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LIZ ROCHE
Photo by Alan Gilsenan
Liz is co-founder and Artistic Director of Dublin based dance company Liz Roche Company (formerly Rex Levitates Dance Company). Company-in-residence (2017 - 2019) at Dublin Dance Festival and the Civic Theatre Tallaght, the company has produced and toured over 20 of her works, performing throughout Ireland and internationally at prestigious venues and festivals including the Baryshnikov Arts Centre New York, South Bank Centre London, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Meet in Beijing Festival and Powerhouse Brisbane.
Recent commissions include I/Thou for Cork Opera House in partnership with Sirius Arts Centre which saw a major new production for the Opera House stage inspired by the work of visual artist Brian O'Doherty/Patrick Ireland, The Here Trio for Maiden Voyage Belfast and Naher… closer, nearer, sooner, for Goethe-Institut Ireland for the opening of their newly refurbished building on Merrion Square. In 2017 the company presented Totems for the National Gallery of Ireland and Dublin Dance Festival.
In 2016 Liz directed Embodied, a series of 5 choreographed female proclamations for the Dublin Dance Festival, commissioned by An Post/GPO for their 2016 celebrations.
In 2015 the company premiered Bastard Amber, commissioned by the Abbey Theatre, Dublin Dance Festival and Kilkenny Arts Festival. It was a historic moment for dance in Ireland, the first time ever for an Irish choreographer to be commissioned to create a full length dance work for the main stage of the Abbey Theatre.
Photo by Luca Truffarelli
Between 2009 and 2012 Liz was choreographer-in-residence at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at University Limerick, and is a former recipient of Peter Darrell Choreographic Award, Bonnie Bird U.K. New Choreography Award and the Dublin Fringe Festival's Jane Snow Award.
She has been commissioned to make work for a number of dance companies including the National Ballet of China, Arcane Collective, Croi Glan Integrated Dance, Scottish Dance Theatre, Cois Ceim and Dance Theatre of Ireland.
She is a graduate of London Contemporary Dance School. As a dancer, she has worked with world renowned choreographers and companies: Rosemary Butcher (UK), Jodi Melnick (USA), John Jasperse Company (USA), Les Carnets Bagouet, Cathala & Ramalingom, (France) and Christine Gaigg 2nd Nature (Vienna) and has performed at Montpellier Danse, Paris Biennale, Festival De La Nouvelle Danse, Impuls Festival and the Viennale.
In Ireland she has danced with John Scott’s imdt, Cois Ceim Dance Theatre, Dance Theatre of Ireland and Daghdha Dance Company.
Choreographies for theatre include The Abbey Theatre's Anna Karenina, DrumBelly, King Lear, Alice In Funderland, The Government Inspector; The Red Shoes, Festen and The Mariner at The Gate Theatre, Dancing at Lughnasa for the Lyric Theatre Belfast, Woyzeck in Winter for GIAF and The Barbican, The Talk of the Town, Miss Julie, The Secret Garden and Alice In Wonderland for Landmark Productions, Medea and A Tender Thing for Siren Productions. Her work in opera includes choreographies for Irish National Opera (Aida 2018), Wexford Festival Opera (The Mines of Sulphur), National Opera of Korea (Aida), Rossini Opera Festival (Semiramide), Opernhaus Zurich (Axur Re D'Ormus & Lucio Silla), Opera de Nice (Lucio Silla) and Opera Ireland (Pique Dame, Don Carlos, Aida, Macbeth, La Cenerentola, The Silver Tassie, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Andre Chenier, Mazeppa).
She was a selected artist for Modul Dance, a European network for dance artists from 2011 – 2014 and was a board member of Theatre Forum and Dance Ireland.