National Dance Archive of Ireland Opens at UL

27. 11. 2011 | 49 reads

Tuesday, 15th November 2011 Tags: National Dance Archive of Ireland, Mr Jimmy Deenihan, T.D., Minister of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Irish World Academy of Music and Dance,

The official opening of the National Dance Archive of Ireland (Cartlann Náisiúnta Damhsa na hÉireann) by Mr Jimmy Deenihan, T.D., Minister of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, took place yesterday at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, UL. The Archive is the first of its kind in Ireland and is the most comprehensive in the country. It holds a number of old photographs, letters, newspapers cuttings and programmes from private collections, which would not have been accessible to the public before now. 

 

Commenting on the launch of the archive, Minister Deenihan said “All aspects of Ireland’s dance history can be found in this wonderful archive which highlights the broad range of styles and genres of this diverse art form. The National Dance Archive of Ireland will raise the profile of dance at home and abroad and will give us all a greater sense of how dance in Ireland has developed in the past and how it may evolve in the future. What makes this project so exciting is that those involved in dance can donate materials and contribute to the archive’s database on an on-going basis. Such an interactive resource will ensure that everyone can experience and enjoy the richness, diversity and uniqueness of dance in Ireland.”

 

The Archive is home to over forty collections of dance generously donated by individuals, companies and dance organisations. Over 5,000 dance items, spanning a period of over 100 years, of diverse multimedia materials in the form of print and audio-visual, are stored in the Archive. Professor Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Director of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick, commented on the range of dance collections within the Archive: “The establishment of the National Dance Archive of Ireland at the University of Limerick, is a direct follow on from the inspired and inclusive vision of Dance Research Forum Ireland, across ballet, contemporary, traditional, popular and world dance genres.”

Dr Catherine Foley, Director of the National Dance Archive, Founding Chair Emerita of the Dance Research Forum Ireland and also course director of the MA Ethnochoreology and MA Irish Traditional Dance Performance programmes at the University of Limerick stated, “Following years of effort, the National Dance Archive of Ireland is now a reality. Many dancers, choreographers, dance companies, and dance institutions, such as the Dance Theatre of Ireland and Cork City Ballet, have already donated their collections and these collections are the backbone of the Archive.”

Dr. Foley emphasised that the Archive is all-encompassing: “I think an important characteristic of the Archive is the fact that it is inclusive of all dance forms and, therefore, dancers, no matter what their dance background and experience, have something to contribute to the Archive. These can be anything from scrap books and photographs to DVDs and books. Some of these documents are retrieved from storage in attics, basements, people’s bedrooms and so on and it is great for people to know that their valued material will be taken care of in the Archive and will be made accessible to the public as part of the history of dance in Ireland. The National Dance Archive is an important public resource for anybody interested in dance”.

The National Dance Archive of Ireland (NDAI) was pioneered from 2005 by Dance Research Forum Ireland in partnership with the Glucksman Library and the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. The Archive is housed in the Glucksman Library at the University of Limerick and works in partnership with Dance Research Forum Ireland, the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance and the Arts Council. It is committed to collecting, preserving, digitizing and cataloguing multimedia dance material, and to providing access and guidance to the collections; these include traditional dance, social dance, contemporary dance, ballet, urban dance and world dance. The National Dance Archive is an important public resource for dance education and research. It is a living Archive that forges links with dancers, scholars, choreographers, companies and organisations of dance in the wider community.

For further information on the National Dance Archive of Ireland, Glucksman Library, UL go to www.nationaldancearchiveireland.ie.

To visit the Archive telephone + 353 61 202690 or email: ndai@ul.ie to arrange an appointment.
 

Opening of the National Dance Archive of Ireland on RTE Six One News:

 Photos V.Bernard

 

 

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