Aoibhinn O'Dea with Grace Cuny, Roberta Ceginskaite, Seamas Hyland and Robbie Reilly
Foot of the Lungs

Aoibhinn O’Dea
with Grace Cuny, Roberta Ceginskaite, Seamas Hyland and Robbie Reilly

Foot of the Lungs

21 April to 1 May 2026

Uillinn Dance Season: Spring 2026

Foot of the Lungs – Inclusive improvisational workshop I UCC and Bollinger Family Space at Uillinn I Thurs 23 Apr, 5:00pm I 1hr I free entry I Booking HERE

Foot of the Lungs – Work-in-process performance sharing I UCC and Bollinger Family Space at Uillinn I Thurs 30 Apr, 5:00pm I 40mins including discussion I €5/€7 I Booking HERE

Foot of the Lungs reflects an ongoing interest in the dialogical relationship between sound and movement using breath, harmonica, field recordings and lung-like objects to generate choreography and live sonic material. For her residency at Uillinn, Aoibhinn, expands her solo practice through collaboration with dance artists Grace Cuny and Roberta Ceginskaite, and musicians Seamas Hyland and Robbie Reilly.

The workshop and  sharing invites dialogue, feedback and exchange around the themes of communication and connection.

This residency will support the development of Foot of the Lungs, expanding the work from a solo into a collaborative performance with three dancers and two musicians. The primary aim is to deepen the relationship between movement and sound through focused studio research, using breath, harmonica, field recordings and lung-like objects to generate choreography and live sonic material. The residency will provide time to experiment, reflect and shape the work toward a clear performance structure, culminating in a public work-in-progress showing.

My practice sits between dance, sound and site, often unfolding in public or non-traditional performance contexts. I am interested in how bodies communicate beyond language, and how shared rhythms—breath, music, repetition—can create moments of connection. Working with musicians and sound artists is central to my process, allowing choreography and sound to emerge together.

Connecting with place and people is a key part of this residency. Site visits to my grandmothers birth place, Whiddy Island and the West Cork coastline will inform the work through field recordings and embodied research rooted in landscape and memory. The local community are welcome to join an inclusive improvisation workshop and an open work-in-progress sharing, inviting dialogue, feedback and exchange around themes of communication and connection.

Aoibhinn is a dance artist working across the dance, music and visual arts field. She trained in Contemporary Dance, (Tanzfabrik, Berlin), she received a 1st class Hons in my MA in Dance and Performance (Irish World Academy, and BA in FA Sculpture (NCAD). Her work is often site-specific and public, combining movement, costume, and sound to explore themes of human connection and societal limitation.

She teaches inclusive dance workshops across Ireland and collaborates with an array of multidisciplinary artists, underpinning an interest in making dance and performance more accessible to a wider audience.

Her work has been her work has been supported by The Arts Council, Light Moves, Bell Table, VISUAL, Dance Limerick, Temple Bar Gallery, IMMA, Dance Ireland, Project Arts Centre, Glastonbury Festival, Electric Picnic, Altogether Now, among other venues and festivals.

@aoibhinnodea https://aoibhinnodea.ie/

Aoibhinn received an Arts Council bursary to support this work.

Photograph by Ger Holland

Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre acknowledges the financial support of The Arts Council  / An Chomhairle Ealaíon in making these residencies possible.