12th June 2023

To mark Refugee Week 2023 (19 – 25 June) please tune in to watch the ONLINE premiere of an important and poignant dance film made by our Dungannon-based youth engagement project, Sutemos.

The film entitled ‘Consequence’ is about how the climate crisis is a human crisis and the decisions we make about climate change have consequences for many people across the world. Flooding, poverty, droughts and much more impact people every day, forcing them to flee the safety of their homes bringing with them only what they can carry.

The reality is that by 2050 there could be 1.2 billion climate refugees.

Amelie, a dancer with Sutemos said:  “I really enjoyed this piece as it is an important story that is not discussed enough. We received an emotional response to our piece and this made me proud to represent the overlooked stories of those who have lived through the disastrous consequences of climate change. I hope that by increasing awareness we might be able to better support those effected.”

‘Consequence’ will be launched on our social media platforms at 7pm on 21st June and these beautiful images from Unanimous 2023 are just a taster of what to expect.

Photo credit: Jim Corr Photography

We are thrilled Belfast Boys have been selected to represent Northern Ireland at U.Dance National Festival in Newcastle upon Tyne in July.

And, as many of you know, we have been busy fundraising to help pay for flights, accommodation and meals for the five dancers and two support staff whilst they attend the event.   The level of support and people’s generosity so far has been absolutely incredible. Thank you all.

All our fundraising efforts are culminating in a family-friendly, fun evening of entertainment to which EVERYONE is invited.  So come along on Saturday 24 June 6pm – 8pm at Edge Coffee, 98-100 High Street, Holywood.

There is a £10 suggested entry fee and during the evening there will be free tea and BATCH coffee, a quiz, raffle and an opportunity to hear from the boys and their dance facilitator Sean on what they hope to do at U.Dance and what the opportunity means to them.

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Just some of the prizes to be won on the night include:

Vouchers for RETURN TO BALANCE (Holistic Therapy) massage of choice and reflexology treatment

£20 AMAZON gift card

Jameson Irish Whiskey

Wine

Voucher for handmade cake by Creative Cakes

Pamper box

Dundonald Icebowl Voucher

The MAC Theatre voucher (£40)

Wine & Cheese for two at OX CAVE, Belfast

Family voucher for paddle boarding with SUPHUB

Family ticket to Carrickfergus Castle and Dunluce Castle

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The venue is wheelchair accessible.  Speciality teas, coffee and buns will be available to purchase in the café throughout the event.  We can’t wait to see you there.

If you have any questions, please contact deborah@dudanceni.com.

6th June 2023

Our community dance artist training with the Gary Clarke Company in April really sparked the interest of Gavin Hewitt editor of Community Arts Partnership’s online arts sector magazine. An interview with Yorkshire-based Gary on the morning of their Belfast tour of ‘Wasteland’ at The MAC ensued.

Gary talked of how, during a previous tour to Belfast, Mags shared with him her passion for community participation and plans were put in place to come back and work with DU Dance.

Also featured in the online magazine are interviews with some very familiar faces; Sean O’Neill and Sheena Kelly and Brona Jackson who attended the workshops.  They share their personal journeys into dance facilitation, how they got involved with DU Dance and what difference the workshop will make to the way they work.  Grab a coffee, it’s a great read.

5th June 2023

Last week we spent two days in the company of almost 200 children who came along to our Primary School Dance Festival at Belvoir Studio Theatre.

Over the two mornings we travelled under the sea, on the Eurovision bandwagon and to ancient Egypt. We were moved by a piece about the environment crisis and uplifted by characters from Encanto, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory and Hairspray.

Feedback from teaching staff at the five schools who took part was incredibly positive.  Importantly they feel an event like this really sparks something in many that perhaps never would have thought of dancing before and helps show the children that hard work and practice really pays off.   For the DU Dance team it was really clear from the smiles and chatter how the children’s confidence was sky high after the festival and apparently it was all they talked about on the bus trip home!

The Festival provides a special opportunity for children to perform on stage in front of an audience  in a non-competitive environment.  It introduces children to the importance of dance and shows them how capable they are without any pressure

One P5 teacher said “Children were extremely proud of themselves and what they had achieved. They loved watching the other schools dance and perform.”

