About Us
CoisCéim—pronounced “Kush Came”—takes its name from the Irish word for “footstep.” Firmly established in the Irish psyche, its mission is to produce exceptional, inclusive, and sustainable dance theatre, in line with the values of integrity, vibrancy, connection, and joy.
For over 30 years, under the direction of David Bolger, a member of Aosdána, the company has pushed artistic boundaries, standing among the world’s finest. Celebrated for its ability to challenge, stimulate, inspire, and entertain on stage, on film, and off-site, CoisCéim is known for its innovation and collaborative approach – with a strong track record of building and being part of multi-partner projects that span artforms and industries. Our goal is to be at the forefront of the evolution of dance – for audiences, for artists, for participants – as an advocate for the performing arts and those who work in the sector – to bring contemporary dance theatre to new people across diverse settings and media throughout Ireland and beyond.
CoisCéim has featured at 14-18 NOW / LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre), The Place (Spring Loaded Festival) and the Brighton Festival in the UK, Peak Performances, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in the USA and Venice Biennale. In Australia, CoisCéim opened the inaugural Ten Days on the Island Festival in Hobart, Tasmania and was the first Irish contemporary dance company to perform at the Sydney Opera House in a tour that also saw the company grace the stage at Arts Center Melbourne.
Recognised for its artistic excellence and emotional resonance, CoisCéim’s work embraces a variety of dance styles to articulate stories and emotions relevant to the landscapes in which we live. The company has earned multiple awards, including Edinburgh Fringe Firsts, Argus Angel and Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards and is featured in a series of An Post stamps celebrating the contemporary arts.
Beyond performance, Broadreach, CoisCéim’s groundbreaking participation initiative, has been redefining access and community engagement since 2006. Designed to ignite curiosity in the artform and creativity, it brings dance to every body in fresh and unexpected ways.
In 2021, CoisCéim moved to the landmark building at 42 Fairview Strand, refurbishing the former postal sorting office to shape a distinctive new creative space in Dublin’s north city – a destination to dance.
A registered charity, the company is proud to be strategically funded by the Arts Council of Ireland and supported by Dublin City Council and Culture Ireland.
Board, Company & Governance Information
Our Vision
Mission Statement
Our mission is to produce exceptional, inclusive, and sustainable dance theatre. We move with integrity, creating distinct and vibrant work that seeks to reflect contemporary Ireland. We are dynamic and forward-thinking in our approach towards performance, access and creative participation. We promote awareness of dance in Ireland and overseas and strive to foster future audiences.
Our Values
Integrity. Vibrancy. Connection. Joy.
INTEGRITY – our actions are rooted in honesty, kindness and respect
VIBRANCY – we celebrate creativity, originality, imagination and experimentation
CONNECTION – we believe that working with and for people from different places, cultures, and thinking makes us all better at what we do
JOY – we love our work, we are open-minded and aim to find joy in every day
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR DAVID BOLGER
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/CEO BRIDGET WEBSTER
GENERAL MANAGER SARAH LATTY
PROJECT COORDINATOR INNA MAZURENKO
BOOKKEEPER SUSAN HOFFMAN
STUDIO TECHNICAL MANAGER LAURA RAINSFORD
PRODUCTION ADVISOR MICHAEL LONERGAN
Awards
| 2024 | Kmend Arts Partnership Award, Business to Arts for Waterways Ireland & CoisCéim Dance Theatre for BENCH. |
| 2022 | Best Movement, Irish Times Irish Theatre Award for David Bolger (GO TO BLAZES and ORFEO ED EURIDICE). |
| 2020 | Best Experimental Short, February 2020 Indie Short Fest, Los Angeles International Film Festival for HOW TO SINK A PAPER BOAT. |
| 2019 | Remi Winner, 52nd Annual Worldfest Houston International Film Festival for HOW TO SINK A PAPER BOAT. |
| 2017 | Irish Times Irish Theatre Award, 2017 (Audience Choice) with ANU for THESE ROOMS. |
| 2016 | Best Children’s Dance Show, BTA Awards 2016 for THE WOLF AND PETER. |
| 2012 | Argus Angel Award, Brighton Festival for SWIMMING WITH MY MOTHER. |
| 2011 | Best Production, Limerick Unfringed for SWIMMING WITH MY MOTHER. |
