Dance United

“Most Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland have been educated apart from each other and have had few opportunities to meet and to learn to trust each other. Some people have seen this as a significant obstacle to community peace and reconciliation in this part of Ireland.” Richardson, 1996.

Crossing the Divide focuses on cross-community work using dance with its physical, emotional and cognitive demands as a tool to provide people with a safe environment to let go of fears and prejudices. This approach has been successfully used in many different contexts, including those where participants are experiencing inter-community conflicts.

It is well documented that Northern Ireland has housed a divided community for hundreds of years. The divisions run deep and are socially and institutionally rooted within society on many levels. In relatively recent history (1969) undercurrents of tension erupted and the ensuing hostility has become know as ‘The Troubles’.

In the belief that most attitudes to life are established in childhood and on the understanding that change needs to happen both at the grassroots as well as at policy level, Dance United Northern Ireland is working with young people in education, their teachers and children and adults in community settings.

Performance projects
have included/

Reach.In Out
(Belfast 2006 – 2009)

This longitudinal programme aims to widen access to dance and other art forms and to examine the impact creativity can have on the lives of young people living in the heart of a post-conflict society. The programme is multi-layered in nature and is underpinned by a strong element of research and evaluation. Working with 67 children from two schools in North Belfast over three years performances have included:

The Wren
(Ulster Hall, Belfast, June 2009)

Around Town
(on the streets of Belfast City Centre, March 2009)

Gaudette
(St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Seaview Presbyterian Church, Belfast, Dec 2007)

Storming Stormont
(Parliament House, Belfast, Oct 2007)

Quest
(Waterfront Hall, Belfast, May 2007)

Rites of Passage
(Stranmillis University Theatre Belfast, June 2004)

Performers – 102 young people from four primary schools in Belfast.

The Call
(Riverside Theatre, Coleraine May 2003)

Performers – 106 young people between the ages of 13-16 from four schools in Ballymoney, Ballycastle and Cushendall. There were a further two outdoor performances at The Lord Mayor’s Festival in Ballymoney and The Glens Festival in Cushendall.