Rhona Coughlan: 'You’ve got to move with what God gave you'
Rhona Coughlan is artistic director of Inclusive Dance Cork.
For Rhona Coughlan, a Cork dancer with spina bifida, rejection was the spur that motivated her to set up two inclusive dance companies. Now, this determined woman in her forties is the artistic director of Inclusive Dance Cork (IDC), a programme in its second year, under the umbrella of Dance Cork Firkin Crane.
When Coughlan, who uses a wheelchair, was 15, a dance teacher visited her school. She invited everyone, apart from Coughlan, to join her in a performance. “I was the only person with a disability in the school and the teacher wouldn’t allow me to participate. So I ended up, at eighteen, co-founding Wheels in Motion with two friends, who didn’t have disabilities. They were interested in inclusive work.”
While that company lasted for two years, Coughlan went on to establish another inclusive dance company, Croí Glan. She is no longer involved with that company, and her primary focus is on running IDC with Kaylie Streit, the project co-ordinator.
The programme offers the first professional qualification in inclusive dance in Ireland, with international inclusive choreographers providing tuition. (While the course is free of charge, those who pursue it through UCC for credits, pay a fee to the university.)
Coughlan dances in her wheelchair and also moves out of it. “The beautiful thing is when you’re in the room with people from IDC, there are lots of different bodies and different capabilities. Everybody moves in their own unique way. I have a lot of upper body strength. I’ve had a lot of practice. I’m pretty physically fit which is great.”
Coughlan adds that she dances with her heart and soul. “The joy of inclusive dance is that it’s not about everything being perfect. ‘Perfect’ is an illusion. We’re perfectly imperfect. We’re all the same but different. Our focal point is about movement and expression. I’ve always used a wheelchair.”
Coughlan is adamant that dancing isn’t just about footwork. “We all move innately as babies when we hear music. We move and shake to rhythm instinctively. It’s a continuum. I just never stopped. You’ve got to move with what God gave you.”
Coughlan says her programme is suited to anybody who was ever told ‘no’ and who may not be perceived to have the body of a dancer. “I want to break down stereotypes and the elitist kind of attitude towards the arts and dance. They’re actually for everybody. I was always going to pursue dance.” (Coughlan jokes that the 1980s TV drama series, Fame, about a school of performing arts in New York is in part to blame for her career choice).
A professional qualification in inclusive dance is the brainchild of the chairperson of Dance Cork Firkin Crane, Yvonne Coughlan (no relation of Rhona).
“Our programme is inclusive of everybody, whether they have a disability or not; whether it’s a woman who was told at some point in her life that she can’t dance because her body doesn’t fit the format of what a dancer’s should be. Or the programme could be for someone with an impairment. Everybody is welcome.”
Last year, there were 21 people on the course, about half of whom had a disability. “It’s like a real snapshot of society, with different ages and people from different countries.”
The IDC course can lead to people working inclusively for other companies. In the room, there are two choreographers. This year’s programme includes tuition from Adam Benjamin, co-founder of CanDoCo in the UK and Marc Brew, a multidisciplinary disabled artist and choreographer.
The programme also features inclusive artists; Cindy Cummings, Judith Smith, Lisa Cliffe and Mary Hartney IDC’s partners include Dance Cork Firkin Crane, the COPE Foundation, UCC, the Cork Education Training Board and Rethink Ireland.
She's also grateful for the help they get from an unknown supporter. “Initially, we had a private funder from a community arts fund. That person is still anonymous to us. They’ve continued to give us funding,” says Coughlan.
Throughout her life, Coughlan says she has had a lot of rejection. "But I’ve also got incredible positivity and support. It’s a mixed bag."
She has certainly come a long way from the schoolgirl who wasn’t taken seriously when she wanted to dance with her classmates.
- The IDC programme takes place over various periods from February 4 to May 22 at Dance Cork Firkin Crane. For details, contact kaylie@firkincrane.ie