| 2006 | Scotsman Fringe First Award, Edinburgh Fringe Festival for KNOTS, also nominated for Total Theatre Award and Carol Tambor Award. |
| 2005 | Scotsman Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for CHAMBER MADE. Best Production Award at Dublin Fringe Festival 2006 for KNOTS. |
| 2004 | Sexiest Show, Dublin Fringe Festival for CHAMBER MADE. |
| 2003 | The Jury Prize at Dance on Camera, New York and a Platinum Award for Creative Excellence at WorldFest, Houston for HIT & RUN. |
| 2002 | The Paula Citron Award for Choreography for the Camera at the Moving Pictures Festival for Dance on Film and Video in Toronto for HIT & RUN. |
| 1998 | AIB Better Ireland Award for SEASONS. |
| 1997 | Irish Times Choreographer of the Year Award for HIT AND RUN, BACK IN TOWN and BALLADS. |
| 1996 | Irish Times Dance Show of the Year for STRAIGHT WITH CURVES. Irish Times Choreographer of the Year for DRAGONS AND TONICS. |
DEEP END DANCE, a short dance film written and choreographed by CoisCéim Artistic Director David Bolger was awarded BEST SHORT FILM at the Irish Film Festival, Boston 2011 and was nominated for an Ifta for Short Film. It is the winner of the SPECIAL JURY PRIZE at Idill 2011 and BEST SHORT FILM at both The Celtic Media Festival 2011 and the FastNet Film Festival 2011. It shared the audience award for BEST SHORT at the Capital Irish Film Festival 2011 and was shortlisted for PRIX ITALIA 2011.
AND A FEW FIRSTS...
| 2022 | Shot at the Ark Children's Cultural Centre in Dublin, David Bolger's FRANCIS FOOTWORK becomes the first dance theatre work for children in Europe to be filmed up close in 180° virtual reality. |
| 2020 | BREAKIN' BROTHERS, a co-production between CoisCéim and Wildfire Films becomes the first dance film project to be awarded funding by Coimisiún na Meán (formerly the Broadcast Authority of Ireland) under Round 34 of Sound & Vision 3. |
| 2018 | The re-imagination of THESE ROOMS, the awarding co-production for ART2016, is staged as part of LIFT2018 making CoisCéim the first Irish dance company to appear at London's leading international theatre festival, and marking the return of the nation's participation at this prestigious event after 27 years. |
| 2017 | As part of its Australian tour of THE WOLF AND PETER, CoisCéim becomes the first Irish contemporary dance company to grace the stage at the iconic Sydney Opera House. The production included a ground breaking broadcast quality film of the performance being created in real time and live-streamed into 21 schools in rural New South Wales, paving the way for its run on the Opera House's Digital Stage during the pandemic where it clocked up over 75,000 views. |
| 2011 | DEEP END DANCE written by and featuring David Bolger is nominated for an IFTA. |
| 2007 | Together with Cindy Cummings, David Bolger becomes one of the first choreographers to be elected to Aosdána – an affiliation of artists that was founded in 1981 to honour those whose work has made an outstanding contribution to the creative arts in Ireland. |
| 2006 | CoisCéim becomes the first contemporary Irish dance company to be selected and perform at the Biennale di Danza in Venice, Italy. |
| 2003 | HIT AND RUN wins the Grand Jury Prize and the Dance on Camera festival at the Lincoln Centre, New York – a first for Ireland. |
| 2001 | With his production BALLADS, David Bolger and CoisCéim become the nation's first to perform at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, the oldest and seminal contemporary dance festival in the United States. |
| 2000 | HIT AND RUN, a co-production between CoisCéim and Saffron Pictures (formerly Rough Magic Films) becomes the first dance film to be awarded funding by Screen Ireland (formerly Bord Scannán na hÉireann / the Irish Film Board). |
| 1998 | In its first co-production with a dance theatre company, Ireland's national theatre, the Abbey and CoisCéim present Gina Moxley's TOUPEES AND SNARE DRUMS on the Peacock Stage. |
| 1996 | Bridget Webster becomes Ireland's first Aerowaves partner attending the inaugural selection meeting at The Place, London. A partner for 7 years, she co-programmed three platforms for the Dublin Fringe Festival bringing the work of Aerowaves artists to Irish audiences for the first time. She returned to the network in 2018 as a board director, where she was integral to the relocation of the company to Ireland to secure its future following Brexit. |
| 1996 | CoisCéim makes its first guest commission to Liz Roche for DRAGONS AND TONICS. |
| 1996 | CoisCéim becomes the first Irish contemporary dance company to be selected and perform at the SPRING LOADED festival at The Place Theatre in London. |