About Us

Tara is a contemporary choreographer and performer originally from West Cork, Ireland. She trained at the Laban Centre, London and with Steve Paxton, Nigel Charnick and Lloyd Newsom. She studied Integrated Dance with Axis Dance Company and Alito Alessi, and in 2005 had a year's residency at Beaumont College, a college for people with disabilities in Lancaster, England,. Her work has been performed at Firkin Crane, Triskel Arts Centre, and Cork Opera House, Cork; Project Arts Centre, Dublin; Stukke Theatre and Ponderosa Festival, Germany; 848 Community Space, Jon Sims Centre, San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Dance Festival, Sky Dancers, Dance Mission Theatre, and Performance Showcase, San Francisco; and Spring Loaded, The Place Theatre and Chisenhale Dance Space, London. She has danced for Ka Rustler (Berlin), Emilyn Claid, (London) Jo Krieter(SF), and Kim Epifano(SF) and has has won numerous awards from the Irish Arts Council, London Arts Board, Zellerbach Foundation and Theatre Bay Area. She was a Co-Director of 848 Community Space, San Francisco from 2002-2004. Dance Theatre Journal writes, "Brandel's work has a startling raw honesty...ambitious and oblique"

Rhona Coughlan (Outreach Director)

Croi Glan Outreach Driector Rhona Coughlan started dancing in secondary school at the age of 15 with performances in Father Mathew Hall and Cork Opera House. At 17 she ran her own Integrated Dance company, Wheels in Motion, with several performances in Cork City, including a performance at the Cork Opera as a part of International Dance Week. As education director of Croi Glan she teaches community level integrated dance classes, has performed at the Dublin Fringe Festival, and was involved in a Making Spaces research residency in England, as well as attending CanDoCo's summer intensive 2007. She is currently taking up Yoga, and finding new and beautiful ways to fall out of her wheel chair. Rhona says, "Dancing has always been a very strong presence in my life. It's in my blood and it is one of many elements that defines who I am as a person."