Fun for families with DDF Summer 2021 Edition

For ages 4-7: Grass Films & Associated Workshops from Second Hand Dance presented by Dublin Dance Festival & The Ark

For ages 4 – 7, Grass Films: Sunny Days & Insect Hands from Second Hand Dance (2021, UK) are two short dance films shot in the great outdoors which celebrate the magic of the natural world - rolling in long grass, finding spiders in the park and the warm feeling of the sun on your face. Sunny Days is all about little explorers feeling, hearing and smelling the world around them, the magic of being free, and of taking in a long deep breath. Insect Hands is a chance for those little explorers to join Takeshi and his animated mini-beast friends for a dance in the great outdoors – and to see how many insects they can spot on the way! These films will be accessible and free to Festival audiences 28th May – 1st June.

Second Hand Dance are also running related fun interactive dance workshops for children on Saturday 29th May, with a chance for children to learn some of the moves from Sunny Days and Insect Hands, and to create their own dance. The Grass Films are also available with audio description, and a series of sensory films offering an additional way to explore the films will be available for children who explore the world in a sensory way.

These events are presented by Dublin Dance Festival and The Ark.

For all ages: The Sofa Dance & Associated Workshops from Mimbre

The Sofa Dance from Mimbre (2020, UK) is a joyful short film where 30 performers share their experiences of lockdown from their sofas, which DDF Summer 2021 Edition audiences of all ages can enjoy for free 28th May – 8thJune. This is an uplifting opportunity to glimpse into different homes and a snapshot of how differently we’ve all dealt with the experience, as the performers express the exhaustion, frustration, and complications of living within drastically limited space, and in doing so create laughter, absurdity and beauty.

In addition to the film’s screening, Mimbre’s acrobats will be presenting fun The Sofa Dance workshops on Zoom, for all ages and levels – a chance for us all to turn our sofa slouching into an art form – while using it as a crashmat to explore some fun movement and adventurous shapes!

DDF also invites everyone to make their own Sofa Dance and share it on social media! Audiences can give it a go themselves or join in on a workshop to get tips from the pros. Make sure to tag Mimbre and DDF and include #MySofaDance and #DDF2021 so we can enjoy and share your creations too. Remember to dance safely and leave the tricky stuff to the professionals!

Facebook: @DublinDanceFestival @mimbreacro #MySofaDance #DDF2021
Twitter: @DublinDanceFest @mimbre_acrobats #MySofaDance #DDF2021
Instagram: @dublindancefestival @mimbreacrobats #MySofaDance #DDF2021

View the full Summer 2021 Edition programme.

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