Creative & Cool
If you want to roller-blade, drum, sing, dance, walk on stilts, paint, act, play the fiddle, the flute or other musical instruments; if you want to juggle, sing opera, break-dance, hip-hop, play jazz, sculpt or be involved in film and you are young, then Belfast hits the spot.
There has been an eruption of arts activities for young people around the city, and members of Children's Express took a whirlwind tour to find out just what they could be getting up to this year.
| Get a group of friends together and join a community centre and just get stuck in. |
THE BEAT GOES ON
The Beat Initiative in East Belfast is a full-time arts organisation mainly geared towards young people.
As the June 24 deadline approaches for its annual Belfast Carnival Parade, Dancing Cows, the Carnival Cleaners, the Hawaii No Gos, the Flower People and others can be seen rehearsing dance routines for the big day. In the yard, giant-scale creatures and floats come to life as artists apply the finishing brush strokes.
Christina Nelson, an Artistic Performance Director, said the Beat operates throughout the year and offers a wide programme to suit all tastes:
"If anybody wants to get involved in dance, learning to drum or making costumes or masks or walkabout, if anybody wants drama classes or anything like that they can contact the Beat, and I'll be happy to sort you out," she said.
HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS
Sean O'Rawe is a young actor working as an Assistant with the Young at Art Festival. He says that Belfast, more than ever before, offers young people a wide range of innovative activities as well as traditional art forms.
Young at Art which has been running for two years, offers all styles of performances and the programme is now available for this year's festival from May 25 to June 3.
"There's just an endless possibility of things for young people to do, to participate as well as just sit back and watch," Sean said.
Marvel at the shifting colours while wandering through the magical Luminarium, a giant light and air sculpture which will be premiered in front of Queen's University. Or float down the Lagan with Nico Brown, who is making a musical splash by incorporating wind and water in a brilliant musical workshop.
For those who love music but prefer dry land, Nico is looking for enthusiastic and imaginative young people. They will learn to play the Anklung, a Japanese bamboo instrument and can be part of a unique performance in the Palm House at Botanic Gardens.
Young adults thinking of sampling theatre this summer may enjoy the Sherman Theatre Company's performance of Everything Must Go to be staged during Young at Art at the Lyric.
Set against a sound-track by the Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia, the Stereophonics and a chorus of young people from Northern Ireland, the play explores how the lost generation survive in the 21st century. And the good news, according to Sean, is that coming to the festival won't break the bank.
HERE COME THE CLOWNS
Clowning around has always had distinct appeal and Belfast Community Circus School teaches the tricks of the trade to children as young as eight. Throughout the year, Circus School teaches unusual and exciting skills, such as juggling, unicycle, acrobatics, diablo and trapeze at its brand new premises in Gordon Street.
Paula McGrogan, Outreach Worker with Belfast Community Circus said young people can "learn loads of circus skills, they do a Christmas show and they are in loads of festival parades."
All over Belfast, Circus is also working alongside community groups to give young people a chance to bring Circus into their own areas.
"The work that we have done has more than doubled in the past year. The Saturday morning Youth Circus is also really, really busy," she said. "It has been proved over and over again the benefits circus skills have on personal development and in groups and communities."
INSPECT-YOUR GADGET
If working with gadgets and multimedia packages has more appeal then watch out for Wheelworks' Art Cart. This mobile unit packed full of the latest graphic, video and multi-media technology, travels around Northern Ireland providing training for young people.
Diane Henshaw, Arts Co-ordinator at Wheelworks said the Art Cart, a recent addition to Wheelworks' community arts programme, "is a big, massive sort of lorry full of multimedia equipment, that is used to train people in video and computer work and how to do graphics."
Wheelworks aims to cater for all demands, and activities on offer include workshops in clay, textiles, ceramics, batique and silk-screen painting.
When it comes to the arts Diane advises young people to be proactive. "Get a group of friends together and join a community centre and just get stuck in. You know art workshops are going on, you just have to go, ask and find out."
About the team
This report was produced by editors Gary Meneely 17, Paul Cromie, 17, James Elwood, 17, and reporters Laura Osborne, 13, Amy Magowan Greene, 11, and Orlaith Graham Wood, 11. It was published in Smart, a Belfast City Arts Newsletter.