Sheena Kelly, Community Engagement Artist, has big plans for the festival next year:  “Year after year, this event demonstrates just how impactful this opportunity to dance and perform can be for young children, helping them grow in confidence, explore movement and practice teamwork.  We are hoping to extend the opportunity to more primary schools in Greater Belfast in 2024 and increase the number of school workshops DU Dance deliver in the run-up to support the children in creating their piece for the festival.”

If you would like to find out more about the Primary School Dance Festival please contact Sheena on sheena@dudanceni.com

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this year’s festival.  Firstly, the professional dancers Sean O’Neill and Emily McDonagh who created a piece specially for the festival called “Solas” about friends exploring together using light to guide the way.  The audiences’ jaws dropped when a creature-like tent with torchlit eyes morphed into a display of acrobatic prowess by Emily and Sean.

Secondly, artist Lina from Misty Blue Craft who ran a really well-received workshop for the children with wonderful paper collages of dance poses surrounded by movement patterns.

Next, thank you to Marie O’Donoghue, Arts Educationalist, Education Authority Northern Ireland and DU Dance board member, who gave the closing words with  her usual warmth and encouragement to the children and handed out certificates.

Finally, thank you to funders Community Foundation NI and Halifax Foundation.

Day 1:

Day 2:

(Photography: Joe Fox)

25th May 2023

We are delighted to report that our Belfast Boys have been selected to perform at the U.Dance National Festival which takes place in Newcastle from 21-23 July.

Representing Northern Ireland, the six boys were selected at UNANIMOUS 2023 which acts as one of the U.Dance Regional Platforms held each spring across the United Kingdom.   The piece they performed there, and will showcase in Newcastle, is called Together.Real.Individuals.Brotherhood.Equals – an exploration of what it means to be a Tribe and how community and friends are key to helping every young adult strive for greatness and achieve their highest potential.  The piece was choreographed by Belfast Boys dance artist Sean O’Neill.

The largest event of its kind, the U.Dance National Festival is a special celebration of youth dance.  Groups perform on professional stages, take part in workshops with leading dance professionals, and are offered inspiring dance careers information.  It is presented by One Dance UK in partnership with NYDC (England), Northern Stage, Dance City, Newcastle College and TIN Arts.

Have a look at this short film made by Arts Council of Northern Ireland featuring Sean and some of the Belfast Boys talking about the opportunity.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

We need your support raising funds to pay for flights, accommodation and meals for the five dancers and two staff whilst they attend the event. Make a Donation Here

Or to have a chat about how you provide any other support, please contact Morag on 028 9023 0877 or email info@dudanceni.com.

Belfast Boys performing T.R.I.B.E at Unanimous 2023

11th May 2023

Back in March, BBC NI Education and Arts Correspondent Robbie Meredith, reported on the Creative Schools project which DU Dance (NI) have been involved for the past few years.

In 2023 this project went intergenerational with a new group of Year 9s from Blessed Trinity in North Belfast and members of Newington Day Centre.

Have a look at this fantastic feature on the project and hear just why it meant so much to everyone involved.

Sean and Sheena who worked on the project, plus all the participants, will be attending the premiere of ‘Dancing Together’ the film they made with afternoon tea on June 14th at Blessed Trinity.

The Creative Schools project is delivered by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Urban Villages and Education Authority.

This year’s ever popular Belfast Boys Summer Sessions will take place between 7th and 11th August 2023 in the Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast BT7 1NH.

Boys aged 7 – 11 years will meet from 1:30pm – 3:30pm

The group is led by dance artist Sean O’Neill and throughout the week the boys will learn different dance styles, create their very own dances and most importantly have fun.

No experience is necessary, new faces are always welcome!

The fee for the week is £10 for new members; £5 for current members.

Places booked up very quickly last year, so don’t miss out…

To book a space please email info@dudanceni.com

Following the success of our annual Summer Dance Sessions last year, we will be back in Dungannon for a fun filled week of dance starting 31st July for any children aged 7 to 11 years.

The Suteminis week  is open to everyone (no experience is necessary) and will include learning different dance styles, creating your very own dances and a sharing for parents at the end of the week.

