The story of DU Dance is deeply intertwined with that of its Artistic Director, Mags Byrne who, after working with a number of different dance companies on the island of Ireland, performing in various productions, teaching in local communities and spending time in a Romanian orphanage, arrived in Belfast in the late 1980s. At that time Mags worked directly with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Footwork Dance Company and it was through this work she met Royston Maldoom. Together they delivered many community dance projects across the UK and Ireland and when in 1995 Royston was invited to go to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia he suggested Mags go with him.
Five years later they had delivered a dance training programme for eighteen street and working children. The project supported young people to become professional dancers, teachers and choreographers and was instrumental in the formation of the Adugna Dance Theatre Company. To this day the project continues to spread its influence and you can see and hear more about the work in a short film HERE.
Returning from Ethiopia in 2000, Mags and Royston, together with independent television producer, Andrew Coggins, founded Dance United. In April 2007 Dance United Northern Ireland was established as an entirely separate and independent company, with Mags as artistic director and Royston as consultant director. In April 2012 Dance United Northern Ireland changed its name to DU Dance (NI).
** You can read more about Mags’ work HERE in a 4-part interview with Community Arts Partnership and more on how DU Dance, under Mags’ direction, continues to delivers professional development work in and with communities across the island of Ireland, the UK and internationally HERE. (This article by Jane Coyle was first published in the Irish Times on 28 July 2018.) **
Dance can be experienced through a diversity of cultures and forms, yet is universal.
It is a potent tool for the development of both the individual and the community.
It is a profound belief in these propositions, endorsed over many years of experience by respected dance practitioners Mags Byrne and Royston Maldoom, that underpins the work of DU Dance. Both as individuals, and in collaboration, they have shared their conviction in the power and joy of contemporary dance with people in communities throughout Northern Ireland and in many other parts of the world. They have worked extensively to deliver projects and programmes, using dance as a means of bringing about positive individual and community transformation, raising self-esteem, facilitating integration, and promoting attitudes based on tolerance and respect. Their approach is distinctive. Through a well-tested process of teaching, rehearsal and performance, participants are able, often for the first time, to reach high levels of focus, discipline and motivation. The search for creative solutions to artistic challenges encourages sophisticated social interaction and team work. The results frequently far exceed expectations of participants, their audience and their peers.
Earlier this year Mags was invited to talk at the AHRC Critical Dance Pedagogy Network: Symposium 4: Leadership and Futures where she spoke of her experience working in a variety of settings, including internationally and in conflict zones. Of particular note was her exploration of how dance sits within the cultural landscape in Northern Ireland and the differences compared to other contexts. In addition, Youth Engagement project Sutemos recently participated in Youth Dance Matters research, a collaboration between Queen’s University Belfast and University College Dublin. A draft copy of the research can be read HERE.
Dance is a performance art. This goal-oriented approach is essential to the success of the work. As a celebration and as a public and peer group acknowledgement of achievement, performance forms an integral part of the DU Dance programme.
DU Dance has formulated its approach into four separate but interconnected programmes of work using these generic titles.