Cathy Walsh
Dancy Dirting
1 to 13 July 2024

My aim is to begin researching and developing a piece which will be a crossover between immersive performance and a workshop. I plan to develop a series of activities inspired by moments from the film Dirty Dancing, to find ways of getting people to relate and dance together.

I generally create interactive performance, which is both playful and intimate, incorporating elements of pop culture as an homage to art that has inspired me. Social dance is ongoing areas of interest that I will be exploring during this residency.

Participation is an important aspect of my work and I plan to do some public workshops where we can try out activities such as dancing on a log, carrying a watermelon, the Soul Train line dance, and others inspired by people’s experience and memories of the film. I will also conduct interviews with people about the various topics addressed in the film and how they connect to their own lives.

Cathy Walsh is a dance artist based between Cork and Berlin. She has a BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from University College Cork, an MA in Contemporary Dance Performance from the University of Limerick, and a diploma in Ensemble Performance Practice from Queen's University Belfast.

Her practice is defined by a desire to create interactive experiences, blurring the distinction between performer and audience, inviting them to participate in an intimate exchange. Her work is provocative and entertaining, combining dance, improvisation and play.

She regularly collaborates with artists such as Ruairí Ó Donnobháin, Maria Svensson, Meagan O’ Shea, Cécile Bally, Kareth Schaffer, and Tino Sehgal.

@cathysqwalsh

www.cathywalsh.dance

WCAC acknowledges the financial support of the Arts Council and Cork County Council in making these residencies possible.