Biography – Rachel Devlyn
Rachel Devlyn started her movement training at age 11. For ten years she was dedicated to Gymnastics, practicing and teaching. She is a qualified Gymnastics Coach. Rachel worked on the Cabaret circuit in Dublin city centre for three years dancing and choreographing comedy routines. After a lot of success she had her own regular show in Eamonn Dorans, Temple Bar. She then decided to be a bit serious and get some dance training. So for two years she trained hard at Dance in Sallynoggin College of Further Education. She was awarded three scholarships to train in Britain and eventually went to the prestigious Guildford School of Acting & Musical Theatre Conservatoire in Surrey, UK. She won two more Scholarships whilst there.
Rachel’s dance training includes Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Tap, Social, Historical and Salsa dance. Her speaking voice, singing voice, body movement and imagination were also trained to be free. She was very fortunate to train with Jack Lynch in Improvisation for two years in the conservatoire.
Rachel set up Dublin Dance Theatre in 2008 upon her return from the UK. She wrote, choreographed and directed work for the Dublin Fringe Festival, the ALAF Festival, the IYDF Festival and Sligo Pride Festival this year. She choreographed two shows in Temple Bar over the summer called “Women at War” and “Dancing is for Queers”. She worked with international Performers for these shows.
This year she has hunted on the street as a monkey, crawled in a Church as a pagan, danced in the air, hussled as a cheeky French Can Can Dancer, hassled women as Johnny, a smooth talking New Yorker and frightened an innocent Irish Times Critic with five savvy teenage girls.
She works on the Commercial Dance and Cabaret circuit and is currently working on her new short show called “Fraulein Herzillbottommitzenschaftonlichhoff Von Klinkerhoffen” for the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. She is also looking forward to working with Irish Modern Dance Theatre in 2009.
Rachel finds great joy in writing, dancing, uplifting people through laughter and pretending to be different characters from her imagination. She is delighted to be working as an Artist in Ireland and is very grateful to all the wonderful people here and the UK who have encouraged and supported her to follow her dreams.
