Shaylyn Continue to Shine!

Jan 2010 Update!

1.  Shaylyn troupe to perform in Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm in Sweden this March 2010

2.  Shaylyn troupe will take part in the 10th International Folklore Avalanche in the Spree Neisse district in Germany this June 4th to 6th

3.  Shaylyn are currently developing an exciting new transnational arts and culture project with their International Partners!

• New two year cross border project based on Dance funded by the International Fund for Ireland continues to March 2011
• Tourism Ireland bring Shaylyn to perform & lecture at the ‘Best of Britain & Ireland’ event in London from the 27th to the 30th of March 2009
• Tourism Ireland bring Shaylyn to perform in Stockhom, Sweden in June for the Volvo Ocean Race
• Promoters seek Shaylyn for long term performance residencies in Sligo & Donegal as a tourism attraction (Bundoran 2009)
• Shaylyn developing a new production to be launched later this year (in development)
• Shaylyn identified by Failte Ireland as a major promoter of Irish Dance & Music in the region and invite to participate in new Traditional Music Initiative (very successful data will be published here soon)
• Classes at the centre continue in Photography, Jewellery Making (adults class & kids class), Drama, Dance, Music, Pilates and Yoga. (classes will continue in 2010 subject to interest and booking)

2009

These days it can seem that all we hear is bad news but the Shaylyn Traditional Performing Arts Centre and Show in Ballinamore are on the cusp of major development with far reaching benefits to members and for this region.
This month alone sees the start of an exciting two year project funded by the International Fund for Ireland, then from the 27th to the 30th of March the performance wing of Shaylyn will be living it up in London as they represent the best of Ireland at ‘The Best of Britain and Ireland’ event in the stunning Excel centre in London’s Docklands.
In June the troupe will perform in Stockholm, Sweden, the Venice of the North, for the second last stop of the Volvo Ocean Race.
The performance wing of Shaylyn are also being sought by promoters in Sligo and Donegal for long term performance residencies as a tourism attraction for the region and are in the early stages of developing a brand new production to be developed within a new transnational programme we are working on!

In the meantime locals can continue to avail of a great variety of classe’s right on their doorstep in everything from Drama, Jewellery making (kids class and adults class) Yoga and Pilates to Irish Dance, Guitar, Fiddle and Photography! The centre are also keen to find an aerobics instructor and a hip hop instructor so if your qualified in either of these please get in touch.
Late last year Shaylyn were identified as a major Traditional Music and Dance promoter in the region by Failte Ireland and are now working with Failte and other identified organizations in their new Traditional Music Initiative with a view to bringing ever more visitors to the region.
Jane Gilheaney, founder and director of Shaylyn and of Jane Gilheaney Public Relations says, ‘as we approach the tenth anniversary of the founding of Shaylyn its fantastic to see all that has been achieved and continues to be achieved by the mostly voluntary efforts of a dedicated group of people. Shaylyn will continue to fight the cause of Irish Dance and Music, for its continued development, for more support, recognition and a greater sense of value for our most unique natural resource. A resource that can and should be used for community, economic and social development of this region.’
Keep an eye on your local press for more information on the new International Fund For Ireland Project at the Shaylyn Centre or contact us for more information.
The Shaylyn Traditional Performing Arts Centre, High St, Ballinamore, Co Leitrim. Tel: 071 9681101, Email: info@shaylyn.net Website www.shaylyn.net

ENDS

1. New Project funded by The International Fund For Ireland about to start!
2. Classes ongoing at the centre
3. Outreach Programme with the University of Limerick
4. The Show

We are delighted to announce that the new International Fund for Ireland Project is set to start in the next few weeks!

The project will deliver a series of cross border/community dance events such as workshops and social evenings in Irish and Scottish dance across the border counties region.

The project is committed to increasing the numbers of adults and teens dancing both Irish and Scottish dance and to creating opportunities of access for people to our dance traditions.

As you know dance is not experienced as a life long experience for people in this country and we at Shaylyn are working to change that!

The project also aims to build peace and reconciliation and greater cross community cooperation through a shared love of dance and music.

As part of this project we will be looking for people from the different communities north and south to participate on an ongoing basis. These people will attend as many of the dance events as they can and will keep a diary of their experience of the project.

The idea of this is to have a living record of our traditional dance and music, how we view it, our experience of it, its role in our lives and histories, its value for building communities and for peace & reconciliation etc

For more information on this exciting new project contact us at the centre by email info@shaylyn.net

2. Classes Ongoing at the Centre

Classes for children and adults continue at the centre through 2009. All the great teachers are back again this year.

Classes include Drama and Fiddle for children. Sean Nos Dance, Irish Step Dance, Digital Photography, Pilates and Yoga for adults.

Coming soon Pilates for Pregnancy, Drawing for adults, Jewellery making for adults (to be confirmed) and Hip Hop dance for children. We would also like to offer aerobics and creative writing so if anyone out there has the experience and qualifications in these we would love to hear from you!

We are happy to offer any class if there is an interest. If you would like to see a class or workshop at the centre or would like to offer a class/workshop why not contact us with details.

3. Outreach Programme with the University of Limerick

We know that a lot of people are waiting to hear about this. We are hopeful the programme will run from this September 2009. As soon as we have details we will post them here. In the meantime please do register your interest with us by calling or emailing 071 9681101 info@shaylyn.net and leave your name and number.

4. Shaylyn recently performed as part of the World Rally in Boyle. Rehearsals continue on Sundays. A full list of performance dates will be posted soon !

