Celebrate the 8th year of SpringMoves with a dynamic programme of dance performances across Wexford Town!
EVENTS & PERFORMANCES
11
APR
11am – 1pm @ Wexford Town Library
Dance Talks:
Finding Our Way Through
A creative conversation
& FESTIVAL LAUNCH
Nicola Curry – Choreographer and Director of Maiden Voyage Dance
Alison Martin – Writer, Pegasus and the Clothes Horse
Mónica Muñoz – Artistic Director, Up-Close, Rolling!
Jeni Roddy – Interdisciplinary Artist and Creative Youth Lab Director
This year artists working across dance, theatre and writing come together to talk about making space for the next generation in the performing arts. We will consider how work is created and how we work together with children, young people and families. The event will be relaxed and conversational, with audiences invited to be a creative part of the discussion. Artists include choreographer and director of Maiden Voyage Dance Nicola Curry, writer Alison Martin, choreographer Mónica Muñoz and artist Jeni Roddy.
The conversation is followed by the official launch of this years’ Festival.
Everyone welcome!
2
MAY
11-11.45am & 1-1.45pm @ National Opera House
Moonlight Dream
by Maiden Voyage Dance
Adult: €15 / Child: €5 + Facility Fee
Step into a world of wonder with Moonlight Dream, a gentle dance and live music experience for families with children under 6, created by choreographer Georgia Tegou with original music by composer Ursula Burns.
Inspired by the soothing rituals of bedtime – cosy stories, soft lullabies and quiet moments – this enchanting show welcomes little ones and their grown-ups on a magical, sensory-rich adventure to the moon.
Follow a curious child, a caring bear and a mischievous fox as they explore the night sky and discover the limitless possibilities of the dream world. With live music, flowing movement, and glowing lightscapes, you are transported to a peaceful, ethereal space where imagination takes flight.
7 & 8
MAY
12-2pm & 6-9pm @ Wexford Arts Centre
The Peace Process
by Flora Fauna Project
Day tickets: €5 / person for schools and groups
Evening tickets: €10 euro / person
The Peace Process is a durational performance where dance, music, film and installation fuse to create a moving meditative ecosystem exploring cycles of evolution, conflict and harmony. It’s a living, evolving ritual that calls our collective attention to our personal power and roles in the growing of peace frequencies. It’s an immersive cocoon to consider personal peace processes while acknowledging that no magic peace button exists – this is a process that will need infinite care and attention and each of us is a piece of the puzzle.
8
MAY
12.30-3.30pm @ Presentation Centre, Enniscorthy
OPEN FLOOR
by LUAIL Dance Company
The Arc of a Heart Shaped Curve performance, followed by an inclusive dance professionals gathering.
5pm @ Wexford Arts Centre (outside)
Won’t Be Told
by Tumble Circus
Annoying, talented, and stubbornly skilled, Ken and Tina from Tumble Circus present Won’t Be Told, a rebellious circus adventure that rages against the dying of the light. Their world is packed with wild acrobatics, absurd juggling, and hysterical comedy, all delivered with the fierce determination of performers who refuse to go quietly. This is circus with attitude, heart, and a glorious refusal to behave.
10
MAY
10.30am – 4.30pm @ National Opera House
Where Dance Meets Street Masterclass with Osian Meiler
ISACS members: free
Non-members: €25
This year, Where Dance Meets dives into the collaborative space between Street and Dance. We’re excited to welcome Osian Meilir to Wexford for a dynamic two-day programme. Following their performance of Qwerin, Osian will deliver a Masterclass workshop at the Jerome Hynes Theatre. In this session, Meilir shares insights from their practice as a choreographer, performer, and maker for the outdoors, offering a glimpse into the creative journey behind Qwerin.
INFO
Two bursaries of €250 are available for ISACS members.
The deadline to apply for the bursaries is April 14th 2026.
Please note this Masterclass is for adults who are professional or aspiring artists. We invite dance, street and circus artists to attend. Spaces are limited.
