Youth Dance Matters: A Research Sharing and Feedback Session

Youth Dance Matters: A Research Sharing and Feedback Session

28th February
1pm – 2pm: Networking and lunch
2pm - 5pm: Sharing and Feedback Session

Youth Dance Matters mixes social science research methods with dance practice-as-research methods. It is a cross-border investigation of the shared value and capacity of youth dance for 12-17 year olds on the island of Ireland. It is funded through the Higher Education Authority North South Research Programme 2021.

Learn about and contribute to our findings and engage in roundtable discussions regarding recommendations, which will inform our final report to the Shared Island Unit in the Department of the Taoiseach.

Discussions will focus on:

• Youth voice in policy (dance/arts, youth arts, and youth development)
• Youth dance infrastructure, working conditions & capacity building
• Youth experience of dance as a social, cultural, and professional endeavour
• Potential for strengthening connections across the island

Through creative dance workshops, youth-led choreographic exchanges, and semi-structured interviews and focus-group style discussions with dance facilitators as well as policy review, we have sought to understand:

(a) Youth Dance as Shared Culture: How do dancers and their facilitators experience and value youth dance? What supports and / or challenges engagement?

(b) Shared Island Capacity Building: What impacts youth dance development on the island? What aspects of cooperation should be prioritised for future action and why? What might enable or hinder shared approaches? How might cooperation reach beyond supporting youth dance?

RESEARCH TEAM

• Dr Victoria Durrer, Asst Prof Cultural Policy, University College Dublin
• Prof. Aoife McGrath, Professor of Dance, Queen’s University Belfast
• Dr Louise McKeever, Postdoctoral Researcher, social science, QUB
• Simon Mills, Research Assistant and Videographer, UCD

RESEARCH PARTNERS

6 cross-island Youth Dance Group Partners and 99 youth dancers working across 3 dance genres:

• DU DANCE (NI) a professional dance development company based in Belfast and working in communities locally and internationally.
• LIMERICK YOUTH DANCE COMPANY (IE) a pre-professional contemporary dance company for ages 10 – 25 based in Limerick City
• URBAN MOTION (NI) a multi-activity company based in Omagh and committed to serving youth in communities across a range of activities, including hip hop dance, parkour and skateboarding.
• LIMEROCKERS CRU based in Limerick, advocates for Hip Hop culture, encompassing not only the dance style but also its fundamental principles of Love, Respect, and Community.
• HIGH POINTS YOUTH BALLET (NI) an international team of instructors based in Belfast providing supplementary training for dancers in Northern Ireland who aspire to a professional career in ballet.
• IRISH NATIONAL YOUTH BALLET (IE) a semi-professional all-island youth ballet company for dancers aged 10-20, with funding support from Arts Council Ireland

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The venue is wheelchair accessible. It is located on the ground floor which is accessible via a ramp at 21 University Square (next door) and an electronically assisted entrance door. On the ground floor there is also access to an adapted toilet.

The Brian Friel Theatre is located in the Queen's Film Theatre Building. Videos regarding access to the venue are available at this link.

Please contact Dr. Victoria Durrer at victoria.durrer@ucd.ie with any questions about the event or to inform of access requirements.