Dance festival shines a light on conflict zones

Dancers, activists and academics from Palestine, Lebanon and Canada, as well as from Belfast and Enniskillen will attend the fourth Galway Dance Days Festival at the Black Box and other city venues from March 27-29, to explore the theme of Bodies in Conflict.

Galway Dancer in Residence, Ríonach Ní Néill chose the theme for this year’s festival as a result of Israel’s attack on Gaza last year. “It made me question what a dancer can do in the face of war. Seeing the life-changing and positive work dance artists do in conflict areas, I wanted to highlight this to the public,” she explains.

Ríonach, a professional dancer and choreographer, also wanted to explore why people would risk their safety to dance in a conflict zone, and that’s a question that will be raised during the festival.

The three-day Galway Dance Days event will be a mix of performances, installations, talks and workshops. At the core of the Festival will be an attempt to examine how living under conflict affects people’s bodies. And, says Ríonach, the festival will also highlight how dance and movement can help people to recover from trauma, rebuild communities, and create resilience. It even has a part to play in resolving conflicts, she adds.

Members of El Funoun Dance Troupe, who are based in Ramallah in Palestine, will make their debut visit to Ireland for Dance Days. The dancers work in refugee camps, villages and cities throughout Palestine, and also tour internationally. They were invited to Galway by Ríonach, who has “been aware of their work for years”.

For more, see this week’s Connacht Tribune.