Ríonach Ní Néill is artistic director of Ciotóg, Dance Ensemble in Residence at South Dublin County, Civic Theatre and Rua Red South Dublin Arts Centre. A choreographer and dancer, her work is inspired by an engagement with human and social issues, viewing dance as a form of civic dialogue.
She was a member of Tanztheater Bremen under the artistic direction of Urs Dietrich, 2002-06, and performed with many Irish dance companies, including Fearghus Ó Conchúir, Finola Cronin, and Rex Levitates (now Liz Roche Dance). Ríonach founded Galway based Ciotóg in 2006 for which she has choreographed 11 works, which have been performed in the US, UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Turkey and throughout Ireland.
Ríonach is Galway Dancer in Residence (2010-14), affiliated with the Centre for Irish Studies NUI Galway, She has curated the Galway Dance Days festivals 2012 – 14, and co-convened the 2012/14 Corp_Real International Symposiums and Art & Geography 2013 symposium. She received her PhD in Geography at UCD and lectures in Dance at the Bundesakademie für Kulturelle Bildung, Wolfenbüttel, Germany.
Ríonach develops dance programmes for older people, including the Macushla Dance Club in Dublin, Ar Mo Sheanléim in the Conamara Gaeltacht, and a new dance project for people living with dementia.
‘The Area’, a dance film by Ríonach and Joe Lee, with professional dancers and members of the Macushla Dance Club, has been shown at international festivals in the US, Netherlands and Turkey and is winner of the 2014 Cinedans Best Film award.
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Amú & Cótaí Dearga premieres on Wednesday, 28th May at 8pm in The Civic, Tallaght.
Tickets are €10 and can be booked by phone on 01 4627477 or online (book here).
