FRESH DARLINGS

Perfromances will be followed by a short Q&A with the artists, and 20 minutes of Dabkeh led by Omar, all welcome to join in ! Thank you to the 126 Artist Run Gallery for hosting and supporting this event, 126 is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland and Galway City Council.

THE FRESH DARLINGS:

Paint By Numbers by Rachel Sheil

rikilikemagic (pronounced ree-kee-like-magic; an artistic pseudonym) questions the concept of "sexy". What defines sexiness? Who defines it? Why does my body feel so tight and trapped within that term?

Artist bio:

Rachel is a teacher, choreographer and performer newly-based in County Galway, after participating in the Limerick dance culture since 2008. Trained with a BA and MA in Contemporary Dance, Rachel also received an ADPA in Street Dance from Urban Strides, London. Rachel is the founder and former Artistic Director of Limerick Youth Dance Company and, most recently, she has become part of “The Parsley Collective”, a 5-member group of dancers from Limerick City. Her choreographic work derives movement from fantasy media, anime and comic books.

for the world we're after by Roberta Ceginskaite performed w/ Fionnuala Doyle Wade

For the world we're after is about the constant tension between the reality we’re living in and the utopia we are dreaming of. We ask: What are the constant obstacles creating the tension between what is and what could be? Is the fight the main purpose and drive for our lifetime?

Artist bio:

Roberta is a Galway based dance artist whose work focuses on collective training of resilience, endurance and empathy. She trained in Contemporary Dance ( BA Hons) at Fontys Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, in Tilburg (The Netherlands). She has recently performed at the Dublin Fringe Festival in a dance work by Abby Zbikowsky produced by Irish Modern Dance Theatre. Roberta has completed a year long community project with Dance Limerick on the topic of climate action and dance. Currently, she is an active member of CATU and Disputes Officer for PRAXIS, (The Artists Union of Ireland). In 2025, Roberta co-created testing ground projects with Fionnuala Doyle Wade for their collaborative, artistic and community work.

At the Foot of the Lung by Aoibhinn O'dea

I focus on the interplay of breath, sound and movement. Using the body as a landscape for sound, I’ve been experimenting with attaching a harmonica to amplify my breath. This experimentation interrupts my choreography with sounds that I voluntarily and involuntarily create. This relationship of improvisation and reaction engages with the barriers of mis/communication. As cultural theorist Byung-Chul Han states, digital communication is increasingly developing Communication without community. This project explores human communication in overstimulated environments. Through intertwined sound and physical storytelling, it seeks to comment on themes of isolation, connection and the power (or failure) of expression.

Artist bio:

Aoibhinn is a dance artist working across the dance, music and visual arts field. Her practice is often site-specific and public. She intertwines dance, costume and sound to create performance which seeks to challenge today’s societal limitations around human interaction and connection.

She teaches inclusive dance workshops across Ireland and collaborates with an array of multidisciplinary artists, underpinning an interest in making dance and performance more accessible to a wider audience. She plays the trumpet, piano and synth. She is part of diverse music groups such as Péist, Acid Granny and Cal Folger Day’s band which has recently toured across southern USA.

Aoibhinn has been recipient of The Arts Council Awards and her work has been supported by Light Moves, Bell Table, VISUAL, Carlow Arts Festival, Dance Limerick, UL Concert Hall, Temple Bar Gallery, Music Town (The Complex), IMMA, Dance Ireland, Project Arts Centre, Glastonbury Festival, Electric Picnic, Altogether Now, among other venues and festivals.