COMING soon to west Belfast’s Black Mountain Shared Space Project, Roots is a new multi-dimensional large scale work that will blend dance, poetry and storytelling with art and nature.
Taking place in the newly planted ‘interactive community garden’ at the Ballygomartin Road facility, Roots is a site-responsive dance theatre project which promises “an immersive, nature-inspired experience for all”.
Part of the Belfast 2024 celebrations, the project’s vision is “to cultivate a vibrant community garden teeming with life, energy, and creativity” in a “historically contested space” on the site of the former Finlay’s factory adjacent to the peace wall dividing the Springmartin and Springfield communities.
The live dance element of Roots is being led by Belfast choreographer Eileen McClory and her Off The Rails Dance company. A series of live dance performances will take place throughout August as part of the project’s aim to “rewrite the narrative of Belfast’s public spaces as audiences are guided by the captivating sound design to watch, listen, move, touch and connect in an engaging journey to transform a shared, but contested space, at Belfast’s ‘million brick’ peace wall”.
“I’m thrilled to be part of such an exciting year for Belfast,” says McClory.
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![Roots live dancers](https://www.irishnews.com/resizer/v2/ZNHSSDA625HDPNDJRVIS72MBHY.jpg?auth=c2dcb469c80531f60ef3a159d9ec097cb42224c4663c515fa54275b54f98d65b&width=800&height=1194)
“Roots offers us a unique opportunity to reshape our cityscape through nature and collective creativity. But what truly excites me is the chance to collaborate with local residents and capture the essence of our connection to Black Mountain through movement, stories, and gardening that will resonate for generations to come.”
Featuring performers Sarah Flavelle, Clara Kerr, Ed Mitchell, Rosie Mullan and Harry Wilson, tickets are on sale now for the Roots live performances, which will last for 75-minutes and are to be staged between Saturday August 10 and Sunday August 18 as follows:
- Saturday August 10: 7pm
- Sunday August 11: 3pm & 7pm
- Wednesday August 14: 7pm
- Thursday August 15: 3pm & 7pm
- Friday August 16: 7pm
- Saturday August 17: 3pm & 7pm
- Sunday August 18: 3pm & 7pm
Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Roots’ creative partners include Black Mountain Shared Space Project and the surrounding communities, Sow Grateful Flower Farm, Playground Productions, Queen’s University Belfast and Eden Project, Cornwall.
We're pleased to have three #Belfast2024 projects in this year's @BelfastFestival
— Belfast City Council (@belfastcc) July 8, 2024
Tickets for Roots, a dance with a difference at Black Mountain, 10-18 Aug, & North Star, a musical celebration of Belfast's black culture, 24-25 Oct, are on sale now - https://t.co/c83QIEJyxQ pic.twitter.com/UfWJqBMpkH
“This is one of the most exciting projects in our Belfast 2024 programme,” says Councillor Micky Murray, Lord Mayor of Belfast.
“Roots is bringing communities together to work on something really special – developing new skills, enjoying poetry, dance and storytelling sessions and then showcasing their efforts with a week of world-class performances inside the beautiful space they’ve created.
“The end result will be to create a lasting legacy on what is now a shared space, as well as a chance to celebrate the unique heritage of this special part of our city, in the shadow of Black Mountain.”
![Roots is a multi-discipline live dance performance coming to Belfast next month](https://www.irishnews.com/resizer/v2/OUAKB5L5RVAWJPZHO3TM57FYS4.jpg?auth=e422cb41f85eacb1c262318fa289dd08ab21b2b0f7840191e4976f2c3c9079b6&width=800&height=1199)
Seamus Corr, Projects and Programmes manager at Black Mountain Shared Space Project says: “Together, we sow the seeds of possibility, cultivating a vibrant garden where diverse voices bloom.
“Through dance, poetry, and storytelling, we paint a story of Belfast’s future, weaving together dreams and aspirations. With each step we take, we dance towards a tomorrow filled with shared experiences and boundless imagination.”
For more information on Roots, see offtherailsdance.com/roots.