Looking ahead - LAOIS YOUTH DANCE ENSEMBLE

Laois Youth Dance Ensemble started in September 2013 from a dream and passion that I had from long time ago. To have the Dunamaise Arts Centre through its director Michelle de Forge, embracing this vision of offering dance to young people in Laois is more than a honour to me, is an encouragement to keep me on going.

With no funds to support us financially and much work to do, LYDE has giving me such pleasure and joy to work with. Not only because I have been blessed to have lovely and talented dancers but I also have belief that our future shall be much brighter and our creativity will break boundaries of the imagination generating what is fresh and unique to our audience.

I'm not only looking ahead, I am looking forward to what else is coming! After our first appearance at Laois Dance Platform on 7th Dec, 2013 I became more certain that LYDE will walk with lifted eyes  to see dreams to come.

If you're 12+ and would like to join us, come on 1st Feb, 3-5pm for an experience Workshop. LYDE is a contemporary dance group that strives for excellence and seeks for passionate and committed dancers who wants to take the most of this experience.

MORE INFO, Dunamaise Arts Centre 

Laois Dance Academy - Dance classes in Portlaoise, Portarligton and Mountmellick

Laois Dance Academy new term starts next week. Preschoolers Ballet, Creative Ballet, Creative&Contemporary, Dance&Exercise, Jazz. Classes for ALL ages. So much to choose from that u can't miss it! Locations: Portlaoise, Portarlington and Mountmellick. Join the fun! www.laoisdanceacademy.com

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Still Dance – A Dance in Education Project

I am honoured to be funded by the Laois Arts Office to teach dance in the schools of the County Laois. In my first project (Sports Dance) taught at Portlaoise College, I worked with the relation between Dance and Sports, emphasising the physicality needed in both areas to achieve their goals. Working now at Timahoe National School with the project "Still Dance", I continue on supporting children to ‘read’ movement as emotional expression, exploring their creativity and their excellence in what they do. Both projects were born from a desire to search for other venues that may lead people to dance or to see dance with other perspective. I want them to enjoy dance from the simple to the most complex movement and to understand that when you move to the music, a dance happens.
‘Still Dance’ is a project focused on the relationship between dance and Arts (Sculpture). Or in other words, my proposal is to find in the stillness of a sculpture feelings and ideas that may lead us to create a dance. 

Creativity is part of me both as artist and tutor. Therefore, I find very important to lead my students to find their ‘own treasures’ and to refine it to the finest that they can. In that way I feel I am not only teaching the students new steps or a technique but to become responsible for their own dance and to accomplish goals that may add solid skills into their lives.
Still dance suggests research, meditation and concentration. It seems difficult to require all that from children in their 5th and 6th class, however, when they find in the theme an interesting history behind, they become so involved that they may go even deeper than expected, showing great results at end. 

At the Timahoe N.S, our theme is related to ‘The Salmon of Knowledge’ sculpture made by the students and placed in the main entrance of the school. There are some unique movements coming out of it and a solid and consistent passion for dance that I pray will endure for the rest of their lives.

Netherlands Dance Theatre - Choreography by Jiri Kylian

This is a must see!

Dunamaise 2012 - DANCE SUMMER CAMP

This is the final presentation of the Dunamaise Dance Summer Camp. It happened in the week of 9 to 13 of July/2012.

These dance classes in Portlaoise were funded by Laois Arts Office and as a tutor explored the basic elements of dance, space, energy & rhythm while nurturing kids expressive capacity using creative movement & contemporary dance.