Press Release

The Shaylyn Centre continues to add to Ballinamores cultural landscape with the launch of their new Autumn/Winter Programme of interesting and diverse classes for adults and increasingly for children with a range of tutors who are at the very top of their respective fields. This year the classes really have something for everyone ensuring plenty of different things to do with your autumn/winter evenings including Pilates, Yoga, Drama, Digital Photography, Creative Writing, Sean Nos Dance, Irish Dance & Music
Starting on Monday next the 15th of September Catherine Simon will deliver drama classes for 4 to 7 year olds at 3.15pm and for 8 to 13 year olds at 4.05 pm sharp. Catherine, a native of Boyle trained in Drama Facilitation with Artstrain @ NAYD, Liverpool of Russian Federation, Moscow. She has worked extensively throughout Ireland and is Artistic Director of Roscommon Youth Theatre and a Board Member with the National Association of Youth Drama.
Starting Tuesday the 16th of September at 4pm Devon McGillivray, Assistant Conductor of RTÉ’s childrens choir Cór na nÓg will be delivering a six week introductory course in Fiddle for children at the Shaylyn Centre. More than ten years
experience teaching and performing fiddle in Ireland and the US Devon will focus instrument proficiency stressing proper posture and tone and also repertoire of tunes as the class progress. She teaches a mix of traditional Irish and conventional violin repertoire. Students will also learn to read notation. The course will be open to beginners aged 7 to any age and limited instruments are available for use on a first come, first served basis. Each session will last one hour. This is a fantastic opportunity for children in the area.
Pilates exercises develop a strong “core,” or center of the body which includes the abdominal area. It builds strength without excess bulk. It teaches body awareness and improves flexibility, agility and economy of motion.
Hatha Yoga is known as the branch of Yoga that unites pairs of opposites referring to the positive (sun) and negative (moon) currents in the system. Hatha Yoga tries to achieve balance between body and mind, as well as attempts to free the more subtle spiritual elements of the mind through physical poses, breathing techniques and meditation. Yoga It is a good place to learn basic poses, relaxation techniques, and become comfortable with yoga.
David is a qualified ITEC Fitness Instructor (Reebok Spin, Aerobics and Gym Instruction) through Litton Lane in Dublin. He is a qualified Powerhouse Pilates Mat Level I and II instructor and has studied at Centre Studios in Dublin. He is also a qualified Yoga teacher, having completed his training through The Elbowroom in Dublin. He is registered with The Complementary Therapists Association (CTHA) in the UK. David will be delivering a series of classes in Pilates and Yoga at the Shaylyn Centre starting Thursday the 25th of September with Pilates at 6 or 7 and Yoga at 8. Early booking is essential as places are limited.
Ronan Regan is a musician and dancer from Galway. A well known and respected Sean Nos dancer and teacher he has performed and taught extensively throughout Ireland and the world. Ronan has received widespread acclaim and awards as choreographer for his short film ‘Why the Irish Dance that Way’ showcased at film festivals around the world. Ronan will deliver Sean Nos classes for children starting Wednesday October 1st at 7pm and for adults at 8pm.
Tracey O’Neill is a name that needs no introduction. The long established teacher from the An Coimisiun tradition has a long tradition of dancers that are Ireland, Connaught and World Champion title holders. Tracey and her dancers will be the first school of Irish Dancing to avail of the custom designed dance studios at the Shaylyn Centre that include floor to ceiling mirrors, sprung floor and professional Harlequin floor covering as used by Riverdance and the Bolshoi Ballet. The flooring in particular is ideal for dancers who are so prone to injury. Tracey will be accepting beginners at 6pm on Tuesday the 16th of September and more advanced dancers at 7pm on the same day. The Centre intend that a number of schools in the region will over time avail of the facility.
Finally Digital Photography and Creative Writing will be offered in the coming weeks so anyone interested in these should also now get in touch to register their interest. In the new year Irish Step Dance for adults will return along with another series of classes. For up to the minute information visit the website on www.shaylyn.net To book for any of the above classes email info@shaylyn.net or call 071 9681101 and leave just your name and phone number.
ENDS

We are currently putting together our schedule for classes in the Shaylyn Centre to run through the Autumn & Winter so stay tuned to see the courses that will be on offer. However if there is something in particular that you would like to learn then get in contact with us now and we will try to provide it. All classes will run subject to interest so the sooner you contact us the more likely it is that the class you are interested in will run.

The list is not confirmed yet but here are some examples of the classes that will be running - Guitar, Fiddle, Tin Whistle/Flute, Bodhran, Sean Nos Dancing, Irish Dancing (step), Yoga, photography & more.

You can contact us by emailing us on info@shaylyn.net or by leaving a comment on this post.

Shaylyn are to benefit from major funding for a new cross border project based on traditional dance development from the International Fund for Ireland. The formal announcement was made on the 4th of July 2008. The successful application made by the group will promote Irish and Scottish dance on a cross border basis through an intensive programme of dance workshops and social dance events. In addition the project will recruit people from different communities to keep a written record of their experience of the project that will go towards the development of a written archive of value not only for peace and reconciliation and in particular dance and music as a means for peace & reconciliation but also of significant cultural importance, as a record of peoples experience of Irish and Scottish Dance in their local communities. The project allows Shaylyn to continue their work of strengthening our local communities through dance and music and of promoting access to and practice of our traditional dances for people of all ages. Anyone interested in learning more about this project should contact the centre directly for information.