St. Michael's Schools Project

The outreach work undertaken by Ballet Ireland has two principal mainstays, the Annual Summer School Programme and the ever-developing St. Michael¹s Project. The summer school, in operation since 2001, is in a healthy condition, attracting between 500 and 600 students each year. Although participation is open to all, the majority of children and young adults taking part have already had some experience of dance tuition and performance. With this in mind we have formulated an intensive course of workshops and performance to bring to non-dancing children in national schools. This project is named after our first collaborators, St. Michael¹s GNS in Tipperary town.

To date there have been four major projects, two with St. Michael¹s, 2003 & 2004, one at Scoil Angela in Thurles, 2006, and most recently, St. Ciarán's NS, Blakestown, Dublin 15. Though each project has been unique, each has informed the development of the next, and with our latest experience, we have developed a high-quality model that can be offered to schools around the country.

The basic format is four or five weeks of intensive workshops leading to performance. The inclusion of public dress rehearsals, as we did with St. Ciarán's at Draíocht, was a major feature contributing to the success of that particular venture. Not only did it immeasurably enhance the levels of confidence of the performers, cementing firmly the 'feel-good factor' of dance and performance, but it also enabled us to usher one and a half thousand people through the portals of the theatre in the space of three days. For many, it was their first step inside the theatre.

Although it was the third and fourth class pupils involved in the intense period of workshops and performance, the entire school gained in experience and knowledge; all students participated in at least one workshop, many classes created 'props' and costumes for the performance and all pupils were audience members.

We actively encourage the participation of male students in our entire outreach programme and our work in schools of mixed gender has greatly contributed to our efforts in debunking the myth that ballet, and indeed theatrical dance in general, is solely a female occupation. Again our experience at St Ciarán's, where of the 740 pupils that worked with Ballet Ireland more than half were boys, has influenced the development of the St. Michael¹s project.

The Principals and teaching staff at all of our participating schools have been vociferous in their praise of our work. Some 1,750 children and their families, friends and relatives have been introduced to performance dance in an extremely intensive and intimate way.

The projects have utilised numerous strands in the national curriculum and enhanced the normal learning process, subjects explored for performance have been famine and emigration, the story of the production of butter, flora and fauna on the River Suir, and latterly, the history of Clonmacnoise and Irish monasticism. Pupils create artwork for the performance, engage with a wide variety of music, explore drama and mime, develop rhythm and invent storyline. In addition they explore dance steps and movement.

Ballet Ireland¹s work in national schools is of paramount importance as we continue to develop an audience for ballet within these shores. It ensures that children understand that ballet is not just 'fancy Russian dancing', nor elitist, nor effeminate. The work embraces all of a child¹s creative abilities, and sows important seeds.

Seeds, which at best, could grow into our succeeding generation of artists, and at worst, perhaps an informed member of an audience.