Bobbi Byrne & Soso ni Cheallaigh
Variations for Two Disabled Bodies

Bobbi Byrne & Soso ni Cheallaigh
Variations for Two Disabled Bodies
4 to 9 August 2025

Variations for Two Disabled Bodies is a family-friendly adventure through the realities of disability dance for gender expansive best friends Bobbi and Soso. Bobbi is a dancer with an obvious physical disability. Soso is a performer with multiple hidden disabilities. Together, they test the limits and capabilities of their bodies. This is a duet with a difference; combining vivid verbal descriptions, personal anecdotes and an eclectic approach to movement and music.

During this residency Bobbi and Soso will be further developing a new dance theatre work, Variations for Two Disabled Bodies. In this work Bobbi and Soso combine detailed verbal description, hilarious personal anecdotes and an investigative approach to movement that explores their physical and emotional experiences of asymmetry, instability and mutual support.

The two explore the limits and power of their bodies with material ranging from an 80’s inspired workout Davina McCall style, reimagined for disabled bodies, to postmodern investigations of weight and balance

Variations for Two Disabled Bodies is a deeply personal work that aims to communicate the often hidden complexities of disability, the importance of human connection and the value of difference.

Bobbi and Soso’s unique abilities and disabilities have fundamentally shaped their physical practice, psyche and their lives in complex and not always obvious ways. Together they have found ways to carefully and playfully balance their perceived weaknesses.

The resulting work will be premiered during the Dublin Fringe Festival at the project arts centre from the 10th-13th September. As a part of the Homeground initiative, the September 11th performance will be primarily for members of the Disabled and Queer/LGBTQIA+ communities.

Bobbi Byrne is a disabled, transfeminine dance artist based in Dublin, Ireland. She was one of the first professional disabled dancers in the country and was a core member of Counterbalance, Ireland’s first Inclusive dance company, for over a decade. She has worked closely with the SMARTlab inclusive design laboratory, codevising and touring in various award winning shows at events such as the Special Olympics and World Summit of Innovation.

Bobbi’s impairment, a unilateral congenital below elbow difference (UCBED), has made her particularly interested in asymmetry and imbalance.

Soso [Sorcha Ní Cheallaigh] (they/them) is a disability-led dance artist, writer, and multi-disciplinary maker based between Derry and Belfast. Having just finished training with Inclusive Dance Cork, Soso is currently working as a physical theatre artist and disability-led creative for Rogue Encounters (Midsummer Nights Dream, Lyric Theatre, 2024) and Irish-language researcher and voiceover artist for Burkitt (TG4, 2024). They are currently completing disability inclusion research in collaboration with Project Arts Centre for Eimear Walshe’s Romantic Ireland at the Venice Biennale 2024.

The material was first approached during a Dance Ireland residency. We have received funding support through Project Arts Centre under the Europe Beyond Access programme.
https://www.fringefest.com/festival/whats-on/variations-for-two-disabled-bodies
instagram @ohbysoso

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