Resonant Bodies / Shared Sounds
A Shared Island Residency & Creative Exchange
Resonant Bodies / Shared Sounds
A Shared Island Residency & Creative Exchange
20-25 Jul 2026
Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast
Resonant Bodies / Shared Sounds is a two-stage Shared Island residency and creative exchange project presented by Luail in partnership with Maiden Voyage Dance.
Taking place across Belfast and Dublin during 2026, the project brought together choreographers, composers, dancers and musicians from across the island of Ireland to explore new ways for dance and music to meet, exchange and create together. Led by choreographers Jonathan Burrows and Liz Roche, and composer Brian Irvine, the programme supported artistic collaboration, professional development and cross-border cultural dialogue through an intensive process of research, experimentation and shared learning.
The first stage of the project took place at the Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast, from 20–25 July 2026, bringing together a cohort of professional artists selected from across the island of Ireland. Through a week of guided collaborative practice, participants investigated relationships between choreography and composition, drawing on diverse artistic traditions, including contemporary dance, traditional arts, improvisatory practices and hip hop.
The residency culminated in a public sharing with a Youth Artist Lab, creating opportunities for wider engagement and exchange. Following this initial phase, one choreographer and one composer will continue into a second stage of creative development with the Luail Ensemble in Dublin during November 2026, creating a pathway towards future commissioned work.
As the second edition of Luail’s Moving in Collaboration programme, Resonant Bodies / Shared Sounds reflected a commitment to fostering meaningful artistic connections across the island of Ireland and supporting new collaborative approaches to performance-making.
See the list of participants below – choreographers, composers, and dancers. And click this link to view the bios of the choreographers and composers.
PARTICIPANTS
Choreographers
Jean Butler, Laura Murphy, and Eileen McClory
Composers
Fionnuala Fagan-Thiébot, Cora Venus Lunny, Tim Doyle, with musicians from the Hard Rain Ensemble
Dancers
Robyn Byrne, Jou – Hsin Chu, Clara Kerr, Sean Lammer, Hamza Pirimo, Rosie Stebbing, Meghan Stevens, Michael McEvoy, Róisín Harten, Isabella Oberländer, Susannah McCreight.
FUNDING
Resonant Bodies / Shared Sounds is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Shared Island Civic Society Fund.
Luail is funded by the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon.
Maiden Voyage Dance is principally funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and supported by Belfast City Council.
