Bopping the day away at Waterside Together’s ‘Dance Picnic’ in Currynierin

The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Ruairi McHugh was a guest at Sunday afternoon’s Waterside Together Festival’s ‘Dance Picnic’ with choreographers and dancers from Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company leading the way in dancing to the beat!

Both young and old joined in the fun; it didn’t matter if you were a seasoned performer or just there to join in the craic and learning some new moves in the process – everyone had a lovely relaxing afternoon. 

Tansy Cowley, Project Coordinator for Waterside Together, described Sunday’s activities as fun for everyone and praised the staff from Echo Echo for creating such an informal and energetic vibe.

"Sunday was about coming along and taking part in a relaxed and playful opportunity to dance together, enjoy movement games, as well as connecting with others in a welcoming outdoor space. Currynierin is right on the edge of the Waterside and it’s set against a stunning backdrop of green trees so it makes it the perfect backdrop for our shared green spaces festival.

"The children really enjoyed taking part in the various dance movements and activities – and as the saying goes – no one is too young or too old to dance!"

IN PICTURES: Waterside Together’s ‘Dance Picnic’ in Currynierin

There was also a selection of delicious sweet and savoury bakes served up on the day, courtesy of Oui Bakery, as well as participants bringing along their own culinary delights.

The event was organised by the Waterside Neighbourhood Partnership’s ‘Waterside Together’ project, which is supported by PEACEPLUS (a programme managed by the Special EU programmes Body – SEUPB) and funded under the theme of Community Regeneration and Transformation, and it is also funded through Derry City and Strabane District Council’s PEACEPLUS Local Co-Designed Action Plan.

‘Waterside Together’ is a shared spaces event and festival project aiming to reanimate spaces that are perceived as belong to the ‘other community,’ transforming them into areas that are open, welcoming and safe for all the Waterside community.

Speaking at Sunday’s event, the Mayor, Ruairi McHugh praised the organisers of not only Sunday’s event but the week-long schedule that had something to suit all tastes.

"Thank you to everyone at the Waterside Neighbourhood Partnership for hosting me at their Dance Picnic in Currynierin at the weekend.

"It was brilliant to see so many young people expressing themselves through dance and movement under the watchful eye of the staff from Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company.

"The Waterside Together Festival has planned a packed programme for all of this week and I’d like to wish Tansy and everyone involved a successful event and encourage the public to get involved."

The Waterside Together Festival has been running all this week, finishing on Friday. For full details of the programme, via Instagram @watersidetogether. For any questions, please email watersidetogether@gmail.com, or phone 028 71 34 2959.