A research report and dance screen film exploring pathways to engagement and work in dance experienced by dance artists and facilitators who live and / or work within territorial border areas of Cavan and Fermanagh-Omagh Council areas is now available. This research, entitled Sites of Significance, was funded by an award from Cavan County Council / Creative Ireland and in collaboration with Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and the UNESCO Global Geopark, Marble Arch Caves.
Combining dance and social science research methods, and taking inspiration from the underground rivers of the UNESCO Global Geopark that traverse the territorial borders of Ireland and Northern Ireland, Cavan and Fermanagh, the (often) invisible pathways to dance and connections between people and places were charted through movement, discussion, and auditing/mapping, allowing for choreographic and dialogic exploration and exchange.
Led by researchers Professor Aoife McGrath (Queen’s University Belfast) and Dr Victoria Durrer (University College Dublin), the project team also included research assistant, Dr Argyro Tsampazi (Queen’s University Belfast), videographer, Simon Mills, and composer, Sorca McGrath. The Sites of Significance film features 15 dance artists and facilitators working in the Cavan and Fermanagh / Omagh local authority areas, and further dance artists and facilitators supported the project through engagement with the audit research.
The Sites of Significance project findings have resulted in further dance engagement activities, funded through Creative Ireland, as part of the Shared Island dimension to the Creative Ireland Programme 2023-2027. Entitled Dance Connects in Rural Border Regions, this project will work with dance partners to develop a publicly available, cross-border dance database to ensure wider access to information on dance resources available locally. They will also develop a touring, interactive, digital dance installation and public engagement programme; and website with video, podcasts and reports capturing regionally shared experiences of dance as a professional, enjoyable, social, cultural and creative activity. Opportunities to engage with the exhibition and hear the podcasts in 2025 will be shared widely.
Please access the final project report (2024) authored by Durrer, McGrath and Tsampazi.