Watch the solo version by Natasha or the original version with all the choreographers! The moves were chosen at random from entries of site leaders / choreographers during 2020.
GWD 2021 Splashmob – composite
GWD 2021 Splashmob – Natasha
Download music here. The music was composed by Shari Lauter, an excerpt of “Let’s clean it up” music for GWD Cincinnati in 2013.
Join the wave! Let’s make a Splash!
For more information about how to go live, click here: Facebook | Instagram
With restrictions easing and outdoor classes possible only since 10th May 2021, we seized the moment last weekend to hold our first ‘Dancing for Water’ outdoor workshops. The threat of thunderstorms and rain, did not deter anyone. The sun came out and you came to dance – distanced – by the seaside! It was good to see you! What a great time!
Thank you to all who came out – some cycling so, so far! Thank you also to all who joined online us on zoom to Dance for Water! and help me make a little film!
If you’d like to dance in Aid of Water – one first or last time, join me on 12th June at 3pm outdoors!
Booking is a must, due to the pandemic, spaces are limited and health and safety is paramount. Book here.
If this is not collected from you, please mail it to __Roisin O’Gorman, Theatre Department, Muskerry Villas, Western Road, UCC, Cork______________________, ____________________.
In June 2019 people from all over the world meet “at the water”, i.e. at rivers, lakes, springs or on the coasts of the world to dance. We are with the movement choir in Cork as a part of this global movement. Rudolf Laban developed the idea of the movement choir about 100 years ago and thus created the tools, so that with direction a dance work can be made using the existing abilities of the group.
History of the origins of the Global Water Dances
Global Water Dances (GWD) is a global, integrative and cross-generational performance project that has been implemented every two years since 2011. Since its conception, global participation has grown steadily: 57 locations in 2011, 108 by 2017 and over 170 locations this year.
Following the environmental catastrophe caused by Hurricane Katrina, Marylee Hardenbergh (Minnesota, USA) choreographed dance performances with “One River Mississippi” (2006), which took place simultaneously at seven locations along that river. In 2008, a steering committee developed the concept of Global Water Dances at a Laban conference on dance and the environment at Schumacher College (UK) under the artistic direction of Hardenbergh, which initiated the first Global Water Dances in 2011. In 2016 Vannia Ibarguen took over the artistic direction.
The artistic development of the GWD performance takes place site-specifically: The”Local Part” are choreographed by the site’s choreographers and participants. Another part of each performance, contains an easily comprehensible dance score – the “Global Part”. This is danced at all locations worldwide and thus it literally moves around the globe.
For clean drinking water everywhere: GWD is an artistic initiative with the vision to draw attention to the manifold problems around “water”. The special focus is the elixir of life, drinking water. GWD is a wonderful opportunity to remind us of the power of water that moves through our lives in so many different ways.
Every day every person in Europe consumes approx. 125 litres of tap water with drinking water quality. In fact, our consumption is much higher if we include the water for the production of our consumer goods such as clothing and food. This “virtual water” makes up about 4000 liters per person and day in Europe (John A. Allan). In Europe there is usuallyno water shortage and the supply of drinking water is ensured by large plants, as long as we have enough energy to run them. The situation worldwide is quite different.
By 2025, half of the world’s population will be confronted with serious water problems. “Where vital goods become scarce, disputes over these goods begin. […] The problem concerns above all the slums of the big cities and the people living in the economically backward region of the Third World under bad social, economic and hygienic conditions…” (The Great Book of Water, Hans Otzen, Translated from German, p. 344).
Today one person dies every 15 seconds due to contaminated drinking water. In total, more people are killed every year than by all forms of violence, including wars. On 28 July 2010, the United Nations made clean drinking water a human right. The goal of halving the proportion of people without clean drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015 was missed. Instead, many countries are behaving in the opposite way, privatizing water, lowering water standards, and packaging and selling drinking water at high prices.
“Water is not a commercial product like any other but, rather, a heritage which must be protected, defended and treated as such.”(see EU Water Framework Directive of December 2000)
Global Water Dances, Cork, 2017 (image: Inma Pavon)
“Respecting it (the water) as something sacred that we all need and therefore no one should possess it, this could be a last chance to avert the planet’s water collapse. Water consumption in the 20th century increased about twice as much as the world’s population. […]
Instead of calculating it (the water) like a money account, instead of holding it, gathering it, storing it, canalizing it, stowing it, filling it up and making it durable, haggling and speculating with it – we should rather understand it. The water crisis of our thirsty planet is the result of our inability to deal with the living (entity).
But there are other ways, and there are many examples. Bernd Müller, water engineer from Friedensdorf Tamera in Portugal, says: «Water, energy and food are available free of charge to the whole of humanity if we follow the logic of nature and no longer the laws of capital».”
(Water: commodity or being? by Leila Dregger in the magazine Zeitpunkt Nr. 155, translated from German)
The reliable supply of clean drinking water is one of the great global challenges of our time. “This year, Global Water Dances (GWD) is in line with the United Nations’ motto “Water for All” and the 6th Sustainable Development Goal, which aims to ensure the availability and sustainable use of water for all by 2030,” says Vannia Ibarguen. “In order not to leave anyone behind, we must focus our efforts on involving people who have been marginalized or ignored.”
Everyone can contribute to the respectful use of water!
Dance is a powerful channel that connects people and makes the invisible visible. We hope that we have succeeded with this performance and look forward to a lively exchange.
