Meet

Ailish Claffey

Ailish is a freelance collaborative dance artist concerned with dance, health and well being. As a choreographer, director, dramaturg, performer and facilitator. Since 2022, Ailish collaborates with Tipperary Dance, where she coordinates an important part of the Tipperary Dance Connects Communities programme, tutoring creative workshops with school children and the Age in Movement group, and organising the Tipperary Dance Connects event day.

Since graduating from Trinity LABAN, UK with a BA(Hons) in Dance Theatre, Ailish has studied Theatre Directing at NUIM and continues her studies at Trinity LABAN for a Post-graduate Specialist Diploma in Choreological Studies. 

Creating and performing new work in a collaborative capacity since 2007, Ailish has worked with choreographers including Anneke Hansen Dance (NYC), Irish Modern Dance Theatre (Ire), Sara Rudner (NYC) and Daria Fain (NYC).
Ailish’s choreographic work and collaborations have been performed internationally including New York, Boston, Pennsylvania, Canada, Sweden, Bulgaria & Scotland in addition to various national venues including The Project Arts Centre (Dublin) & The Firkin Crane (Cork), Dublin Dance Festival, Dublin Fringe Festival, Bealtaine, Kinsale Arts Festival, Green Ribbon Week and Abundance Festival (Sweden).

Committed to developing contemporary dance within communities, Ailish works in collaboration with community groups and has designed and delivered many large scale projects for various groups of mixed abilities. Most recent engagements include dance for: Adults in Rehabilitation, Older Persons and People with Parkinson’s Disease.

Ailish has worked on and led projects for The H.S.E. Dublin, Kerry Local Sports Partnership, V.E.C. Kilkenny, South Dublin County Council, Bealtaine Festival, Dublin Dance Festival & NOISE Dublin, Enable Ireland, St. John of God’s, Stewarts Care, Macushla Dance Club, Dance Ireland, Youths at Risk, Dance United, Kerry County Council while Community Dancer in Residence (alongside Laura Murphy).

Ailish is certified by Mark Morris Dance Company, Brooklyn to teach Dance for Parkinsons Disease.

Ailish Claffey