Choreographer Oona Doherty has been awarded a Trinity Laban Honorary Fellowship, following the London premiere of her powerful new work Specky Clark at Sadler’s Wells.
We are delighted that Oona has chosen to accept this award. Her work resonates deeply with the values we hold at Trinity Laban—boldness, individuality, curiosity, and the courage to challenge the status quo. Through this fellowship, we honour artists and leaders who work with integrity and vision, and who inspire the next generation to take creative risks and push boundaries. Oona does exactly that.
She studied here at Trinity Laban, completing her postgraduate diploma in Dance Performance in 2010, after training at the London School of Contemporary Dance and the University of Ulster. Raised in Belfast from the age of ten, her work often draws on the social and political realities of Irish life, exploring themes of identity, gender, and religion with fierce honesty and emotion.
Her first solo work, Hope Hunt and the Ascension into Lazarus, earned major accolades at both the Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe. In 2017, her group piece Hard to Be Soft – A Belfast Prayer was named Best Dance Show of 2019 by the Guardian. She received the prestigious Silver Lion from the Venice Biennale in 2021—recognition of her powerful voice on the international stage.
Beyond the stage, Oona has consistently demonstrated her commitment to community and young artists. She has been Artist in Residence at the Dublin Dance Festival, Guest Artistic Director of the National Youth Dance Company (2023–24), and Associate Artist at Sadler’s Wells, Maison de la Danse de Lyon, and La Briqueterie Vitry-sur-Seine. She was also named a Big Pulse Dance Alliance Artist.
Talking about Oona, Trinity Laban professor of Choreography Wayne McGregor has said: “Inspired by club culture and ‘informal’ dancing Doherty has refined her craft through trial and error, her approach unorthodox, creative, raw and brave. What is significant about her work is how it reaches out and speaks to many who would not normally come to the theatre. Her dances communicate across boundaries and demographics in arrows straight to the heart. She has an exceptional gift in working with non-dancers and local communities, often integrating them into her touring productions with great insight and humanity.”
At Trinity Laban, we are honoured to celebrate her achievements and to welcome her into our community of Honorary Fellows. Her career stands as an inspiring example to our students and alumni alike of what it means to lead with purpose, vision, and deep humanity.