ABOUT US
Off the Rails #OTR is a project-based dance theatre company, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland, founded in 2010 under the direction of choreographer Eileen McClory.
Off the Rails Dance mission is to create choreographic works that explore topical themes by delving deep into the realm of social conventions and finding hidden voices.
Our choreographic quest is to investigate the honesty of the performer's imperfections by creating raw, highly-physical movement material that explores the human condition.
OTR have developed a strong track record of creating daring and innovative work. OTR has presented various short works and two evening-length works S(e)nsored 2011 Pick n Mix Festival, Belfast and The Dutiful Wife 2015, Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, The MAC, Belfast.
The company has received commissions from The Ulster Hall, The Crescent Arts Centre, Banjax Ltd and the Playhouse, Derry. They have also received support from the Joint Sectoral Dramaturgy Project (JSDP) in association with TinderboxLtd, The MAC, Belfast and Dance Resource Base, Northern Ireland.
OTR is continuing to develop an exciting catalogue of work by experimenting with site-specific, immersive/non-traditional theatre spaces and performance incorporating film, projected visuals, archive documentation, social histories and collected testimony with movement and physicality at the helm of the work.
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Artistic Director
Eileen McClory
Eileen was the recipient of the Major Individual Arts Award from the Arts Council Northern Ireland, in 2022, to develop a new work GUTTER.
Eileen has received commissions from Quotidian: Word on the Street, Nemesis: A movement Opera, in development for 2025 & BIND 2021, Maiden Voyage Dance Company: Epilogue 2021 & BRINK 2020, The Playhouse Derry: TURF 2018, Tinderbox Theatre Company: CUCK 2017.
Residencies include: CCN2 Grenoble, France 2022, Belfast City Council: Artist in Residence Bursary 2021, Belfast International Arts Festival: Artist in Residence 2020/21, 2016 Dansmakers, Amsterdam: The Game Show supported by Arts Council NI. The MAC Belfast, HATCH Artist, 2013/14.
As an established dance artist, Eileen has worked with: The Playhouse, Derry; Tinderbox Theatre Company, Theatre of Pluck, Replay, ponydance, Accidental Theatre, DU Dance, Bruiser Theatre Company and Assault Events (UK).
She has performed in international festivals such as Bauhaus Summary (DE) Christchurch Festival, Taranaki Arts Festival (NZ), Darwin Festival (AUS), Greenspace Festival (USA), Feile An Phobail, Pick n Mix Festival, Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival and Outburst Arts (all in NI) and her work as been presented at the Belfast International Arts Festival 2020, British Council & China Showcase 2020 and Attakkalari India Biennial 21-22
Eileen has worked extensively in Higher Education, as a guest choreographer at the University of Cumbria and throughout her post as Teaching Fellow and Course Director of the BA Dance Program at Ulster University 2014-2017, responsible for leading the dance programme during its phase-out.
She received a BA Dance from Liverpool John Moores University (04) and completed a two-year Professional Training Programme at Dance New Amsterdam, New York (09). In 2020 Eileen completed MA Contemporary Performance Practice, from Ulster University with Distinction.