with CoisCéim since 2004.

Philippa Donnellan - Broadreach Director & Choreographer

As a performer, choreographer and teacher Philippa has worked with a number of dance, theatre, and opera companies including: Ludus Dance; The Royal Opera House; The Cholmondleys; English National Opera; Major Road Theatre Co., Forum Films; Channel 4 and Green Candle Dance Co, UK.

She has taught contemporary dance technique and choreography for companies and universities including Middlesex University; Adventures in Motion Pictures; Institute del Teatro, Spain; Rosas Dance Co, Belgium. Since 1998 she has been a member of Green Candle Dance as Education Officer and Community Dance Artist, leading dance projects in a variety of education and community contexts. In 2003 she directed In my name - written on the body for students at The Place Evening School, and in 2004 choreographed La Foule for The Company of Elders - a performance group for the over 60's at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London.

In 2005 Philippa created a pilot Postcards from Home. This was a biographical film of her dancing in her own home. In 2006 Philippa worked as Dance Consultant for Hammersmith and Fulham Council, London on a professional development project designed to enable teachers to extend their dance teaching skills within the education curriculum.

Since joining CoisCéim Dance Theatre she has set up CoisCéim Broadreach - an outreach dance programme designed to increase opportunities in dance for people of all ages and experiences. Philippa recently choreographed and directed Dublin Bus drivers in a dance theatre production, The Story of Joe, as part of Gut Busters, a CIE health initiative to aid employee's health and fitness

Paul Carton- Administrator

Paul is a graduate of the Samuel Beckett Centre, Trinity College Dublin with a BA HONS in Drama and Theatre Studies. During his time there he produced, directed and designed numerous shows including Euripides' 'Medea' and Hiener Muller's 'Die Hamletmachine.' Paul also served as Chairperson of Dublin University Players.

Before joining CoisCéim Paul worked for the Dublin Fringe Festival as the Volunteer Coordinator and Artistic Liaison Officer.

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A clever, entertaining and suspenseful dance drama...full of surprises

Out of Harm's Way - 2006

Irish Independent