Presented by Inclusive Dance Cork
Inclusive Dance Cork is delighted to offer a 4-day workshop with internationally acclaimed choreographer and cross-disciplinary dance artist Kim Epifano (US), co-facilitated by IDC Artistic Director Rhona Coughlan, running from the 23rd – 26th April. This workshop will explore interdisciplinary improvisation tools including physicality sourcing, partnering, distillation, imagery, vocalisation, theatre, and text — all through the lens of inclusive dance and storytelling.
Workshop Title:Â The Art of Abstract Storytelling
Dates: Wednesday 23rd – Saturday 26th April 2025
Times: 10 AM – 5 PM (all days)
Location:Â Dance Cork Firkin Crane
Participant Fee: €100 (4 days) / Individual days €25.00 per day
Bursary Application (covers the full 4-day fee): Apply here Extended Deadline: Wednesday 16th April at 9 PM
Workshop Details & Registration: More info & register Full 4 – day and single day workshop registrations are now available to reserve online.
Kim Epifano is an internationally acclaimed choreographer, performer, and educator with a 40-year career spanning dance, theater, and community activism. She engages artists of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds through interdisciplinary workshops that foster learning, creativity, and collaboration. She was Artistic Director of Epiphany Dance Theater in San Francisco for 30 years. Kim earned multiple Isadora Duncan Dance Awards (IZZIES) and nominations, collaborated with Contraband, The Dance Brigade, Axis Dance Company, Croà Glan Integrated Dance Company, and Antoine Hunter’s Urban Jazz Dance Company.
A dedicated movement artist, Kim has trained in Contact Improvisation, modern dance, ballet, aerial arts, Samba and Capoeira, winning first place in Brazil’s women’s Capoeira division. She holds an MFA in Choreography from UC Davis and founded the San Francisco Trolley Dances, which ran for 21 years. Kim’s work has reached communities worldwide, including Mexico, Tunisia, China, Vietnam, India, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland and Ethiopia.
Read more about Kim Epifano here: https://epiphanydance.org/
About the Workshop
Each day will start with a grounding and energising warm-up using components pulled from Yoga, Chi Gung, Capoeira, Contact Improvisation, Post-Modern Dance, Chakra singing, and rhythmic and lyrical call and response. The group will move from inside to outside spaces to ideate and improvise movement and adapt it for location and accessibility. Aspects of visual art exploration will be introduced, including a process called body mapping that explores and reveals what you did and did not know was in your own body. The last day will include a low-key showing of our investigations from the workshop.
Kim Epifano invites all participants to bring one object that they identify with now in their work or life, and any equipment they feel they may need for a movement and dance workshop. Participants can expect to leave this workshop with more skills to investigate movement, theater, improvisation, and dance and with a strengthened understanding of how to work in an inclusive and collaborative way.
Inclusive Dance Cork workshops are open to all people, ages 18+ with and without disabilities, and from all levels of experience in movement, dance, and inclusive practice.
About Inclusive Dance Cork
Inclusive Dance Cork (IDC) is a training programme for people with and without disabilities who are interested in learning inclusive dance methods. Designed to foster expressive movement, it provides dancers with the opportunity to explore different ways of dancing, facilitating, and supporting dancers of all abilities.
Originally conceived by Yvonne Coughlan, Chairperson of Dance Cork Firkin Crane, this ambitious programme is made possible through the dedication of its collaborators, with its home at Dance Cork Firkin Crane. The Inclusive Dance Cork team is led by IDC Artistic Director Rhona Coughlan and Project Coordinator Louisa Sloan.
The programme is generously funded by the Rethink Ireland Resilient Cork Fund 2025, The Ireland Funds, and the Community Foundation for Ireland – supported by a donation from an anonymous donor, alongside local donor and business contributions, including Lord Mayor Cllr Dan Boyle’s 2024 Christmas Charity Gala Concert, ward funding through Cllr Brian McCarthy, and a Stryker Anngrove GQO donation.
Our programme partners include Cork Education and Training Board and Horizons Cork | Suisha Inclusive Arts, which provide essential support for participants and accreditation opportunities. We are also grateful to our growing network of supporters dedicated to advancing Inclusive Dance Cork and acknowledge the invaluable contributions of previous partners, including University College Cork, which have helped shape and sustain the IDC programme to date.
Image: Kim Epifano / Image rights courtesy of the artist.
Image Description:
Kim Epifano is seated outdoors beside a tall tree with textured bark. She has long wavy blond hair and is resting her face gently in one hand, looking thoughtfully into the distance. She wears a black felt hat, a patterned shirt in red, black, and white tones, and there is a hint of bright orange trousers. The background is lush and green, suggesting a natural woodland setting.
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