Dance Performance and Sound Gallery
Dance performance and Sound Gallery is a work-in-progress sharing by theatre and dance artist Niall Cullen.
Welcome to Niall’s work-in-progress sharing! The event will include an approximately 15-minute work-in-progress dance performance, a sound gallery and a moment for feedback.
What is a work-in-progress sharing?
A work-in-progress sharing is an informal opportunity to experience a piece of art while it’s still being developed. Instead of presenting a finished performance, the artist shares part of the process — ideas, experiments, and early versions of the work. It’s a chance for the people participating to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how a performance is made, and offer thoughts or feedback that can help shape the final piece.
About the dance performance
The performance is based on Niall’s latest artistic research about his life as a disabled artist. Niall has been researching the disorienting sensations that shape his lived experience and by using movement and sound, created a performance about his body’s experience in the world.
About The Sound Gallery
There will be headphones scattered on tables around the space. You can listen to clips of the projects’s sound design on them. There are instructions and information about the songs at each table. There is a person available to guide you on how to use the headphones and listen to the sounds.
About the feedback moment
There will be a dedicated moment where the participants of the event can go and talk to Niall one- on-one. You can ask any questions you have or give feedback on Niall’s work. You can also give feedback anonymously in writing and voice recording during this time.
Large Print (docx) (1) Large Print (pdf)
People involved
Performer and Choreographer: Niall Cullen
Performer: Ella Posti
Music: Niall Cullen and Filip Fransson
Producer: Ella Holappa
Event support: Flor Riverti
Videographer: Gonzalo Karmy
Venue and support: Poplar Union
Background of the event:
This event is part of artist and producer Ella Holappa’s ongoing DYCP (An Arts Council England Grant) research, which supports her transition from working in Finland to establishing herself as a producer in the UK, with a particular focus on neurodivergent artists. As a neurodivergent creative herself, she is researching sustainable ways of working, building industry connections, and developing skills specific to producing accessible and inclusive projects. This event at Poplar Unionis part of her research and serves both as a practical application of her work as a producer for neurodivergent artists and a platform for artistic exchange. The focus for Ella is not just on the event itself but on the process leading up to it —collaborating with a neurodivergent artist to understand their specific needs and supporting them in facilitating an exchange with an audience in a way that works for them.
About Niall Cullen:
Niall Cullen is a multidisciplinary, disabled theatre and dance maker. He graduated from Brunel in 2001 with a modern drama course degree specialising in experimental dance theatre. Niall furthered his studies at Candoco’s professional training course for disabled dancers. Niall aims to dispel body stereotypes and society’s taboos through performance.
About Ella Posti:
Ella Posti is a London-based dance artist, performer, and choreographer. She’s both a BA and MA graduate from London Contemporary Dance School. As a dancer and performer, she enjoys bringing her imagination and inner world into her movement. She is fascinated by the stories, experiences, and histories that our bodies carry, and curious to find ways to let them come through her performance.
About Filip Fransson:
Filip Fransson is an actor, writer, and musician from Sweden. He began his acting career in 2021 and has since worked on projects such as Vanmakt (Frailty of Man), directed by Alexander Ekman. Filip has also collaborated with the Swedish puppeteer company “Tittut,” where he performed in shadow theatre productions. Currently, Filip is pursuing his MFA at East 15 Acting School and recently completed a residency at Shakespeare’s Globe.
About Ella Holappa:
Ella Holappa is a freelance dance artist and producer. She studied at London Contemporary Dance School (2018-2021) and now works between Finland and the UK. In her work, Holappa is interested in thinking about the conceptual and experiential accessibility of contemporary dance.
Holappa perceives dance performances as a form of producing knowledge into our world.