Macushla Dance Club 50+

Date:

Every Thursday from Thu 14 Sep 2023 - Thu 7 Dec 2023

Time:

12:15 - 13:15

Please Note:

No external footwear allowed in studio. Shoe covers can be provided at reception if requested.

Tea & Coffee available at reception from 11.50am

SCHEDULE 5TH, 12TH, & 19TH OCT:

Macushla Dance Club 50+ 12:15-1:15PM
Creative Dance Workshop 1:15-1:45PM

*Note: There will be a short water break in between sessions and the Creative Dance Workshop is optional

Venue:

DanceHouse

Admission:

Free (Places are limited, and booked through Dance Ireland or the Mindbody App)

Teacher:

Olwyn Lyons and Mia DiChiaro with guest artists

About Macushla Dance Club

Macushla Dance Club 50+ is Dublin’s longest running dance club established in 2006 by choreographer Ríonach Ní Néill. For 16 years it has provided free, ongoing access to dance for older men and women at DanceHouse in Dublin city centre.

It strives to develop people’s artistic dance practice, offer links to the professional dance community and promotes performance opportunities for its members. The club fosters quality artistic experiences for older people to explore joyful creativity within a social community.

Meeting once a week on a termly basis, Macushla Dance Club 50+ is directed by professional dance artists Olwyn Lyons and Mia DiChiaro along with guest artists.

Whether you’ve never danced before, or did ballet as a child and would love to return to class, Macushla Dance Club 50+ is for anyone who wants to give dance a go. No previous experience is required with workshops incorporating a variety of dance styles including contemporary, ballet, salsa, jazz, urban dance and more.

Weekly sessions begin seated with a gentle yoga inspired warm up and stretch followed by exploring movement and choreography. Each session is based on a wide repertoire of dance which will keep you moving and improve flexibility, coordination, stamina and core strength.

Macushla Dance Club 50+ is thrilled to continue its mission of fostering participation and appreciation for the arts through weekly gatherings, cultural outings and performance projects.

Macushla Dance Club 50+ is kindly supported by Dublin City Council and Dance Ireland.

‘Macushla’s weekly dance class is my go to happy place, I just love it is so professionally run. The teachers style of instruction is so clear and their choice of music so appropriate to go with the piece we are doing. Thank you all so much, and I'm really looking forward to the next class.’ Helen, Macushla Dance Club 50+ Member (2022)

‘I just love the classes. The teachers are so nice, calming and easy to follow. Feel so much better after participating. I am so glad I found out about Macushla Dance Club 50+ classes.’ Marie, Macushla Dance Club 50+ Member (2022)

Additional Creative Dance Workshops

Macushla participants are invited to join Macushla Co-Directors, Olwyn Lyons and Mia DiChiaro for a special series of creative dance workshops directly after Macushla classes taking place on 5th, 12th, and 19th October. In these 20-25 minute sessions Mia and Olwyn will guide participants through joyful activities as we seek to build choreography together. The workshops aim to empower participants to draw on their own experiences to tell their stories from an embodied perspective. To do this, we will playfully explore a variation of choreographic tools and devices. 

These workshops may seed ideas for a larger scale creative project and are made possible through the Arts Council’s Artist in the Community Scheme managed by Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts.

SCHEDULE 5TH, 12TH, & 19TH OCT:
Macushla Dance Club 50+ 12:15-1:15PM
Creative Dance Workshop 1:15-1:45PM
*Note: There will be a short water break in between sessions and the Creative Dance Workshop is optional

            

BOOKING

 

We recommend managing your booking through the Mindbody App.

Or alternatively, you contact us on 01 855 8800 to book you in

Please note: Booking is split, so only one half of the term can be booked at a time. This is in the interest of fairness, so those left disappointed can get priority for the second half of term. 

About the Artists

Mia DiChiaro

Mia DiChiaro is a contemporary dancer, teacher, and artivist. Originally from New York, she is now based in Dublin and delivers dance projects that encourage communities to explore imagination and empathy. In 2022 she choreographed ‘Dance Til Dán’, an intergenerational project fusing dance and poetry at Fatima Groups United commissioned by St. Patrick’s Day Festival and TikTok Creative Fund which has been screened at numerous international film festivals. Other recent projects include dancing with CoisCéim Dance Theatre in ‘Orfeo ed Euridice’, work with with the ecologically-engaged company Instant Dissidence, and sharing eco-dance movement research through talks and workshops across Europe (with support from Dance Ireland, the Irish Arts Council, and IMMA). She received her dance training at the Ailey School and developed an interdisciplinary B.A. in 'Performance and Arts Activism’ (New York University). After relocating to Ireland, she received a M.A. in ‘Contemporary Dance Performance’ (University of Limerick) and has performed works by David Bolger, Liz Roche, Lucyna Zwolinska, Jack Webb, Ursula Robb, Dina Abu Hamdan, and others. As a community dance facilitator, she co-directs the Macushla Dance Club 50+, teaches with CoisCéim’s Broadreach programme, assists Dance for Parkinsons, and has joined the City of Dublin ETB Adult Education Service as a Dance Tutor. She is Artist-in-residence at Fatima Groups United (2021-2023) and Richmond Barracks with Philippa Donnellan (2022-2023).

Olwyn Lyons

Olwyn Lyons is a choreographer, dance artist and community dance facilitator who has worked extensively with arts and older people. She has over 10 years’ experience delivering, developing, directing and facilitating arts projects with professionals and the community.

Recently Olwyn was awarded the Agility Award 2022 Round 2 from Arts Council of Ireland and Professional Artist Development Fund from Meath County Council. Both awards will help her further investigate dance and Parkinson’s Disease. She is working with dlr on their

Programme for Carers of people living with Dementia offering dance workshops in libraries across in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and was a selected artist for dlr Primary Arts Programme 2022/23, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

Olwyn holds a BA Honors Degree in Dance from De Montfort University, Leicester and a Post Grad Diploma in Dance from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance, London.

Olwyn worked on movement direction for Absent the Wrong at Peacock Theatre, written by Dylan Coburn Gray with Once Off Productions as part of Dublin Fringe Festival 2022. She was awarded Youth Commission 2022 from Offaly County Council to investigate and develop youth arts links within the county. Olwyn has been working closely with CoisCéim Dance Theatre BROADREACH to develop and facilitate Creative Dance Tails - creative dance workshops for primary school children and is part of the TAP Teacher Artist Partnership Residency Programme 2023 with Navan Education Centre.

In 2021 Olwyn was Artist in Residence in a Care Setting in collaboration with Dance Artist Philippa Donnellan with Age & Opportunity, Creative Ireland & Arts Council of Ireland. Olwyn currently facilitates Dance for Parkinsons with Dance Ireland and is Co - Director of Macushla Dance Club 50+.

Photo Credits

Mia: by Lorna Fitzsimons

Olwyn: by Kirsty Lyons

For further information:

• Telephone: +353 1 855 8800
• Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)