Northern Ireland: Connections
Connections is the Legacy Trust UK programme in Northern Ireland. Launched in 2009 and managed by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Connections consists of a range of projects combining sports and arts.
The programme is delivered by six project lead partners: Beam Creative Network, Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company, Northern Ireland Screen, Open Arts, The Verbal Arts Centre and The Beat Initiative. During the past two years Connections has delivered many activities and events throughout Northern Ireland.
Shane Lynch and Louis Walsh take part in ImagineAction
Into Contact
Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company’s project Into Contact was launched in April 2010, creating links between dance, culture, sport, education and wellbeing. Their first production was The Chess Piece in June 2010, which took the audience on a colourful journey around the world, as characters came to life inspired by different countries and cultures.
Alongside the public performances Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company run educational and audience development programmes. Interaction is the audience development programme and there are two public performances each year.
Vertical.Nature.Base. (V.N.B) is the latest collaborative project from Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company’s Artistic Director, Steve Batts, and contemporary artist Dan Shipsides. V.N.B. is a residential exploratory, experimental climbing,art and dance project. The first two public phases of the project took place at Port-a-Doris coastal climbing location in Co. Donegal on 2 – 11 September and in Derry on 24 September - 1 October 2011.
Further information on Into Contact and on future activities and events can be obtained at www.echoechodance.com or by emailing info@echoechodance.com.
ImagineAction
Beam Creative Network’s project ImagineAction, began in June 2009 with the aim of incorporating the Olympic traditions and values into a dramatic form. 40 young people from sporting backgrounds in Donaghmore. Co. Tyrone, enrolled in workshops in music, dance and drama. Boyzone star Shane Lynch and Britain’s Got Talent winner George Sampson supported the programme by hosting workshops in Donaghmore in the lead up to their first public performance in autumn 2009.
Due to the popularity of the project, the number of participants quickly rose to over 70. In March 2010 the group performed their version of the popular X-Factor show, ImagineAction X Factor, in front of invited guests Louis Walsh and Shane Lynch. In November 2010 ImagineAction participants took to the stage once again with their Theatre Champions performance. This time their special guest was John Partridge who is best known as a judge in the BBC series ‘Over the Rainbow’ and his role in Eastenders.
ImagineAction’s final performance was The Musical and took place at the Bardic Theatre in Donaghmore, Co. Tyrone in November 2011. The young participants prepared the musical composition, wrote the script and performed the final piece on stage.
Further information on ImagineAction and on future activities can be obtained at www.beamcreativenetwork.com or by emailing annmarie@beamcreativenetwork.com
ImagineAction film
Now and Then
Northern Ireland Screen is the lead partner in the Now and Then – Our Journey project, alongside Belfast Film Festival (BFF), Queen’s Film Theatre (QFT), Northern Visions, Cinemagic and The Nerve Centre. A series of video blogs, special film screenings, movie-making master classes, film camp and documentary weeks have brought together the themes of sport and the arts.
In July 2011, 13 young people between the ages of 14-16 were recruited to take part in the Animate project led by the Nerve Centre. Over the summer months they received training in a variety of animation techniques complimented by workshops in movement with Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company. The finished animated film was screened at a special event in Derry in November 2011.
Further information can be obtained at the Now and Then website www.nowandthenproject.com.
Film of the Now and Then launch at Queens University in 2009
Luminous Soul
Luminous Soul is a development programme providing training for disabled dancers to move towards a professional standard. Since the project was launched in autumn 2009, development days have been held throughout Northern Ireland, giving participants he opportunity to experience dance and work with other disabled dancers from across the UK and Ireland.
Ongoing training with professional dance companies and special residential workshops are giving the participants the opportunity to enhance their dance skills to a professional standard. Luminous Soul performed a public piece in November 2011.
Further information can be obtained by logging on to www.openarts.net or by emailing unaopenarts@googlemail.com
Lift Off
The Beat Initiative began their Lift Off project in the summer of 2009. Combining carnival arts and circus skills with gymnastics, Lift Off has worked with community groups to deliver a series of large scale community based events in the lead up to the 2012 Games.
Throughout 2010/11 the Beat Initiative, in collaboration with a number of partner organisations, has organised workshops and master classes combining a variety of activities including aerial dance, drumming, Maracatu dance and gymnastics. This training culminated in their final public event at the Ulster Museum and Botanic Gardens in Belfast on Sunday 24 July.
For further information on Lift Off, visit www.beatcarnival.com.
Film of the Fly Butterfly event to celebrate the re-opening of Belfast City Hall
Comment-8
Writers and musicians from across Northern Ireland have been commissioned through the Comment-8 project to produce a series of works inspired by sports commentating.
Comment-8 was launched in November 2010. After a series of workshops with writers, composers and sporting groups three commissioned perfomances were held in venues as diverse as a sporting club, swimming pool and archery club in spring 2011.
Now in its second year Comment-8 will recruit new writers, composers and sporting venues with the aim of staging a series of public performances in the spring of 2012. In addition, local schools will have an opportunity to take part in a series of workshops and performances with the project’s writers and composers.
For further information on Comment-8, visit www.comment-8.com.
Joint ventures
The Connections programme has encouraged the six lead partners to join with other members to work on new collaborative projects. This has been an extremely successful venture.
During the summer 2011, ImagineAction had the unique opportunity to work with the professional dancers from Echo Echo to produce a new version of The Chess Piece. While another joint venture saw Open Arts join with Beam Creative Network to develop Creative Souls, which was staged in Donaghmore in July 2011.
