A new film and research project has documented the experiences of dance artists and facilitators in the border region.

The report and film, titled ‘Sites of Significance’, focus on the areas governed by Cavan County Council and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.

It aims to highlight the largely "unseen" dance activity in rural regions that often goes unrecorded in broader arts and cultural policy research on the island.

The project was led by researchers from Queen’s University, Belfast and University College Dublin (UCD).

Using a mixed-methods approach, ‘Sites of Significance’ combined dance practice-as-research with social scientific methods.

The research team drew inspiration from the underground rivers of the Cuilcagh Lakelands UNESCO Global Geopark, which cross the borders of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The project explored the often invisible connections between people and places through movement, conversation, and mapping exercises.

This allowed for choreographic exploration and exchange.

For more information or to view the film and research report, go to cavanlibrary.ie/creativecavan and select ‘Creative Cavan 2024’.

The research was funded by a grant from Cavan County Council / Creative Ireland, in collaboration with Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and the Cuilcagh Lakelands UNESCO Global Geopark.

The project was led by Professor Aoife McGrath from Queen’s University, Belfast and Dr. Victoria Durrer from UCD.

The project team also included research assistant Dr. Argyro Tsampazi from Queen’s University, Belfast, videographer Simon Mills, and composer Sorca McGrath.

The film, ‘Sites of Significance’, features 15 dance artists and facilitators from the Cavan and Fermanagh-Omagh local authority areas.

Further dance artists and facilitators supported the project through their involvement in the audit research.

The project film is directed by McGrath and Mills, with McGrath providing the concept, Mills handling the editing, and Sorca McGrath composing the original score.