Open Call: Dance Artist
Square Roots Project, Limerick
Part-time (2 days per week) | 18 month contract
About Dance Limerick
Established in 2013, Dance Limerick is a dedicated centre for dance where movement and choreography are at the centre of the work. We create opportunities artists, individuals and communities, to discover and participate in dance.
Our purpose is to inspire curiosity, creativity and connection through dance. We believe dance empowers and enriches us as individuals, as communities and as a society. Our ambition is for Dance Limerick to be a place for dance and a hub of creativity for our artists and for all those with whom we engage. Through dance we support artists and the public alike to be curious, to be creative and to connect with each other and to what matters in the world about us.
Dance Limerick believes that the arts have a responsibility to respond to the world as
it is, not as we might wish it to be. We know that for many people, particularly those
from communities who experience racism, marginalisation or exclusion, the feeling of
safety in a public space is not a given. Square Roots exists in that reality. We are
looking for people who understand this, who take it seriously, and who bring genuine
commitment to creating spaces where everyone belongs.
Overview
We are looking for a dance artist who understands and is curious to explore how dance can shape the way people feel in a place, fostering connection and belonging through moving together.
Square Roots, funded by the Community Safety Fund from the Department of
Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, recognises that dance has a role to play in
actively building the kind of community where everyone can feel that a place is theirs
Its purpose is immediate and long-term. We want the people who live nearby, who walk through each day, who use the square as a shortcut, a pause or a visit, to feel that this is a place of belonging.
This role is fundamentally about building relationships through dance with the people and organisations who share this part of the city, neighbours, community groups, partner organisations, and those who may not yet have had the opportunity to step into a dance venue.
The project will unfold across 18 months, weaving together workshops, public
performances, community events and gatherings in and around the square. It will be
shaped as much by the people it works with as by those who lead it.
The Role
We are looking for a Dance Artist to collaborate with Dance Limerick and be the creative driving force of Square Roots. This will suit someone who brings genuine vision to this work, who can hold a creative thread across a complex and varied project and who is as comfortable in a community hall as they are in our performance space.
This is a part-time role – two days per week across 18 months – and it is structured to give the right artist creative agency. You will have the opportunity to work with other artists, some selected by you, some by Dance Limerick, who will be brought into the project at different moments. The ability to collaborate generously, to lead a creative team with confidence and warmth, and to share creative ownership is as important to us as your individual artistic practice.
A dedicated Project Producer will support you with producing the project, admin, scheduling and logistics. You will be further supported by Dance Limerick’s existing Community Engagement Producer with for example, local partnership and community building.
Who Are We Looking For
We want to hear from you as an artist, and we trust you to tell us why this project with Dance Limerick resonates with your practice and your values.
That said, here is what matters most to us:
- You are a collaborative leader. You can plan a project with care and guide a team
while remaining genuinely open to where the work wants to go. - You can develop and deliver workshops and participatory sessions.
- You have worked with diverse groups and you understand what it takes to make people feel welcome in a creative space. You know how to read a room and how
to hold a group. - You are a connector. You can build relationships with people across different sectors and contexts community organisations, local residents, partner artists and you understand the importance of these relationships.
- You understand that community safety is not an abstract concept. You have worked with, or are deeply committed to working with people who face real barriers to feeling safe and welcome in public life and you bring that awareness into everything you make.
- You have the capacity to envisage your current practice or research in the context of Dance Limerick’s Square Roots Project.
- You are curious how the project might enrich or shape your future work.
- You have excellent personal goal-setting skills and deadline management
Practical Details
The contract is offered on a fixed-term, part-time basis of 2 days per week, based on a 39-hour week for 18 months. Work days are flexible and can be agreed with successful candidate. However, a degree of flexibility will be required around project delivery dates, performance days and community events, which may fall outside standard office hours or on weekends.
The role is based at Dance Limerick, John’s Square, Limerick. The artist will be
required on-site in the context of the project. The role may require off site
engagements in line with the development of activities.
The salary is €33,000 pro rata. The role reports to Company and Operations Manager
and ultimately Dance Limerick Director. A knowledge of Limerick and its communities
is an advantage. Garda vetting is a requirement of the appointment.
Also Advertising: Project Producer
Dance Limerick is currently advertising two roles simultaneously – a Dance Artist and
a Project Producer role. If you feel you have the skills and experience to fulfil both
roles, you are warmly encouraged to apply for both. Please submit a separate
application for each role.
How to apply
You are invited to respond to this call in whatever format feels most true to you and your practice. That might be:
- A CV and written statement (no more than 2 pages)
- A short video (up to 5 minutes) in which you introduce yourself, your practice, and
your response to this project - A portfolio of relevant work, or relevant links, with a brief written or spoken contextualisation
- A combination of the above
Please tell us: who you are as an artist, what draws you to Square Roots project, and
what you think you could bring to the people and the place. Please also include the names and positions of two referees relevant to your application. Contact details are not required at this stage.
Role timeline
- Deadline for applying Monday 11 May, 5 pm GMT
- Date of Interview Friday 22 May
- Role Commencement: July 2026
- Role Completion: December 2027
Send your application to Catherine Ireton, Company and Operations Manager: catherine@dancelimerick.ie#
If you have any questions about the project or the role before applying, you are
welcome to get in touch in confidence with Dance Limerick Director, mary@dancelimerick.ie, in advance of submitting. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Dance Limerick is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We especially welcome applications from individuals from communities that are typically underrepresented in the arts in Ireland.
This role is funded by The Community Safety Fund from the Department of Justice,
Home Affairs and Migration
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