Festival Artists 2023

The Little Foxes (GREECE)

“Into the Seagull Hug” is a kinesthetic workshop that aims to take us on a journey over the sea and the beach, through the clouds, beside the lighthouse and eventually into the seagull hug! A unique voyage through kinesthetic exercises, sounds, sensory experiences, crafts and collaboration.

Louise Conaghan – Play Make Believe (NI)

Eithne is an avid adventurer with incurable curiosity. She loves to go on wild adventures and this time she wants to bring you along with her!

Pack your imaginary bucket and spade and a picnic, we’re going to the beach. What will we find when we get there? Sand…sea…will we see Gulls? Maybe we will see sea glass? Who knows?

Louise will participate in the EY settings programme in 2023.

Joeri Wens (FLANDERS)

Waaw! Joeri returns to Grasshoppers IEYF 2023 with a beautiful concert for very young children focussing on non-verbal enjoyment of sounds in the environment around them.

Joeri will participate in the EY settings programme in 2023.

Teatrul Din Podul Meu (ROMANIA)

Through the imaginative eyes of a child, paper magically gets a new meaning. It has its own sound when you step on it, it flies, it floats and it can be shaped into something else. It becomes anything you could imagine. Planes, boats, fans, butterflies or seagulls appear from nowhere. A piece of paper can be a funny toy.

Teatrul din Podul Meu are part of the Family Day programme 2023.

Amadán Productions (NI)

Gemma is a Clown and she loves to laugh and to play.  This workshop is all about having fun and finding out what makes us laugh because when we laugh together we feel unified.

Amadán Ensemble is part of the EY settings programme 2023

Akvile Simanskiene (LITHUANIA/IRELAND)

Local to Balbriggan, Akvile has been a visual artist with Grasshoppers since 2019. She is best known for her beautiful mosaic work around the town (the Tree of Life and the Sunrise). Operating regularly at Millfield SC she creates beautiful pieces alongside parents and children in open sessions where the focus is only on exploration of materials. She will create a giant seagull from Cardboard for decoration by and with the children of the festival!

Akvile’s workshop is part of the Family Day programme.

Angelica Santander (IRELAND/CHILE)

Bloom Desert
Creative Drama and storytelling session.
with Angélica Santander

Angelica will stimulate the participants’ imagination through movement and dramatic play. Then they will embark together on an imaginary trip to the other side of the world to hear the story of the Bloom Desert.

Angelica’s workshop performance is part of the EY settings programme 2023.

Kasia Eliasz and Kanela (Ta Tum Tum)

Ta Tum Tum! is a music show designed for families to explore samba music through popular and original music in a creative, integrative and fun way! It also explores body awareness and different rhythms used in Brazilian music. The performance is interactive and allows children and adults to play real instruments from Brazil used in Samba. It explores a subject of diversity, equality and cultural differences.

Ta Tum Tum! Is part of the Family Day programme 2023.

Anne Nightingale and Moira Cardiff (BALBRIGGAN)

This year on our family day programme we have two wonderful local practitioners who will lead workshops with families as the arrive.

Join Anne in the garden of Flemington Centre where she will engage children in a fun and environment-based workshop activity.

Join Moira at Hamilton Hall as she shows families how to crochet a little handle for a pouch for your favourite pocket toy!!! Owned by a friend who knits!

Gardening, crochet and knitting are traditional skills which we are very fortunate to be able to offer to the next generation of children attending Grasshoppers Festival in 2023!

JACKIE MAGUIRE and the 5TH YEAR STUDENTS at BREMORE ETSS BALBRIGGAN (and the Gate Theatre Outreach Programme)

“Steve the Bee with a Disability”

 This gorgeous interactive spoken word, story and music session aimed at junior infants has been devised with the teenage students of TY 2021/2 at Bremore ETSS in Balbriggan. Jackie Maggie is our wonderful expert who lead the group on a discovery of ideas and suggestions for a piece they wanted to perform for a very young audience. Themes of inclusion, diversity and fantasy were developed and the result is “Steve the Bee with a Disability”.

 We are thrilled that this project has been welcomed by the Gate Theatre in Dublin through their outreach office and the students have also had the opportunity to visit the gorgeous Gate Theatre in Dublin and stand on its stage!!!

 The work in progress will be presented to Scoil Chormaic junior infants as part of Grasshoppers 2023 Festival and we hope to continue the exploration of this teen voice for early years into the future.

 Huge thanks to Kathy and Lora at Bremore ETSS, collaborating artists Hazel and Melissa who worked with the students in masterclasses on spoken word and illustration, John Taite at the Gate Theatre  and to our very own Jackie Maguire who has been an inspirational guide on this journey with the fifth year students!

 But most of all – thanks to the fabulous team of students at Bremore who have dedicated their free time, their vision and. Creativity to this project! You have given Grasshoppers such an insight into what teenagers can offer to early years arts!!!