MAIN FESTIVAL DAY
9 MAY 2026
9
MAY
NATIONAL OPERA HOUSE
10.30-11.30am @ National Opera House, Jerome Hynes Theatre
Teen Dance Workshop with Lucia Kickham
Tickets: €5 on the door
9
MAY
TRIMMERS LANE
11.30-11.55am @ Trimmers lane
Qwerin Bach (show 1)
by Osian Meilir
Free event
‘Qwerin’ is rooted in community. It highlights the value of shared experiences and the importance of having a space that brings people together. Following years of lockdowns where bars, clubs and venues had been closed, spaces for social interaction were limited and people found themselves isolated in places to which they did not belong, our need to find a sense of community was heightened more than ever. Commenting on notions of Queerness and Welshness, ‘Qwerin’ combines the weaving and flowing patterns of Welsh folk-dance with the pulsating energy of Queer nightlife. ‘Qwerin’ aims to unite people through a joyous and liberating performance of music and dance, celebrating culture, identity and community.
9
MAY
TRIMMERS LANE
12.05-12.35pm @ Trimmers Lane
Rolling! (show 1)
by Mónica Muñoz
Free event
Can you build a world alone? How do you set the rules to make the game more fun?
ROLLING!
A dancer tries to make sense of the world playing with carboard tubes: rotate, transport, pile, spin, drop, connect… Accompanying him a percussionist: Live music and dance in a dynamic and captivating combination, blending the energy of live musical performance with the expressive and explosive movement of an extraordinary dancer.
ROLLING! Is a process of Trial and Error to find out how things work engaging the body and every day materials in a challenging and fun way. From an almost infinite selection of possibilities, new worlds emerge, expand and are discarded…
9
MAY
TRIMMERS LANE
12.45-1.15pm @ Bullring
Miss Mary (show 1)
by Kristyn Fontanella
Free event
Miss Mary is an Irish tradition which no longer exists. The travelling dancing masters of Ireland. An outdoor solo dance, created and performed by Kristyn Fontanella, Miss Mary traces the footsteps of migrating Irish dance masters. Traveling through streets, parks and fields, embodying the land and its stories, she arrives at a gathering of people, she invites them to exchange and listen.
She asks them where did you come from, how do you move, and will you dance with me?
Miss Mary gathers ancestors, nostalgia and community, sharing the stories that live within us all.
9
MAY
MONCK STREET
1.45-2.45pm @ Monck Street
4th Annual Street Dance Takeover NEXT GEN
Free event
Don’t miss the excitement of a DJ and street dancers taking over Monck Street. Rain or Shine!
9
MAY
SOUTH MAIN STREET
3.45-4.10pm @ South Main Street
Qwerin (show 2)
by Osian Meilir
Free event
‘Qwerin’ is rooted in community. It highlights the value of shared experiences and the importance of having a space that brings people together. Following years of lockdowns where bars, clubs and venues had been closed, spaces for social interaction were limited and people found themselves isolated in places to which they did not belong, our need to find a sense of community was heightened more than ever. Commenting on notions of Queerness and Welshness, ‘Qwerin’ combines the weaving and flowing patterns of Welsh folk-dance with the pulsating energy of Queer nightlife. ‘Qwerin’ aims to unite people through a joyous and liberating performance of music and dance, celebrating culture, identity and community.
9
MAY
SOUTH MAIN STREET
4.20-4.50pm @ South Main Street
Rolling! (show 2)
by Mónica Muñoz
Free event
Can you build a world alone? How do you set the rules to make the game more fun?
ROLLING!
A dancer tries to make sense of the world playing with carboard tubes: rotate, transport, pile, spin, drop, connect… Accompanying him a percussionist: Live music and dance in a dynamic and captivating combination, blending the energy of live musical performance with the expressive and explosive movement of an extraordinary dancer.
ROLLING! Is a process of Trial and Error to find out how things work engaging the body and every day materials in a challenging and fun way. From an almost infinite selection of possibilities, new worlds emerge, expand and are discarded…
9
MAY
SOUTH MAIN STREET
5-5.30pm @ South Main Street
Miss Mary (show 2)
by Kristyn Fontanella
Free event
Miss Mary is an Irish tradition which no longer exists. The travelling dancing masters of Ireland. An outdoor solo dance, created and performed by Kristyn Fontanella, Miss Mary traces the footsteps of migrating Irish dance masters. Traveling through streets, parks and fields, embodying the land and its stories, she arrives at a gathering of people, she invites them to exchange and listen.
She asks them where did you come from, how do you move, and will you dance with me?
Miss Mary gathers ancestors, nostalgia and community, sharing the stories that live within us all.
