Don’t miss this Q&A event, presented in collaboration with An Droichead, featuring two of the most influential voices in contemporary dance
Join us for an evening of insightful discussion, artistic inspiration, and industry expertise as these internationally renowned choreographers share their creative processes, experiences, and visions for the future. The conversation will also explore themes of Irish language, identity, and the Gaeltacht, offering a deeper look at the cultural influences shaping their work.
Comhrá le Michael Keegan-Dolan & Oona Doherty
Céadaoin 30 Aibrean
An Droichead
7-9 le Píosta san áireamh
📅 Wednesday, April 30th
📍 An Droichead
⏰ 7 PM – 9 PM with pizza!
Tickets:
£10 TDNI Members
£15 Non-Members
Open to artists, industry professionals, and the wider community, this event welcomes anyone with a passion for dance, theatre, and innovative storytelling.
Save the date and be part of the conversation!
Oona Doherty
Oona is a Northern-Irish dance artist who studied at London School Of Contemporary Dance, University of Ulster and LABAN London.
Oona has been performing internationally since 2010 with companies such as TRASH (Netherlands), Abattoir Ferme (Belgium), Veronika Riz (Italy), Emma Martin/United Fall (Ireland), Enda Walsh and Landmark Productions (Ireland).
Her work Hope Hunt & the Ascension into Lazarus in its 9th year of international touring. It has won best performer at Dublin fringe, best dance show at the Edinburgh fringe, judges first places and audience first places Grenoble recoinassance competition.
Hard to be Soft a Belfast prayer was voted top UK dance show of 2019 by the Guardian.
In 2019, Lady Magma was created. In 2022, Navy Blue premiered and has since toured the world. In 2021, she was awarded the La Biennale Di Venezia’s Silver Lion award for dance. In 2023, she became an associate artist at Sadler’s Wells in London. From 2024 to 2025, she is the associate artist of Pavilion Noir Ballet Preljocaj.
Oona’s newest show Specky Clark follows the story of her Great Great Grandfather and his arrival in Belfast. It unravels as a series of theatrical images and is brought to life by an international cast of nine dancers. With music by Lankum, it is currently on tour across Europe.
2026 O.D.Works – Oona Doherty is planning a new group piece première – Leather Jacket.
Michael Keegan-Dolan
Michael Keegan-Dolan is 56 years old and was the artistic director of Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre (1997-2015), creating three Olivier Award-nominated productions: Giselle (2003), The Bull (2005), and The Rite of Spring (2009). Giselle won an Irish Times Theatre Award 2004, and The Bull received a UK Critic’s Circle National Dance Award 2008.
Michael founded Teaċ Daṁsa in 2016 when he moved from the Irish midlands to the West Kerry Gaeltacht on the Southwest coast of Ireland. In 2016 he made Swan Lake/ Loch na hEala, and won the Best New Production Irish Times Theatre Award 2017 and the Best Production UK Critics’ Circle National Dance Award 2018. MÁM (2019) was conceived, rehearsed, and produced in the West Kerry Gaeltacht. It was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Production (2020) and two UK Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards (2022). MÁM has now toured to four continents. How to be a Dancer in Seventy-two Thousand Easy Lessons opened at The Gate Theatre, Dublin in 2022 and has toured widely. It will be at Sadlers Wells East in September later this year
His latest work, NOBODADDY, co-produced by An Droichead for Belfast 2024, Dublin Theatre Festival, the Abbey Theatre, and Sadler’s Wells Theatre, premiered at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast as part of Belfast 2024 and opened the 2024 Dublin Theatre Festival.
Teaċ Daṁsa moved into their own workspace on March 1st, 2024, and working in this new space will be Michael’s focus for the next few years.