Limerick based Aerial Dance Theatre Company Fidget Feet bring 16 local and international dancers to Limerick’s most iconic landmarks to teach them how to fly from their walls as part of a one off European project.
“Blank Canvas” takes place from June 13 – 17 as part of the Vertical Dance Forum. A group of 7 of the world’s top vertical dance creators, directors and choreographers will take to the streets of Limerick. Their aim is to train people in vertical dance and create new outdoor performances on historical sites, city centre buildings and outdoor nature landscapes. Vertical Dance Forum is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, with support from the Arts Council of Ireland, Limerick City and County Council and Donegal County Council.
This gathering is the first of it’s kind in Ireland and thanks to Fidget Feet, Limerick was chosen as the location to create new work and train dancers. The project participants include staff and students from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance in the University of Limerick, where Fidget Feet are resident company, as well as national and international dancers coming to Limerick for this unique training.
The dancers will be based in Limerick’s Irish Aerial Creation Centre (IACC), Ireland’s first dedicated training space for aerial dance, where they will begin their training by the world’s leading vertical dance performers and teachers. They will then take to the walls of King John’s Castle and the Strand Hotel on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 June from 10:30am – 4:30pm each day and put what they learned into practice.
The group travel to the Burren on Sunday 17 and working with the Burren National Park Ranger, will identify an area to create a new performance.
That evening a discussion will take place, exploring the idea of working with Limerick City and County Council to curate a vertical dance programme as part of one of Limerick’s existing festivals in 2020, including a possible new outdoor vertical dance performance in Limerick. This discussion will take place in the IACC beginning at 8pm and is open to the public.
For Executive Artistic Director of Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre and Professional Development Manager of the Irish Aerial Creation Centre Chantal McCormick this project happening in Limerick is a dream come true.
“Since Fidget Feet has moved to this fantastic city in 2014 as part of City of Culture I have looked at all these fabulous buildings and dreamed to be able to fly on them and animate the city. Now with this European funded project, we are starting to make it happen and I am so thrilled!
For me, this is only the beginning and we hope to work with the local Council and local festivals to commission a large scale vertical dance aerial show in the future for the city and the people. Fidget Feet enjoy making the impossible possible and Limerick is our home now to make it happen.”
Project partners include Limerick City and County Council Arts Office, who has worked with and support Fidget Feet since 2014, events include St. Patrick’s Day parade, Limerick city and county School of Spectacle European Outdoor Arts Academy, funded by Creative Europe.
This support is in accordance with the Limerick Cultural Strategy: A Framework 2016-2030, aim and objective number 2. To grow the physical and human resources, infrastructure and support for staging large scale interventions, performances, festivals and productions.
The Vertical Dance Forum is a network of 7 international vertical dance companies working in Europe and Canada. Along with Limerick based Fidget Feet, other companies include Il Posto (Italy), Gravity & Levity (UK), Histeria Nova (Croatia), Aeriosa (Canada), Retouramont (France) and Vertical Dance Kate Lawrence VDKL (Wales).
To keep up to date with Fidget Feet, visit their website www.fidgetfeet.com or to see what classes are available at the Irish Aerial Creation Centre visit www.irishaerialcreationcentre.com
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