BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Mr Dermot McLaughlin (Chair) Ireland
Chief Executive Officer - Temple Bar Cultural Trust
Dermot has been a dedicated member of the board of the IDFI/Dublin Dance Festival since 2003 and has been a major force in championing and developing the festival to where it is today. A former staff member of the Arts Council, Dermot brings extensive expertise and knowledge of the Irish arts industry to the festival board.

Ms Val Bourne (CBE) United Kingdom
Founder & former Director of Dance Umbrella
Val's work in the area of dance programming is unparalleled. Val founded Dance Umbrella in 1978 and her contribution to development of contemporary dance in the UK is immeasurable. Val's contribution to dance was recognised when she was honoured with a CBE in 2004. Val has been a member on the board of IDFI/ Dublin Dance Festival since its conception in 2000.

Ms Finola Cronin Ireland
Lecturer/ choreographer in residence - UCD School of English & Drama
Finola is currently choreographer in residence and specialist lecturer in Body in Performance at UCD. In her early career Finola trained in both classical ballet and contemporary dance in London. She went on to become a founder member of Company Vivienne Newport at TAT in Frankfurt and later joined Tanztheater Wuppertal, where she remained a member for 10 years. Finola was named Arts Council dancer in residence at UCD from 1999-2001 and was subsequently appointed as dance specialist for the Arts Council, a role which she undertook from 2003-2007.

Mr Colin Dunne Ireland
Dance Artist
Colin Dunne comes from the world of traditional Irish dance. He also holds an MA in Contemporary Dance from the Colin Dunne comes from the world of traditional Irish dance. He also holds an MA in Contemporary Dance from the University of Limerick and is currently working as an independent dance artist and teacher. He took his first Irish dance class at the age of three in Birmingham, England and won his first World Championship title at the age of nine. Performance and choreography credits include; Riverdance, Dancing on Dangerous Ground, The Yellow Room (Daghdha Dance Company) and The Bull (Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre) for which he was nominated for a UK Critics Circle National Dance Award (best male: modern) 2007. His first full-length solo work Out of Time premiered in 2008.

Mr Gerry Godley Ireland
Director - Improvised Music Company
Gerry Godley is the Director of resource organisation Improvised Music Company and he has been responsible for bringing some of the most exciting international music and performers to Ireland in recent years. His diverse programmes include the ESB Dublin Jazz Festival and the critically acclaimed World Music Series ESB Routes in Rhythm. He has curated the jazz, world and traditional Irish music strand of Kilkenny Arts Festival since 2005 and presents "Reels to Ragas" on Tuesdays and Thursdays on Lyric FM.

Ms Helen Meany Ireland
Journalist
Helen is a Dublin based journalist, critic and former Deputy Arts Editor of the Irish Times. As a freelance journalist Helen has also reviewed the arts for other notable publications, including The Guardian Newspaper, and is currently Editor of Irish Theatre Magazine. Helen has also lectured in contemporary Irish theatre and criticism at Trinity College and UCD.

Mr Peter Pih United Kingdom
Head of Quantitative Portfolio Management at Aegon Asset Management UK Peter is a new appointment to the board since January 2008. Based in Edinburgh, Peter is currently Head of Quantitative Portfolio Management at Aegon Asset Management UK and formerly headed up Portfolio Construction at Goldman Sachs Asset Management in London. Peter brings expertise in the areas of fundraising and financial management to the board and is a keen supporter of the arts.

Mr John Scott Ireland
Artistic Director - Irish Modern Dance Theatre
John Scott was born in Dublin and trained at Dublin City Ballet working with Anna Sokolom. John founded Irish Modern Dance Theatre in 1991 and has enjoyed great artistic success with the company. John has also been responsible for bring Meredith Monk, John Jasperse, Sean Curran, Sara Rudner, Thomas Lehmen, Chris Yon, Susan Buirge and Fabrice Dugied to Ireland. John is also a board member of Dance Ireland and City Theatre.