The Art of Existing by Croí GLan

The Act of Existing is a dance work by choreographer Philip Connaughton for Croí Glan, exploring what happens when two artists willingly surrender to an audience’s will. Through dance as a declaration of fearless honesty, the work highlights how marginalised communities have been historically subjected to societal control, forced to conform, obey laws that don’t protect them, or perform acceptability for safety. This theme is especially urgent in today’s climate of rising far-right rhetoric.

The audience, mirroring societal majorities dictating what is and isn’t permissible, will decide how the artists behave, perform, and respond within clearly defined choreographic structures—leaving little room for autonomy. But this is not passive submission; it’s a confrontation. By following every random task, the performers expose the absurdity of control, the precariousness of autonomy, and the resilience of those who refuse to disappear.

Their endurance is an act of defiance. The piece lays bare the constant negotiation of agency marginalised groups face—when to comply, when to resist, when to push back subtly, when to fight outright. By never stopping, they refuse erasure. By obeying, they reveal power dynamics at play. In the end, they expose something fundamental: survival is not passive endurance but a radical assertion of self.

Choreographer Philip Connaughton
Co-Artistic Directors Tara Brandel, Bobbi Byrne
Dancers Bobbi Byrne, Oran Leong
Producer / LD / PM Gearóid O'hAllmhurain
Designer Emily Ní Bhroin
Composer Frank Sweeney

Supported by The Arts Council, Dance Cork Firkin Crane and Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre.

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 productions for national and international touring and associated participatory work. Based in West Cork, CG is EDI Company in Residence at Uillinn; West Cork Arts Centre 2022-25. Nominated Best Performance Ensemble Dublin Fringe 2012 and 2016. Recent works include Tilt, an outdoor aerial dance theatre work celebrated for its approach to EDI; Armour Off a multi award winning film; and In Place presented at IMMA in 2021.

Phillip Connaughton is a celebrated Dublin-based choreographer whose work fuses creativity, collaboration, and innovation. He is currently an associate artist at Project Arts Centre and a company artist with THISISPOPBABY.

Philip founded his company in 2014 with the award-winning large-scale piece Tardigrade. Since then, he has developed projects such as TROJANS (2023) and Party Scene (2022), which toured Dublin, Edinburgh Fringe, and Pumpenhaus Germany, along with Carousel: A Concert at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre. His recent work includes No Control for Carlow Arts Festival, choreographing THISISPOPBABY’s arena show WAKE, and creating Love Songs for Project Arts Centre and Cork Opera House. Earlier, his company presented Mamafesta Memorialising (2019) and he developed acclaimed pieces like ASSISTED SOLO (2018), Extraterrestrial Events (2017), and Whack!! (2015) with Compagnie Kashyl.