It will take place at the Hill of the O’Neill & Ranfurly Arts Centre in Dungannon every day from the 31st July to 4th August 2023 at 10am – 12 noon.

The fee is £10 for new members; £5 for current members.

Places booked up very quickly last year, so don’t miss out!   If you are ready to book or have any questions, please email us at info@dudanceni.com

The Suteminis Summer Sessions are funded by Children in Need.

4th May 2023

Our 2023 Primary School Dance Festival is taking place on Tuesday 23rd and Wednesday 24th May at Belvoir Players Theatre, Castlereagh.

One of our flagship – and noisiest! – events of the year, this two day celebration of dance is a fun, exciting and non competitive event where children from P1 – P6 can share the dance work taking place in their schools.

Feedback from the children who took part in last year’s event was great. Their teachers said:

“(They) loved being on a stage for the first time.  Lots said it was the “best day ever”.”

“They absolutely loved every minute of it. Developing not only the dance skills but their confidence and self esteem.”

“Fabulous event. Thank you so much for having us and we can’t wait until next year!!”

“Many of the boys comments that dancing is actually really fun.”

Joining the festival this year on our Key Stage 1 day are 121 children from Penrhyn Prep, Belmont, Glenwood and Finaghy Primary Schools.  We are expecting to see a range of dance and movement with eco warriors, creatures from under the sea and music from Encanto for starters.

On our Key Stage 2 day, 50 children from Glenwood, Finaghy and Holy Rosary Primary Schools will join us.  We can’t wait to see their dances with a range of themes from Ancient Egypt to Charlie & The Chocolate Factory!

In the run up to the festival, workshops have been happening with Sheena Kelly, our Community Engagement Artist, at the schools to support them in creating their piece for this year’s festival.

During the event there will be a special guest performance by dancer/choreographers Sean O’Neill and Emily McDonagh.  Their piece ‘Solas’ was created specially for the festival and is about friends exploring together using light to guide the way.

The schools – and the DU Dance (NI) team – are very excited to be back in Belvoir Theatre.

Thank you to funders Community Foundation NI and Halifax Foundation.

2nd May 2023

For the past thirty years, DU Dance (NI) have been committed to working with the Northern Ireland dance community to provide exciting opportunities for personal growth, support with developing creative solutions to artistic challenges and, perhaps most importantly, collaboration with fellow practitioners in community dance.

So earlier this year we were excited to announce that the first of our community dance training events would take place on 14th and 15th April 2023 with no other than the Yorkshire-based Gary Clarke Dance Company!

Sheena Kelly, DU Dance (NI) Community Engagement Artist, shares her motivation for creating this training opportunity:

“Community dance artists often feel isolated as they travel across the country to bring dance to diverse communities. With limited opportunities for them to connect with one another and develop their practise, DU Dance NI felt it was important to start those conversations and give community dance artists the opportunity to have time to be selfish and nurture themselves. We were delighted to invite Gary Clarke Dance Company to the first of our training programmes especially tailored for those working in the community. His philosophy of how he connects the community to his work is inspiring and left us all with much food for thought moving forward. We hope this is just the start.”

In April a small group of 13 community dance artists, each at different stages of their careers and working with a wide range of communities in Northern Ireland, joined Artistic Director Gary Clarke himself and GCC dancer Shelley Eva Haden in a short residency at The MAC. Over the two days, Gary and Shelley generously shared the company’s particular way of engaging with communities through their professional productions, explored issues artists may face and gave practical examples of how to bring real communities onto professional stages.

Community Dance artists are constantly giving to the communities they work with so this training was important for them to feed their practise, nurture themselves and connect with other dance artists working in the field. Feedback from the participants was really positive:

“I left the weekend feeling refreshed and energised, I gained lovely new energy to keep going, that I am on the right path and that there is a community of Artists working in NI, so I am not alone. I felt supported and encouraged.”

“I was able to reflect on my purpose, rethink what it means to interact and be a part of a community, and carry that with me even after the workshop.”

The legacy of these incredibly enriching few days will be felt widely as the training not only impacts the artist but each community they work with. Keep an eye on our website and social media for other opportunities for professional development coming up later this year.

Images: Jim Corr Photography