Unscripted and Unchoreographed

• Episode 26: Ayesha Mailey & Kelly Quigley

  This week on the podcast, we speak with Ayesha Mailey and Kelly Quigley, ensemble members of Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company.Following up on our previous episode with Echo Echo’s Artistic Director, Steve Batts, we dive deeper into the challenges currently facing the company and its members as the future of Echo Echo remains uncertain.Ayesha and Kelly share their personal journeys—beginning in the company’s youth dance programme and growing into their roles as professional dancers and artists. They reflect on the impact Echo Echo has had on their lives and the wider artistic community, and what’s at stake in this critical moment.Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company is based in Derry, Northern Ireland, with its home studios located in Waterloo House on the city’s historic Walls.Founded in Amsterdam in 1991 by Ursula Laeubli and Steve Batts, the company toured extensively throughout Europe before relocating to Derry in 1997. Since then, Echo Echo has become a cornerstone of the region’s cultural life.Echo Echo operates as an ensemble, favouring collaborative and co-operative working methods. Its core group of artists is committed to long-term collaboration and mutual support.The company creates touring performances, site-specific and event-based productions, a festival of dance and movement, a vibrant programme of artistic residencies, performances by visiting artists and companies, and a wide variety of participatory projects.Echo Echo’s work defies rigid stylistic categorisation. Rather than adhering to a single aesthetic, the company approaches dance as the art of poetic movement—similar to how poetry relates to everyday speech. This broad, inclusive approach enables meaningful participation across a wide spectrum of communities and experience levels.Echo Echo is deeply committed to high-quality artistic practice and to making dance accessible. The company rejects a rigid distinction between “professional” and “participatory” work, instead fostering numerous ways for people to engage with the art form.Echo Echo works with diverse groups including pre-school children and parents, schools and youth organisations, people with learning or physical disabilities, older adults, professional dancers, and multidisciplinary artists.Connect with us:⁠Instagram:⁠   / confession_boxcollective  ⁠Website⁠⁠: https://confessionboxcollective.com/⁠Facebook⁠: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...⁠LinkedIn:   / confession-box-collective  Book a podcast recording with us: https://calendly.com/confessionboxcol...

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• Episode 25: Steve Batts

  In this week’s episode, we speak with Steve Batts, Artistic Director of Echo Echo Dance Theatre, about the latest—and deeply concerning—news that the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Echo Echo’s primary funder, has withdrawn 100% of its funding for the company after 20 years of support.This devastating news has shocked the arts community not just in Derry and Northern Ireland, but across the entire island.Steve shares his perspective on how this decision will affect Echo Echo, the wider arts sector, and what it means for the future of cultural life in the region.Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company is based in Derry, Northern Ireland, with its home studios located in Waterloo House on the city’s historic Walls.Founded in Amsterdam in 1991 by Ursula Laeubli and Steve Batts, the company toured extensively throughout Europe before relocating to Derry in 1997. Since then, Echo Echo has become a cornerstone of the region’s cultural life.Echo Echo operates as an ensemble, favouring collaborative and co-operative working methods. Its core group of artists is committed to long-term collaboration and mutual support.The company creates touring performances, site-specific and event-based productions, a festival of dance and movement, a vibrant programme of artistic residencies, performances by visiting artists and companies, and a wide variety of participatory projects.Echo Echo’s work defies rigid stylistic categorisation. Rather than adhering to a single aesthetic, the company approaches dance as the art of poetic movement—similar to how poetry relates to everyday speech. This broad, inclusive approach enables meaningful participation across a wide spectrum of communities and experience levels.Echo Echo is deeply committed to high-quality artistic practice and to making dance accessible. The company rejects a rigid distinction between “professional” and “participatory” work, instead fostering numerous ways for people to engage with the art form.Echo Echo works with diverse groups including pre-school children and parents, schools and youth organisations, people with learning or physical disabilities, older adults, professional dancers, and multidisciplinary artists.Connect with us:⁠Instagram:⁠   / confession_boxcollective  ⁠Website⁠⁠: https://confessionboxcollective.com/⁠Facebook⁠: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...⁠LinkedIn:   / confession-box-collective  Book a podcast recording with us: https://calendly.com/confessionboxcol...

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• Episode 24: Ali Clarke

  On this week's episode we chat to Ali Clarke is a multidisciplinary artist and cultural producer. Artistically her passion lies in creating immersive and interactive performances that explore the interplay between the audience and performers. Her work is grounded in the physical practices of contemporary dance, however, she has further expanded her exploration beyond disciplinary boundaries, gaining extensive experience in contemporary circus, theatre, poetry and performance art. With a desire to reimagine the role of contemporary dance in society, Ali has received numerous accolades, including a Next Generation Award from the Arts Council of Ireland, three Arts and Disability Research Awards, the Chasse Theater and Podium Bloos Culture Award, and the Cafe Theatre Festival Jury Award. Ali is currently engaged with the Dublin City Council Arts Office as Creative Community Engagement Officer overseeing the Creative Ireland program in the city. With a strong passion for equality, diversity and inclusion in cultural policy and practice she is currently undertaking a MSc in Equality Studies at UCD.

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• Episode 23: Saorla Rodger

  On this week’s episode, we chat with Saorla Rodgers, an actor and comedian.Saorla completed her training at the College of Dance and the Gaiety School of Acting.We discuss the importance of including the arts—such as drama and dance—as Leaving Certificate subjects in schools.We also delve into the behind-the-scenes of her show Porno, which was performed at the Scene + Heard Festival 2025.Saorla will be performing in Who’s the Clown at the Pearse Centre on June 19th.Connect with us:⁠Instagram:⁠   / confession_boxcollective  ⁠Website⁠⁠: https://confessionboxcollective.com/⁠Facebook⁠: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...⁠LinkedIn:   / confession-box-collective  Book a podcast recording with us: https://calendly.com/confessionboxcol...

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• Episode 22: Anatolii Liaskalo

  On this week's episode we spoke to Anatolii Liaskalo, born in 1984 in Dnipro, Ukraine, and began dancing at the age of four at a local folk dance school. As a folk dancer, he performed regularly and, at 18, began studying jazz techniques. At 23, he joined the Theatre and School of Contemporary Dance POTOKI, led by Elena Budnitskaia, where he danced for three years. A graduate of Oles Honchar Dnipro National University in psychology, Anatolii’s interest in the connection between body, movement, and mind led him to complete programs in Dance and Body-Oriented Psychotherapy.Since 2010, he has worked as a freelance dancer and teacher across numerous Dnipro dance schools. In the 2012–2013 season, he performed with Borodystky Dennis Dance Company and participated in Contact Improvisation festivals in Finland, Spain, Italy, and Kyiv. He also performed in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia (2010, 2014), and in 2015 worked with Dubai TV in Lebanon.Anatolii has choreographed and performed original works including Chasing the Rainbow, The 6th Day, Purgatorium, the short film Nagini, and Empathy (Ukraine, 2018–2021).After relocating to Ireland in 2022, he held a residency at Dance Ireland and participated in D2C Lab 2023. He also appeared in Fiona Quilligan’s film for the Crystal Cloud project and performed in Crystal Cloud in Dublin in November 2024.

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