MOVE Commission The Ark, Dublin Dance Festival and Arts & Disability Ireland

The MOVE Commission is a new partnership, formed in 2022, by Dublin Dance Festival, The Ark and Arts & Disability Ireland. Through the MOVE Commission, the partners sought to create a dynamic new work for young audiences, bringing diverse voices and perspectives, while stimulating and growing accessibility in dance-making practice in Ireland.

Acclaimed UK choreographer, Marc Brew, was commissioned by the partners to create a new dance production for children, after an open call process in 2021.

Following a series of residencies at the Ark in 2022 and 2023, The Race by Marc Brew premiered at The Ark during Dublin Dance Festival 2023.

GO BEHIND-THE-SCENES: watch our video interviews with the team behind The Race here.

About the Artist

Acclaimed International disabled choreographer, Artistic Director and dancer, Marc Brew trained as a professional dancer at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School and The Australian Ballet School. He has been working in the UK and Internationally for over 20 years as a director, choreographer, dancer, teacher and speaker; with the Australian Ballet Company, State Theatre Ballet Company of South Africa, Infinity Dance Theatre, Candoco dance company and AXIS Dance Company. Marc was Associate Director with Scottish Dance Theatre, Associate Artistic Director with Ballet Cymru in Wales and was Associate Artist in 2015 at Tramway Theatre in Glasgow. Since 2008 Marc has been dedicating time to his own choreography with Marc Brew Company and his recent choreographic commissions include San Francisco Ballet School, Dancing Wheels, Scottish Ballet, Ballet Cymru (Wales), YDance (Scotland), AXIS Dance Company (USA), Candoco Dance Company (UK), Touch Compass (NZ), Amy Seiwert’s Imagery (USA) and Scottish Dance Theatre (Scotland). Marc was presented with a Centenary Medal for Outstanding Contribution as a dancer and choreographer. His work Remember When was nominated for an Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Best Performance (individual) and his recent solo work For Now, I am… was listed in the Guardians Top 10 Dance Shows for 2016.

Marc is currently Artistic Director at AXIS Dance Company and Associate Artistic Director at Ballet Cymru.

About the Partners

The Ark

Established in 1995, The Ark is a dedicated cultural centre for children. We create opportunities for children, along with their families and friends or with their school, to discover and love art. We commission, produce and present work for, by and about children, from the ages of two to twelve years old. Child participation is at the heart of our practice and, through our Children’s Council, we have spearheaded a robust model of child participation in arts and culture for a diverse group of children who now inform all of the organisation’s artistic programming and decision making. We also curate specific professional development opportunities for teachers and artists, and work with other like-minded organisations to advance children’s rights to art and culture as part of their learning and development.

Dance Festival

Dublin Dance Festival brings artists, audiences and communities together to create and share exceptional dance experiences. We present live, digital and collaborative dance opportunities for the widest possible audience. We showcase the best Irish and international dance and act as a vital platform for artists and the creation of new work, culminating in an annual festival each May. Dublin Dance Festival generates opportunities for artists, locally, nationally, internationally and virtually, through residencies, commissions and partnerships and by encouraging artistic collaboration, experimentation, risk-taking and innovation in dance.

Arts & Disability Ireland

Arts & Disability Ireland is the national development and resource organisation for arts and disability. We promote engagement with the arts at all levels – as professional artists, audience members and arts workers – for people of all ages with disabilities of all kinds. We work towards arts programmes and arts venues becoming fully accessible experiences for all audiences. We advocate for inclusive policy and practice which provides real access to all aspects of the arts for people with disabilities, and for everyone.