Contemporary Dance Artist Angie Smalis makes a mark in Limerick

Dance Artist Angie Smalis stars in her latest screen dance work/video series ‘John’s Query’, which has been presented at Dance Ireland, Light Moves Festival of Screendance, Richard Harris Film Festival, Wicklow Screendance Lab & Athens Video Dance Project, 2018/19.  

Contemporary Dance Artist Angie Smalis makes a mark in Limerick

By I Love Limerick Correspondent Charlie Mullowney

Angie Smalis is a Contemporary Dance Artist who is heavily involved with various dance projects across Limerick. She was born and raised in Athens, Greece, where she was trained in choreography and dance at the State School of Dance. Angie has been a freelance dance artist since 2009, and she also established Patterns Dance Collective in 2012, of which she is now the Artistic Director.

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Angie worked with several dance companies in Greece until when in 2001, she moved to Austria and spent two years living in Vienna to work with The State Opera Vienna Volksoper Opera House. The State Opera Vienna is among the most significant worldwide opera houses. 

Angie has worked with various organisations such as the Daughters of Charity Service, Limerick, Dance Limerick and the Limerick Youth Theatre.

Angie told I Love Limerick, “The Daughters of Charity Service, Limerick share very similar values to mine, and this explains why we are working together since 2009. I teach, weekly, five different centres under the auspices of the organisation. Creative movement, contemporary dance and choreography is my trade. The service users benefit from the bodily movement and get to express themselves artistically through tasks and ideas I introduce to them. I witness personal growth, lifelong friendships and happiness on a weekly basis, and that is very rewarding professionally as well as personally.”

“Being a mother of an autistic child, it is reassuring to know that this organisation provides a nurturing environment which encourages personal growth, builds confidence and promotes each person’s unique talents and I am privileged to be a small part of it.”

Dance Limerick, an organisation that supports Angie’s work, encourages, backs and embraces dance involvement, participation and creation. It receives funding from both Limerick City and County Council and the Arts Council of Ireland. They claim that creative exchange and discussion is achieved “Through a combination of performance platforms, residency opportunities, master classes, talks and lectures”. 

Contemporary Dance Artist, Angie Smalis is the Artistic Director of  Limerick Youth Theatre and Patterns Dance Collective.

Angie also added, “Limerick Youth Theatre (LYT) took a risk to trust the Artistic Director position to an artist with experience in a different art form and with very little knowledge in theatre-making. I did learn fast under the guidance of local theatre practitioners, the board of management and Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board’s youth officer all of who shared their knowledge, experiences and expertise generously with the hope that the organisation will continue to provide artistic opportunities for young performers, writers, designers, directors, producers and filmmakers based in Limerick City.”

Limerick Youth Theatre (LYT) is a company of young performers, dancers, writers, actors, designers, directors, producers and film-makers, located in Limerick City. It was set up in 1997 with a vision of providing a unique opportunity for young people from all backgrounds to cross social/cultural divides through youth drama experiences and provides a two-year training course in theatre and performance arts.

Daniel, a Limerick Youth Theatre alumni, said that Angie is, “One of the most intellectually honest, hard-working women I’ve ever had the privilege of working with- as well as one of the kindest warm-hearted and of course exceptionally talented”.

Dance Patterns Collective, which Angie established under the auspices of The Daughters of Charity Service, Limerick, is a group of dancers and artists with intellectual disabilities. The group is made up of members who attend multiple Daughters of Charity service centres through Limerick City. The group has not only performed in Limerick but also went on to national and international shows. The aim of this group is to lets the audience to reflect, witness and be entertained through choreography and movement, while also promoting Contemporary Dance.

Angie informed I Love Limerick about her upcoming projects, saying, “I have received Arts Council funding, Under the Arts Grant Funding Scheme and Limerick City and County Council Strategic Award for Culture and Arts Office to research and develop a new dance piece in 2020 in collaboration with American Artist Colin Gee (Guggenheim Fellowship Award 2019), London based artist Mark Carberry and dance artist Lisa McLoughlin. My work focuses on developing a methodology to express contemporary and universal concerns, through a character/place-based dance vocabulary.”

For more information on Angie Smalis, click here.

For more stories on Angie Smalis, click here.