9
MAY
THE SKY AND THE GROUND
6pm @ Sky & the Ground
Afterparty
Artist lineup
Osian Meilir
Originally from Pentre’r Bryn on the west coast of Wales, Osian Meilir is a freelance choreographer and movement artist currently sharing their time between Wales and London. Since graduating from Trinity Laban in 2017, Meilir has been performing and creating work for a variety of performances spaces, having predominantly worked and created dance productions for the outdoors. Their work has toured extensively across Wales, the UK and internationally including Ten Days on the Island in Australia (2023), Biennale de la Danse in Lyon (2023) and at FIET; the Children’s and Youth Theatre Fair of the Balearic Islands (2024).
Meilir’s up-bringing in rural West Wales and their fascination with notions of identity, culture and community feeds their creativity and inspires their work. Their very early experiences and background of Welsh folk dance also has a great influence on their contemporary practice and has led them to appreciate how dance can build meaningful bridges between people from around the world. Embracing unity and harmony, within ourselves and each other, Meilir celebrates the beauty, simplicity and power of human connection.
Maiden Voyage
Maiden Voyage Dance is a commissioning company based in Belfast. Since 2002 we have offered audiences of all ages a chance to experience a wide range of high-quality work from local, national and international choreographers and collaborators invited to create work with us for stage and public space. Our work has been seen across the UK, Ireland and Europe. Maiden Voyage Dance is a foundational partner in Luail – Ireland’s new national dance company established in 2024.
maidenvoyagedance.com
Choreographer Georgia Tegou
Composer Ursula Burns
Flora Fauna Project
Flora Fauna Project is a multi-disciplinary dance company run by Swedish choreographer Maria Nilsson Waller and Irish inter-disciplinary artist Stace Gill. We make work for stage, film and installation. We release music as The Sei.
Flora Fauna Project also includes a far reaching series of curated talks, workshops and community collaborations that focuses on relationship to nature and environment, natural intelligence, evolution and metamorphoses, representation/giving voice to diversity, gender and sexuality, community and social dreaming. These are big topics, and we are trying to have the conversation with many different people, in many different ways, both on and off stage.
Kristyn Fontanella
Kristyn resides in Co. Galway where she pursuits her creative process exploring the two worlds of Traditional and Contemporary dance. Her focus is on a new solo work tracing her dance family tree, with support from Town Hall Theatre Galway, Galway International Arts Festival and the Irish Arts Council.
Dublin Dance Festival, Marseille New Danse Festival, & Tanzmesse Germany. Her ensemble work, IN LiMBO, which has had continued support from the Arts Council, completed a seven venue Irish National Tour in February 2020. Kristyn was involved with two projects for Galway 2020; Plurabella, a solo dance film commissioned by Ríonach Ní Néill (Hope it Rains) and a site-specific dance piece with Dansnest (NL) through Galway Dance Project.
Mónica Muñoz is a dancer, performance-maker, and educator originally from Barcelona and based in Dublin since 2014. She is interested in making exciting new performances for early years and young audiences. Recent productions include FLiP, FALL and FLOAT and the Irish tour of UP-CLOSE, commissioned and presented at Tipperary Dance International Festival, Ireland (2021). Previous work includes the acclaimed Princesses Can Be Pirates, funded by Business to Arts that toured Nationally and Internationally with support from The Irish Arts Council and Culture Ireland.
Mónica is currently a participant of Meitheal, a dynamic support initiative for artists creating work for young audiences across the performing arts disciplines led by Branar. She was The Ark’s John Coolahan Early Years Artist in Residence 2021/22 and a recent GROW Pathways to Production Participant, an initiative from Baboró International Children’s Festival in partnership with Druid, the Mick Lally Theatre, Branar Téatar do Phaistí, The Irish Theatre Institute (ITI) and Galway Theatre Festival.
Tumble Circus
We are Tumble Circus, pioneers of contemporary Irish circus, crafted and brewed in Belfast. We’re acrobatic anarchists, juggling dissidents, the slapstick saboteurs of boredom. We don’t perform shows, we stage circus uprisings. Big tops, streets, fields, if there is space to fly, flip or spark glorious disorder, we seize it.
We make crowds gasp, roar and forget the rules. We want audiences leaving ready to chase wild dreams and ignite tiny revolutions of joy in their own lives. For over 30 years, we’ve toured our riotous Irish circus rebellion across Ireland, Europe and the world.
We don’t just entertain.
We agitate.
We liberate.
We unleash the circus of the people.
this was SpringMoves Dance Festival 2024
OUR KIND SPONSORS AND PARTNERS
Funded through Wexford County Councils Arts Office – Small Arts Festival Grant Scheme 2026.
