NEWS
Dance, dance, and let’s dance our way
to the Special Olympics!!!
Galway’s first ‘International Dance Festival’ took place at the end of April and last week a whopping cheque for over €10,000 was presented to Ms Pauline Clavin, Regional Fundraising Advisor, Special Olympics Ireland, Galway Clubs.
Sponsored by the National University of Ireland Galway and the Sisters of La Retraite, the fund-raising event filled the ballroom of the Radisson SAS Hotel in Galway. It was the brainchild of Gloria Avalos of the Department of Medicine at the NUI and friend of Sister Susana Campos.
Sister Susana stressed that it was a dance festival, not a competition and it was a real treat to see migrant and student groups share something of their culture through dance: ‘There was such a fabulous atmosphere’, she said, ‘People who had never danced in public before were delighted to have a go and support such a good cause. They went to such trouble to get the music and costumes and some of Gloria’s family even came from Mexico to perform the tango and some of their traditional dances’.
Apart from Mexico there were dances from France, Peru, Slovakia, Guatemala, Malaysia, India, Argentina, Cuba and Ireland and the evening featured performances of the tango and salsa by local dance studios.
Members of the Galway Gateway Clubs were guests of honour and opened the evening as they took part in a procession behind the Olympic torch.
One of Galway’s top salsa bands, ‘Cuba Libre’, concluded the evening and invited everyone on the floor. Let’s face it, with those rhythms it was impossible to stay on your seat!
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