Róisín Whelan Residency

Ernie Ceist Residency

Róisín Whelan will develop a new dance theatre work titled Ernie during her residency. Ernie follows the world of one hospice carer and the relationship he develops with his four most beloved patients, who have now passed away and whose urns stand proudly in his living room as they had no living relatives left to care for them. Working with writer Darren Donohue, Róisín will develop Ernie’s world, which revolves around the life lessons they have taught him, the memories they share of old fashioned dance halls and what’s to learn from late September arguments with their partners. Ernie draws upon the themes of illness, grief and loss but through the lens of joy and comedy, looking at how the simplest moments in life are often the most poignant.

Róisín Whelan’s theatre credits as Movement Director and Choreographer include The Borrowers, Circle Mirror Transformation, and Movement Rehearsal Director for Fun Home at the Gate Theatre. Her opera credits include Assistant Movement Director for Hansel and Gretel, Eugene Onegin, Festen (Royal Opera House, London); Der Freischütz and Madame Butterfly (Bregenz Festspiele, Austria); La Gioconda (Osterfestspiele, Salzburg). This year, Róisín will be working alongside director Richard Jones as Assistant Director on Falstaff at Glyndebourne, and La Gioconda directed by Oliver Mears at Greek National Opera, Athens. In the coming year she will be the Associate Director and Choreographer for Houston Grand Opera’s production of Hansel and Gretel and the Revival Choreographer for Samson et Delilah at the Royal Ballet and Opera, London.

Other credits as choreographer include Íomhá (Carlow Arts Festival/Arts Council Ireland); The Glasshouse (Ballet Ireland); Man Down (R.W.D /Arts Council Ireland); The Galaxy of Occupations (R.W.D /Dublin City Council, Tipperary Dance); The Tipsy Flamingo (Valencia Dancing Forward, Spain); and Parting Glass (University of Malta). Her Film and TV credits include Choreographer from AMC productions, Moonhaven and Sanctuary; The Tourist (Season 2) produced by the BBC; Life/Time directed by Terence White (Arts Council Ireland Funded). Róisín was also a performer in Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet.

Róisín studied a BPA and MA in Contemporary Dance at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, UK where she was awarded the Kathleen Tattersall Leadership Award upon graduating. Róisín has also been the recipient of multiple Arts Council Awards including Dance Bursaries, Project, and Touring Awards to create her own work. She was awarded the prestigious PROPEL Award, a three-year award funded by the Strollers Network, and Ballet Ireland’s Emerging Choreographer Award.