BENCH #7 | Simone O'Toole
With free outdoor performances over three days, BENCH #7 is an invitation to savour dance in everyday spaces.
Take a breath.
Just be here.
Find a moment of joy.
RAT RACE is a short outdoor solo interrogating the tension between economic survival and artistic freedom. Simone O'Toole explores the physicality of a body trapped in a 9-to-5 grind. To Kíla’s driving music, exhaustion yields to a joyous, interactive burst of play. With warmth and a touch of mischief, the work asks what happens when we stop, look up, and remember we're more than our jobs.
BENCH, CoisCéim’s award-winning series of original outdoor dance performances is back this summer with the seventh commission of the collection!
See RAT RACE as part of a special double-bill with Jessie Thompson's BENCH #1 on 14-16 July 2026 at Spencer Dock, Dublin 1 at the corner of Guild Street and Mayor Street Bridge.
Gallery
PERFORMANCES
World Premiere | Double-Bill
meeting point | Spencer Dock
Dublin, Ireland
14 - 16 July 2026
1pm & 2pm
Free admission. No registration needed.
Credits
CHOREOGRAPHER/PERFORMER SIMONE O'TOOLE
CURATOR DAVID BOLGER
FILMMAKER LUCA TRUFFARELLI
PRODUCTION MANAGER BARBARA HUGHES
TECHNICIAN GRACE ANN WOULFE
GRAPHIC DESIGN ALPHABET SOUP
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT JULIA KENNY
PRODUCED BY SARAH LATTY AND BRIDGET WEBSTER
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION TEAM
ABOUT
Curated by David Bolger, BENCH was born from a unique two-year pilot partnership between CoisCéim Dance Theatre and Waterways Ireland. It began in summer 2023 and has seen commissions to Jessie Thompson, Favour Odusola, Sibéal Davitt, Tobi Omoteso, Mufutau Yusuf and Alex Vostokova. In 2024 the project was awarded the prestigious Business To Arts Kmend Arts Partnership Award. Find out more here.
