RISE, a Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture project, was a series of projects that placed the voice of the child at the heart of the performance and encouraged international artist collaboration. Originally a year-long collaboration between performance artists and children, culminating in live performances at Baboró’s October 2020 festival, RISE was presented digitally in Spring 2021, taking on a deeper meaning through delivery during a global pandemic.
What was once an exciting opportunity for children to participate in the arts became an essential outlet for expression and play during a global pandemic. After years of planning and 12 months of adapting, RISE emerged!
Teams of adult and child artists remotely co-created and participated in projects from their homes in Galway, across Europe and as far away as Melbourne, Australia. We are grateful to all of the artists for their commitment and enthusiasm.
Reflecting on RISE
St. Pats Lockdown Olympics
'St. Pats Lockdown Olympics’ is a co-creation project between the students and teachers from two classes in St. Patrick’s National School and artists James Riordan of Brú Theatre and Darren O’Donnell, Artistic and Founding Director of Mammalian Diving Reflex. Together, they created and competed in a zany olympic competition between classes.
The Streets Are Ours
'The Streets Are Ours' was a collaborative project to create a promenade performance by Galway children combining parkour, contemporary dance and circus skills. Baboró worked with Arch 8 (The Netherlands), Galway Community Circus and Galway Dance Project to create and deliver this project.
The Veiled Ones
‘The Veiled Ones’ is a new dance theatre production created by renowned Irish company Junk Ensemble. Specifically created for young audiences, this immersive show will explore themes of loss and preconceived ideas of beauty and highlight the powerful relationship between grandparents and grandchildren.
In Conversation with Junk Ensemble & kabinet k
In lieu of a planned professional masterclass in Galway by renowned Belgian dance company, kabinet k, Baboró hosted an informal conversation between kabinet k and Irish dance company Junk Ensemble, creators of ‘The Veiled Ones’. The Co-Artistic Directors of both companies discussed what inspires them to make work with and for children, the challenges and opportunities of creating dance in a global pandemic, and their plans for the future.
RISE was Funded by Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture