Liz Roche, Artistic Director of Luail, Ireland’s all-island dance company, talks about the beginnings of the company, as it prepares to make its highly anticipated debut this May with Chora, a triple bill of new dance works.
Luail takes its name from an ancient Irish word that evokes movement, energy, and impulse. Soft in sound—pronounced ‘loo-il’—it also carries a deeper resonance, describing an internal, almost anatomical motion, much like the movement of the nervous system. We embrace these layered meanings, drawing from our rich culture to shape our vision: for dance to be known and celebrated across the island of Ireland and to strengthen our dance ecosystem.
In 2024, the Arts Council Insights survey revealed that just 2% of the population attend dance performances. While dance participation is high in private or commercial settings, a lack of investment in dance education – unlike other art forms such as music and drama – has created social and spatial barriers. Without early exposure to dance, it’s difficult to cultivate a life-long appreciation for the art form.
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Listen: RTÉ Arena celebrate the launch of Luail
Additionally, those aspiring to have a career in dance have often faced a lack of clear pathways to support their journey. This gap in support was highlighted as a critical need by the Arts Council’s Dance Policy—Advancing Dance 2022-2025, which called for the establishment of a national, all-island dance company to create stable careers for dance artists, present ambitious work, revive key repertoire, and strengthen connections across the dance community.
Liz Roche Company and foundational partners at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick and Maiden Voyage Dance in Belfast, were awarded the opportunity and honour to create Luail — Ireland’s National Dance Company.
Together, we have been shaping this new national, all-island dance company, developing a programme of ambitious dance works and special projects that build on the incredible work already being done in the sector. Our artistic programme is forging strong connections between traditions, artists and communities, through the creation of bold, high-quality, collaborative works across various disciplines, scales, languages and performance spaces. Our work brings people together locally and internationally, driven by a fearless, inventive spirit, deep artist connection, and shared joy.
The work celebrates the idea of shared spaces, both physical and emotional, and explores what they mean in our lives today.
With our foundational partners we are establishing clear career pathways for dancers, and now for the first time, dancers on the island can follow a path from undergraduate to postgraduate studies in contemporary dance at the Irish World Academy, UL, into a professional national company through two MA dance placements with the Luail ensemble.
After just over a year of building our new Luail team, company of dancers, and programme that has engaged with over 120 artists across disciplines through research & development and commissioning dance artists to create within and for their communities—we are now preparing to premiere our first major production for the stage. To be doing this at Bord Gais Energy Theatre as the opening performance of Dublin Dance Festival feels extra special.
Chora, created in collaboration with the Irish Chamber Orchestra, is an ambitious debut featuring three new dance works: I Contain Multitudes by Maria Campos and Guy Nader, Constellations by myself, Liz Roche, and Invocation by Luail’s Choreographer in Residence, Mufutau Yusuf. Chora takes inspiration from the ancient Greek word that describes a place for being that is a shared space – both real and imagined. This ground-breaking new work will see Luail’s ensemble of extraordinary dancers join forces with the Irish Chamber Orchestra in a vibrant exchange of dance and live, contemporary orchestral works.
The work celebrates the idea of shared spaces, both physical and emotional, and explores what they mean in our lives today. This theme runs through all of our productions in unique ways this year, and we are excited to see the many threads come together over time. Chora – along with the rest of our productions this year – is a work in dialogue with contemporary Ireland—work that celebrates our diverse culture, transcends language, and engages with complex societal themes.
We hope that audiences see our inaugural production as more than just a showcase of movement – we see it as a conversation in motion, driving us toward a brighter, more connected future for dance.
Together, we’ll revel, rebel, and reimagine. Together, we’ll move.
The inaugural production of Chora will take place as part of Dublin Dance Festival’s 21st edition at Bord Gáis Energy theatre, Dublin on 13th May, National Opera House, Wexford on 16th of May, Lyric Theatre Belfast on 18th May and Cork Opera House on 28th May – find out more here.