Facts & Figures
1 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water services (WHO/UNICEF 2017)
5 billion people lack safely managed sanitation services. (WHO/UNICEF 2017)
340,000 children under five die every year from diarrhea related diseases. (WHO/UNICEF 2015)
Water scarcity already affects four out of every 10 people. (WHO)
90 % of all natural disasters are water-related. (UNISDR)
80 % of wastewater flows back into the ecosystem without being treated or reused (UNESCO, 2017).
Around two-thirds of the world’s transboundary rivers do not have a cooperative management framework. (SIWI, 2015)
Agriculture accounts for 70 % of global water withdrawal. (FAO)
Roughly 75 % of all industrial water withdrawals are used for energy production. (UNESCO, 2014)
Films about water issues:
Tomorrow – All Over the Globe, Solutions Already Exist by Cyril Dion and MélanieLaurent
The Miracle Water Villageby Rintu Thomas & Sushmit Ghosh
Up to the Last Drop: The Secret Water War in Europe byYorgos Avgeropoulos
So much trash in the ocean! We can do better. Science Natur Page
Virtuelles Wasser – die versteckte Wasserverschwendungby Anja Henschel and Monika Eder
Global Water Dances Cork EVENTS : OVERVIEW
10:30am ‘Magical Riverscape’ family art workshop ( downstairs in Riverroom in Glucksman)
12:00pm Global Water Dances performance outside the Glucksman (see details below)
1pm Community picnic (bring food to share) (outside weather permitting)
1.15pm Launch of Oxford University Press Community Development Journal‘s special issue on “Water, Anti-Privatisation Struggles & the Commons”. Volume 54, Issue 1, January 2019
Speakers for launch include :
Introductions: Órla O’Donovan, UCC, editor of Community Development Journal.
STEAM project team from James Madison University, USA (Zachary Dorsey, Seán McCarthy, Patrice Ludwig)
Visual Artist, Aoife Desmond
Special Edition editor, Mark Garavan.
Global Water Dance – The flow… Cork 2019
Local Part: Journey through the grounds outside the Glucksman along by the River Lee…
Prologue: Opening – Seal Woman with JMU students and Garry Jones (2mins) (and the River begins…)
UCC Youth Theatre (Re-cycling/sorting) (On big steps stairs – about ½ way down.) (4-5mins)
Scoil Bernadette with Lisa Cliffe – Fun with water (3mins)
Duet Riverdream with fragments of Seal woman story (3mins)
Starling DanceTheatre – There (here and there) (5mins)
Lightbulb Youth Theatre – Fake News (4-5mins)
Aoife Desmond – River Action 2 (8-10mins)
James Madison University Students (4mins)
Maria Sinnecker’s Starling Dance Group – “Water divides” (5mins)
Scoil Bernadette – Parachute & Garry Jones with help from all (open)
Global Water Dances – all groups Finale (if you’ve not been blowing bubbles – do so now….!) Dance along with 170 sites around the planet… (9mins)
Nicolás Soto Urrea– Composer of the Global Part (www.nicolassoto.com)
Followed by picnic together and Journal launch….
Note: This event is video and photographed in order to share the work globally. We ask your assistance is circulating this work along with the global movement. If you do not want to be in the documentation, please alert the videographer/photographer or email: GlobalWaterDancesCork@gmail.com
Health & Safety: Also note, this is an outdoor public event. Please be mindful of the terrain, of others walking with you and for trip or other hazards. You are responsible for your safety.
A day of arts-based family-friendly events including Global Water Dances Cork performances at the Glucksman Art Gallery featuring local and international groups (Starling Dance Theatre, Scoil Bernadette, James Madison University, UCC & Lightbulb Youth Theatres). The event is part of a global day of arts activism across over 160 international sites. Also open talks, journal launch, and workshops.
Come along to our intro maker family art workshops in the Glucksman on Sun 2nd and Sun 9th at 3pm.
We are busy making plans for taking part in Global Water Dances 2019 here in Cork – if you are interested in being part of the event in any way (small or big!) please get in touch as we would love to hear from you.
Congratulations and Thank You to all involved in making the Global Water Dances event in Cork such a heart-warming day of community dance, drama, bubbles, picnics and children playing all raising awareness for access to safe and clean water around the world!!! We were one of 104 groups across all 6 continents, participating in this global event. See https://www.facebook.com/GlobalWaterDances for photos and videos from across the world dancing to make a change, one drop at a time!
June 24th, 2017 is a day to dance for safe and clean water around the world. It is a chance to highlight environmental issues surrounding water locally and globally in a fusion of art and environmental action.
To get involved in Cork, join our GWD Performance Workshop for adults/teens with choreographer Maria Sinnecker!
When: Starts on Tuesday 25th April / runs every Tue for 9 weeks
Where: The Drama Lab, UCC (next to the Granary Theatre).
Time: Warmup from 5:30, main work 6 -7 pm
Price: Free
Come and explore/devise/rehearse together over the course of 9 weeks and perform new choreography on June 24th!
Drawing our awareness to our bodies’ connection with water, we will work with themes of environmental issues of water in Cork to create a unique outdoor performance, that is part of an amazing environmental dance event happening across the globe.
Bring comfortable clothes and a bottle of water!
Booking: to sign up, please email: maria@dancetheatreprojectcork.com or text/call/WhatsApp Maria at 086 8776230.
To get involved in other ways please contact us here!