We sat down with Rosie Mullin, our dancer in residence at An Grianán to get an insight into how Rosie found her time with us.
- How would you describe your overall experience during your time as the dancer in residence?
As a dancer in residency, I had the most relaxed, fulfilling time in An Grianán. The theatre stage is honestly so beautiful to dance on. I am not accustomed to the space and freedom, so it was a joy to be able to experiment! The staff are also so welcoming and really let me have full reins of the stage space to play and be for the two weeks.
- What were the highlights of your time here?
A highlight was for sure sharing the residency with three dancers, to explore my creative ideas. I crafted a four-day retreat where I opened each morning with a 1.5hr physical yoga practice. I led meditations, allowed space for conversations and offered themes from my artistic research to play with on stage through movement. It was so joyous to be creative with no goal or demand for outcome. It was a breath of fresh air for all four of us just to play!
- How did this residency help you grow or evolve as an artist?
The residency pushed me to experiment with my practice and test ideas that I’ve been cultivating from the past year. Early this year, I took four months out of Ireland to study yoga and meditation and train in Australia on a professional dance festival. I arrived home to Ireland with lots of career thoughts and ambitions. In short, in future I want to create and produce a full length dance-theatre work and start leading artists on restorative retreats. Over this residency I successfully hosted mini retreat for three dancers. I showed me that I have the skills and knowledge to fulfill this next ambition. This bleeds into my want to create and direct a dance work as I was able to direct the dancers from off stage, witness my choices in lightning, choreography, relationship. It is a skillset I know possess but never get practice. This is an integral piece of my journey and the exact boost I needed to continue on with the creation of my first full length dance work.
- Did you feel the space and resources provided supported your creative process
Oh my word yes! Being allowed to roam around a theater stage as big as An Grianán, with stage lights and a sound desk was an absolute joy. We’re never allowed time in a theatre to play and experiment with ideas. The freedom from the theater to explore how I wish was greatly appreciated..
- Did you have opportunities to collaborate with other artists or performers during your time here? If so, what was that experience like?
Yes, I invited three dancers with me to Letterkenny to partake in my research of leading restorative spaces for dancers as well as generate conversations around the theme of my dance work ‘Obedient Lamb’. It is so difficult to be a solo artist in a creative space so inviting other artists to collaborate with opened up my creative thoughts, explorations and left me in week two with so many thoughts and Ideas about the structure of my piece.
- Were there any resources or facilities that you found particularly useful during your residency?
This stage! As dancers we are often in rehearsal rooms, gym halls, church halls. There is never an opportunity to be on stage experimenting. Having different lightning states to play with was so evocative and allowed me to see certain scenes/ideas play out in real time. It allowed my ideas to come to life!
- Did you feel well-supported by the theater in terms of mentoring or feedback during your time here?
This time I did not ask for much feedback or mentoring as I was nourishing my own creative thoughts with the dancers. The two weeks allowed me to move my body every day, it gave me freedom to be slow and meditate on ideas, giving me much needed dedicated time to focus, to journal, to craft my creative ideas more intensely.
- How do you think this residency will influence your future projects
I want to share a short expert of my own show by the end of the year. The ideas generated and explored through the residency have me well on my way to achieve this. Secondly, I have a future ambition to lead a residency space in the hills of Donegal with my sister and partner. It will combine all my passions: movement, community and true soul connection. I had a really positive experience hosting the dancers along with curating and leading a retreat program. It felt effortless and easy and has shown me I can do it now if I wanted but it will unfold naturally with time.
Any advice for dancers or artists considering a similar residency in the future?
Applying with any idea big or small, a residency just gives you focus and a reason to step out of your everyday schedule, peel back the chaos and take stock of what really matters to you. This is the second year I have received this opportunity through Galway Dance Project, and I can see the impact within, of dedicating time to me and my practice. It is a real gift.
- What’s next for you after this residency?
I only arrived home in Ireland two weeks before this residency took place, so it has allowed me to sink back into the land and given me permission to continue to explore, create and meditate on my work. I was very lucky last year to receive a dance bursary from the Irish Arts Council, meaning there is continuity now with the development of my art. I will be connecting with women’s groups around Donegal to engage them in dance storytelling to share their stories of rural womanhood.
There is still some time to apply for the next residency, get more info and apply here.
