Dance Theatre Of Ireland
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Mission Statement
Dance Theatre of Ireland's mission is "Transforming People’s Lives through Dance"; To put people in touch with their creative selves. To increase access and participation in dance for all ages, including those who might not participate otherwise; To educate and innovate in the practice of dance for health, well being and creative expression; to give quality experiences in the art of Dance through outreach classes, performances and workshops, locally, nationally and internationally.
About This Cause
Dance Theatre of Ireland is a professional contemporary dance company based in a beautiful purpose-built Centre for Dance in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland with extensive Arts & Health, Arts Participation, Educational Outreach and Performance programmes, working locally, nationally and internationally. Our beautiful Centre for Dance has some 1,500 people of all ages engaged in participatory dance activities throughout the year, and the Company delivers over 200 Educational Outreach workshops annually. With a very welcoming atmosphere, we offer opportunities for all ages to Learn, Create, and Perform. It is our priority to be inclusive, to offer a diverse programme, encourage multi-generational exchange, including Modern dance activities for Seniors —and to keep pricing affordable through the use of sliding scale so that participants can be involved in or sustain their practice. The Centre also provides an opportunity for developing dance artists - through their experience as instructors and creators they grow as artists and articulators of dance - creating movement for each class, developing choreographic ideas, developing their understanding of movement, working in dance regularly. We have developed a dance activity, Well-Dance for Seniors, that offers creative, social, physical activity in a joyful, open, inclusive atmosphere. We have designed a group class that specifically addresses issues of balance confidence, mobility, flexibility and fitness through teaching the art of modern dance; movement exercises rich in imagery, musicality, and creative expression, in individual, pairs and group formats. Participants are directed in ways that improve their musicality, rhythm and flow, use of space, weight and direction changes, and moving with others, as well as awareness of their gait and balance. They learn and repeat set movement phrases, and are coached in creating and spontaneously improvising to a variety of music with imaginative directions--exercising their bodies as well as cognitive sequencing, recall, and quick decision making, a plus for neuroplasticity. They would say it's just good fun! Since 2014 we have had 900+ participants, with health & well being benefits documented by the Discipline of Occupational Therapy, Trinity College Dublin. Using standard questionnaires and focus group formats in ethically cleared research techniques, we are seeking to inform the mainstream health field of the place of dance as an important health intervention, and an aid to aging well. Since 2015 DTI Artistic Directors have collaborated with Vintage Youth Ensemble, DTI's Seniors dance performance group, which grew out of the Well-Dance Classes. Since starting, they have creatd 3 works for the group, who have performed in the dlr Lexicon Studio Theatre, at the National Dementia conference and informally at DTI Centre for Dance. DTI creates, produces and performs original dance theatre for theatres, festivals, schools, community centres and international audiences. We have partnered with Move4Parkinsons since 2014 in providing weekly creative dance classes for people affected by Parkinson's disease. In 2018 DTI was awarded a DLR Healthy Ireland Grant and a DLR Creative Ireland Bursary, both of which funded us to bring Well-Dance to other communities in the county. In 2018/19 we partnered with Age & Opportunity in a pilot to offer Well-Dance to older adults in the wider reaches of Greater Dublin. Since 2017 DTI has partnered with HSE Living Well with Dementia in providing weekly creative dance for community-dwelling adults on the journey of dementia. In 2018 we initiated a dance programme at St. Joseph's Shankill, a day-care and residential care facility exclusively caring for people with dementia. In 2018 Dance Theatre of Ireland received a National Age Friendly Recognition & Achievement Commendation in the Active & Healthy Aging category and received a Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Community Award for contributions to Arts & Culture in the County. We will continue to work with our partners, to develop a national model of best practice based on Well-Dance with the goal of achieving more active older people dancing in more communities throughout Ireland, and leading longer, healthier, happier lives. Dance Theatre of Ireland is proud to be funded by the Arts Council, as well as Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, The Ireland Funds, HSE National Lottery Funds, The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. We are grateful for the support of private volunteer donors and the valued participants of all our dance programmes.