Welcome Myriad Dance to the Wexford Arts Centre Annexe

Bríd Malone and Deirdre Grant of Myriad Dance get settled in at the Annexe Wexford Arts Centre

Wexford Arts Centre welcomes Myriad Dance to the Annexe, Wexford Arts Centre on John Gate Street, Wexford.  What we have here is two arts organisations coming together to form a residency partnership in the face of great adversity. The year-on-year cuts in funding of the arts appears as nothing less than the death of the arts by a thousand cuts. Partnerships such as this are the only way that many arts organisations  can survive. Having said that Wexford Arts Centre and Myriad see this coming together as being much more than a survival move. It makes good sense for a number of reasons not least of these being economies of scale,  sharing of skills and ideas, and creative synergies.

‘We are delighted with the partnership which strengthens Wexford Arts Centre’s position as a cultural hub in Wexford,’ Said Elizabeth Whyte, Executive Director of Wexford Arts Centre.  ‘Contemporary Dance was pioneered at Wexford Arts Centre by Cathy O’Kennedy with Barefoot Dance Company back in 1979 and as Wexford heads towards its 40th Anniversary in 2014, as the oldest regional arts centre in Ireland, it is fitting that Myriad Dance should take up residence with Barefoot Youth Dance Company graduate Deirdre Grant at the helm.  We have always enjoyed hosting Myriad Dance events over the years in particular during Sonraigh Youth Dance Festival and look forward to future opportunities of developing a quality contemporary dance within our multi arts programme with Deirdre Grant and her team ‘

Myriad Dance had been searching for a new home since moving from Wexford Opera House last year.  From Deirdre Grant's point of view the opportunity to partner with Wexford Arts Centre by moving into this space was a natural progression for the company.

Deirdre Grant, Artistic Director  of Myriad Dance  - ' With the move to the Wexford Arts Centre, there is a real warm feeling of coming home. As a teenager growing up in the 1980s, I was so lucky that the Wexford Arts Centre offered contemporary dance and introduced me to contemporary arts, I had just amazing artistic experiences in there. It 's lovely to be  linking in with WAC  again and Myriad Dance very much look forward to premiering  new shows  in contemporary dance and expanding some projects in collaboration with them'

Both look forward to future  opportunities  in developing projects in the area of contemporary dance that benefits  the wexford community and future audiences at Wexford Arts Centre.  For more information on Myriad Dance visit www.myriaddance.com.

---