‘Princesses can be Pirates’ with choreographer Monica Munoz is one of the successful projects in this year’s Docklands Arts Fund Small Grants Scheme (2017).

Monica Munoz is a choreographer and performer, who creates innovative and inclusive movement based performances that are intrinsically humanistic. Her work commits to examine ideas and issues that incite and excite audiences in a dialogue about social change and other topics.

For this specific project, her aim is to increase access to dance performances among sectors of the population who might not have the opportunity to do so.

‘Princesses can be Pirates’ will be a new dance piece for children aged between 6 and 10 years of age, and will presented for primary school children from the Docklands area.  The piece will explore gender and identity in childhood and seeks to playfully question and challenge what is often considered “typical” or “normal” behaviour for girls and for boys. The project will be created in collaboration with Dance Ireland, and will be performed in early 2018.

Read Monica Munoz’s statement about the Docklands Arts Fund:

“The Docklands Art Fund is a great opportunity to expand my personal choreographic practice into a new and challenging direction and to develop a track record in the production and diffusion of dance for young audiences. There are a number of reasons to develop such a project, earlier this year I created and performed a solo Sink or Swim, exploring issues of gender role stereotypes. This process raised complex questions concerning male/female roles and how these relate to a child’s development, and the need for continued dialogue amongst the arts and education sector in support of greater gender diversity. Lastly, on a personal note as a mother, I have experienced first-hand many of the challenges that arise in enabling children to develop a truly positive sense of self through free exploration and expression, regardless of, or because of their particular gender.”