Led by Kildare County Council, with partners Tipperary County Council, Donegal County Council and Fidget Feet have announced an award of €72,500 from the Arts Council Invitation to Collaboration scheme, with additional support from the local authorities, to deliver a local residency programme alongside the House! show in each of the three counties.

The Arts Council's ‘Invitation to Collaboration’ scheme promotes unique collaborations through working better together and promoting high-quality access to and engagement with the arts. It places an emphasis on supporting partnerships for regional and national initiatives in the field of local-authority-led arts development, focusing on developing projects, resources or services that are ambitious and are testing new ground.

Reacting to the announcement, Arts Officer for Kildare County Council Lucina Russell said ‘It is always exciting for a local authority to break new ground and the Arts Council Invitation to Collaboration scheme has enabled us to do that with Circus? Bingo! We look forward to bringing this amazing show to Kildare in August, and seeing how the local residency informs that. It is a great opportunity for local creatives to get involved. Our project partners are long-term collaborators and we hope to learn from their experiences also. It goes without saying that we expect lots of fun along the way.’

Sinéad O’Reilly, Head of Local, Place and Public Art commented ‘The Arts Council is delighted to be supporting this regional collaborative project between Fidget Feet, Kildare, Tipperary and Donegal County Council’s to further expand spectacle performances and participation in communities who have yet to experience the inspirational joy of aerial dance.’

Chantal Mc Cormick, Creative Director of Fidget Feet is enthused by this collaboration. ‘I am thrilled for Fidget Feet to be supported for a third year to continue this wonderful crazy project that brings bingo and circus together sharing the experience with professionals and community people and of course our audiences. I am more than excited that this tour in 2023 is part of Fidget Feet’s 25-year celebrations, especially returning to Ballyshannon in Donegal where it all started, Fidget Feet’s first ever crane flight back in 2004!’.

The House! performances will take place on Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th August 2023, Áras Chill Dara, Naas. To support the House! show, the Circus? Bingo! Residency Programme is an intergenerational community project, bringing together young people and older people in a programme of public engagement focusing on the arts and bingo.

How to get involved

Do you want a new experience in the performing arts? Have you skills in ballroom dance, jive, swing, cheerleading, majorette, Irish set dancing, street dancing, circus skills, contemporary dance or part of a marching band or something else you would like to perform at our show? Are you a novice and wish to learn? If you would like to perform as part of House! for your local community, by your community, celebrating community then here’s how.

There are 4 ways to participate in the Circus? Bingo! Residency Programme.

1. Circus? Bingo! Workshop days

This is a one-off free day out where you can play bingo and try out circus! It is fun for all the family.

Open day dates in Kildare

Sat 13th May in Kildare

Sat 20th May in Kildare

Sat 27th May in Kildare

 

2. Fidget Feet one-off community workshops

A fun community day out to try something different. Enjoy 2 hours with Fidget Feet for free. Learn some easy dance moves and some ground-based skills with one of our Fidget Feet tutors.

 

3. Fidget Feet weekly community workshops

Fidget Feet can come to your group and offer a House! bingo themed 2-to-3 hour workshop for free every week over 3 weeks.

Dates for options 2 and 3 - Monday 8th - Sunday 28th May

 

4. Perform with us

Get immersed in the full House! live performance. We will offer your community group local rehearsals with choreography training to be ready for the show.

This is your chance to explore something new and exciting with your community, for your community.

 

The Soar Up programme

The Soar Up programme created by Fidget Feet aims to bridge the gap between dance education and professional aerial dance practice in Ireland. This is the second year of the programme. Fidget Feet is committed to running this as an annual intensive programme of aerial training, upskilling, rehearsals, performances, networking and development for dancers who have completed some form of professional dance training. It is also open to any dancers that have some aerial skills although it’s not compulsory to have aerial skills.

Reflect and response evaluation event

A ‘Reflect and response’ on the project is a chance to share as part of our evaluation on 8th Nov in Naas, Co. Kildare.