Dance Cork Firkin Crane Launches Winter/Spring 2026 Season
The season was officially opened by Lord Mayor of Cork City Cllr. Fergal Dennehy at a special event on Friday 23 January in Shandon.
Dance Cork Firkin Crane will present its Winter/Spring season with an enticing programme of public performances and festivals, artist residencies, and professional development opportunities. The season was officially opened by Lord Mayor of Cork City Cllr. Fergal Dennehy at a special event on Friday 23 January in Shandon. Along with insights into the upcoming programme from Dance Cork Firkin Crane’s Executive Artistic Director Laurie Uprichard and Board Chair Yvonne Coughlan, residency artist Cormac Mohally treated guests to a short circus performance.
Laurie Uprichard on the upcoming season:
“We’re so looking forward to the fourth season of our Take Off Festival, which will feature artists from Turkey and Hungary this year in addition to three Irish-based choreographers. It’s always a great week of exchange and a chance for audiences to see the next generation of European dancemakers. We will also joyfully welcome artists in residence from France and the U.S. to further expand our breadth.”
Earlier in the month, the season kicked off with performances of Fiona Quilligan’s Crystal Cloud on 16 and 17 January, which was followed in theme by Irish Modern Dance Theatre’s Cloud Study on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 January choreographed by John Scott.
Next month, the fourth edition of Take Off Festival takes place from Wednesday 18 - Friday 20 February. The festival presents two programmes of thrilling contemporary dance from Irish artists alongside international performers. Highlights include performances by Mufutau Yusuf (Ireland/Belgium), Alex Vostokova (Ireland) and The Parsley Collective – Mary Nunan, Isabella Oberländer, Angie Smalis, Rachel Sheil and Salma Ataya – (Ireland), along with Aerowaves artists Ekin Tunçeli (Turkey/Germany) and gergő farkas (Hungary/Sweden). The festival also offers Professional Classes, a Roundtable Discussion for local artists to engage with, and a closing party with music from DJ Tom Prendergast. Tickets are available for individual performances or as performance pass, €15/€12 or €22.
May begins with a high energy performance of Ciseach - An Embodied Manifesto by Catherine Young Dance, a pulsating contemporary incantation weaving together a tapestry of dance, rhythm, live music and voice that seeks to rekindle our broken relationship with the land. The Cork premiere is on Friday 1 May, tickets €15/€12.
In July, Croí Glan (directed by Tara Brandel and Bobbi Byrne) returns to Dance Cork Firkin Crane with The Act of Existing, a dance work by Philip Connaughton exploring what happens when two artists willingly surrender to an audience’s will. The Cork-based Croí Glan is Ireland's leading Integrated Dance Company, working with professional contemporary dancers with and without physical disabilities to produce bold, engaging, high calibre work. Performances take place on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 July, tickets €15/€12.
Resident artists in Winter/Spring 2026 include Cormac Mohally (Ireland), Siobhán Ní Dhuinnín (Ireland), Kathy Westwater (USA), Fearghus Ó Conchúir (Ireland), Dalila Belaza (France), and Helga Deasy (Ireland/Germany). The artists will create and develop new works in the Dance Cork Firkin Crane studios.
Cine Club: Dance on Film curated by Cork city dance artist in residence Luke Murphy continues on the first Thursday of the month. First up is Dancing Dreams by Pina Bausch (Germany) on Thursday 5 February followed by a Q&A with Finola Cronin, former dancer with Tanztheater Wuppertal directed by Pina Bausch. Screenings continue with Horrible Creature by Áine Stapleton (Ireland) on Thursday 5 March, Strange Fish by DV8 Physical Theatre (UK) on Thursday 2 April, and a double bill of Dance Stories by Laura Murphy (Ireland) and Risa by Kate Weare (USA) Thursday 7 May. Free, pre-booking requested.
Crane Visual programme, curated by Dermot Browne, continues with exhibitions including Rotate(r): 1000 works that need to be seen running from Monday 19 January - Saturday 14 March, and Fragments of Becoming by Yuan-Wen Wang running from April-May. Both exhibitions open with receptions at the Musgrave Theatre, all welcome.
In Professional Development, opportunities continue with weekly classes, workshops, and masterclasses led by international and local dance practitioners. A highlight of these will be the return of the Catch Workshop Series curated by Luke Murphy in June.
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