Project School Residency Programme 2024

The Schools Residency Programme offers students in Deis schools the opportunity to work with professional artists, both on and offsite, embedding artistic practice in community settings across the inner city. 

The aim of this programme is to build an appreciation for contemporary arts process and practice, to highlight programmed events and performances, and to facilitate young people engaging with the arts for the first time.  

Students are invited to at least one performance per year and are also invited to artists’ talks and gallery tours throughout the year.  

St Pauls (Brunner) in collaboration with Oluwatobiloba Balogun.

With a specific focus on dance and rap in 2024 we were delighted to have artists Oluwatobiloba Balogun (Tobi)  and Jafaris engage with St Paul’s (Brunner) Secondary School.

Tobi Balogun is a Multidisciplinary Artist, working across Dance, Theatre, Voice and Design. His work focuses on cultural sustainability and the exploration of Black masculinity. In 2020 he received a Create Bursary to develop phase one of BLACK CANVAS – an R&D project examining the experiences of Black-Irish creatives and communities. Work emerging from this included curatorial residencies in Dance Ireland (MoveMEANT 2022/23), LIBERTY VIBES – an event supported by DCC Local Live Performance, and NATIVES as part of Culture Night (2022). His work is funded by the Arts Council and has been supported through residencies at Dance Ireland (2020-2024),  Photo Ireland (2023), Project Arts Centre (2023) and Centre Culturel Irlandais (Paris 2024).

In 2023 he worked with Theatre Company Brokentalkers, as a performer in ‘Manifest’ (Project Arts Centre) and performed in John Scott’s ‘Dancer from the Dance Festival’ 2022/23. In 2022 he choreographed and performed JUXTA for Project Arts Centre’s Open Day.  As a choreographer and movement director he worked with Theatre Maker Louise White, Poet Felispeaks and with music artists Jafaris, Burna Boy and Ed Sheeran among others.

With a background in Street Dance he has won International competitions and has developed youth projects in association with artists Cathy Coughlan, Maria Nilsson Waller and with organisations such as South Dublin County Council, Tallaght Community Arts, Dublin City Council, CoisCeim Dance Theatre Broadreach, Project Arts Centre and Dance Ireland.

Over the last 5 years Tobi has established himself as a new voice in Irish clothing, creating bespoke pieces for specific events and commercial video work, as well as made to order designs for his own clothing line and ongoing project – WAHALA.

Special guest: Jafaris

We had a very special guest as part of our Project Schools Residency Programme – Huge thanks to Jafaris, who came in for two days to facilitate the students who are writing their own work, as part of a project called ‘My Dublin’. 

It was A LOT of fun! 

Jafaris is a Dublin based multidisciplinary artist. In 2019 he received critical praise for his debut album STRIDE – nominated for RTÉ Choice Music Award’s Album of the Year. Musically he has collaborated with Joy Crookes, Saint Sister, Denise Chaila & more recently Sweetlemondae. 

Before he emerged as a musician, dance was his artistic focus. It was through a dance audition that he landed the role of Ngig in the 2016 Irish film ‘Sing Street’ by Oscar-winning filmmaker John Carney. He was also cast in the screen adaptation of ‘Conversations with Friends’ by Sally Rooney in 2022. 

He has played every major music festival including the main stage at Longitude, & Electric Picnic with the RTÉ Orchestra. He has also performed on the Late Late Show, Other Voices & Later with Jools Holland. 

In January 2024 he was announced as AIR at Dublin Fringe Festival, where his primary interest is around bringing his community together & in creating space for play, experimentation and artistic growth.

Cabra Community College in collaboration with Alessandra Azeviche

Alessandra Azevicheworked with Cabra Community College over 4 weeks to deliver a broad introduction to her work as an Afro Brazilian dancer, musician and Capoeira facilitator. She worked across different age groups and classes with over 80 students, offering a variety of approaches to movement, music and artistic practice. 

Alessandra Azeviche

Alessandra Azeviche is a leading Afro-Brazilian dancer, performing at major Irish festivals with her group Criola Dance.  She is also the first woman to teach Capoeira in Ireland.

Since moving to Ireland in 2015 she has worked with contemporary choreographers John Scott and more, as well as Dublin City Council, Axis Ballymun, Carlow Arts Festival, Dublin Fringe Festival and the Brazilian Embassy. She is a board member of Dublin Dance Festival and associate artist with THISISPOPBABY.

Leading Quilombo Terra (the first Afro-Brazilian Arts performance group in Ireland) and Natural Rhythm, she has performed at major festivals sharing rhythms and dances that developed from her roots,  echoing the resilience and beauty of indigenous communities.