delve at the National Circus Festival of Ireland 2025

Tara Brandel is an award-winning choreographer, contemporary dancer from West Cork and Co-Artistic Director of  Croí Glàn. Active since 1990, she trained in Contact Improvisation with Steve Paxton and in aerial dance with pioneers Terry Sendgraff and Genevieve Mazin. Tara performed with Flyaway Productions in San Francisco and toured Sisters, an aerial dance theatre show, with her sister Shaena Brandel. In 2009, she created Edge, likely Ireland’s first integrated vertical dance piece.

She holds a Master’s in Interdisciplinary Performance from UC Davis, where she received multiple fellowships and awards for her show Circus, which toured internationally. Her dance film CAR was Director’s Choice at CDIFF Toronto in 2017. As Artistic Director of Croí Glan Integrated Dance, Tara created TILT, an aerial show featuring a tilting pole, and In Place, a site-specific outdoor piece at IMMA. She is currently developing a new duet titled I Dream of Water.

Bobbi Byrne is a disabled, transfeminine dance artist based in Dublin and Co-Artistic Director of  Croí Glàn. Active since 1996, she has been a pioneer in inclusive dance, notably as a core member of Counterbalance, Ireland’s first inclusive dance company.

Bobbi has collaborated with SMARTlab on award-winning performances and toured internationally, including work with Dan Zass and Meet Share Dance in Spain. As a facilitator, she has led workshops for Trinity College’s TCIID, ENFO, and Firkin Crane, engaging with disability groups, older adults, and unhoused communities.

Rachel Paul discovered integrated dance in 2012. From that moment, she never stopped dancing, and she has worked with several companies in Perú (Kinesfera Danza), Colombia (ConCuerpos), and France (Etrangères).

She has also trained in London with Candoco Dance Company. In Paris, she organized some events to help integrated dance companies to share their work. Apart from dancing, she’s a documentary filmmaker, and she is currently working on a project about the disability rights movement in France.