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Dancer In Residence Monica Munoz.
MONICA Muñoz is leading a dance residency in Kerry for the coming months, focussing on primary school children and families.
Monica is a dance artist originally from Barcelona, living in Ireland since 2014. She has performed extensively across the globe for over 20 years with many companies and as a freelance dancer.
She was a long-standing member of the Tanztheater Freiburg. In Ireland Mónica has collaborated frequently with CoisCéim Dance Theatre. She teaches contemporary dance in community and education settings and creates her own choreographic work with focus on young audiences.
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“I strive for a world where dance, play and explorative movement is central to the lives of children,” says Monica, explaining her focus of children for this residency. “I will engage with dance experiences for the young community in Kerry and develop my practice working for and with children, schools and families.”
Monica will run a series of free online workshops that engage with the community.
‘Shake A Leg’ consists of 12 online dance sessions for children aged 4 to 10. It will focus on building self-confidence, discovering expression, allowing children to immerse themselves in another world, feeling great, feeling their strength and simply letting go.
These free online sessions will run on Thursdays from the 4th of November to the 9th of December.
‘Family Time’ consists of four free online sessions of dance and movement for early years classes for parents and children aged 2 to 4, using props and materials that everyone has at home. This runs on Saturdays from November 20 to December 11.
‘Dance Divers’ will be a dance programme to connect with primary schools in January and February. Dance Divers will provide online and live dance experience.
Dance Divers is dance invasion in the school from 2nd class onwards: a school performance, discussion and dance workshop in one.
It has been specially developed to bring dance to schools in an accessible way and to stimulate an appetite for dance everywhere.
The one-hour program takes place at school. Dance Divers will connect as well with four online sessions specially designed for Junior and Senior classes.
Parents and schools who are interested in signing up for any of these classes should contact Monica at youngmoverskerry@gmail.com.
“Dance and movement are very important for the mental and physical health of our children – I have no doubt that Monica will be very busy over the next few months and I welcome her to Kerry and wish her a fruitful residency,” says Cllr. Jimmy Moloney, Cathaoirleach of Kerry County Council.
“We are delighted to have Monica with us as dancer in residence – this is a great opportunity for children throughout the county to access free dance classes and learn about movement in a relaxed and fun-filled way,” says Kate Kennelly, Arts Officer with Kerry County Council.
The residency is funded by Kerry County Council and the Arts Council and supported by Creative Ireland Kerry.
