Midlands region art, music and dance enthusiasts will be excited by the return of Shakefest, the highly-anticipated cultural festival, to Charleville Castle, Tullamore, on May 27 and 28.
Shakefest has been a staple of creativity and culture in the Midlands for 18 years. From its origins in 2006 as a small workshop and performance day for cultural dancers, Shakefest has grown into a vibrant family oriented weekend programme!. With an exciting line-up of workshops, performers, and artists in focus, the festival promises to be an unforgettable experience for attendees.
The cultural craic begins on Friday, May 27, with a fun and dynamic drum circle experience with David Day of Jabba Jabba Jembe in the castle forecourt for all ages, then to follow with an evening Hafla featuring Bubble Lock Hip Hop with Rama and students, showcasing the moves that will be taught in Bubblelock's workshops the next day, Sunday, May 28th, in the Charleville Castle Ballroom. The workshop will be divided into two sections: Kids Hip Hop, 6-12yrs, and adults and teens, 13+yrs.
Along with Bubble Lock Hip Hop, Shakefest 2023 offers a diverse range of workshops that includes abstract paint pouring for kids aged 6-12 years in the Castle Courtyard on Sunday, May 28. This dynamic and free-flowing abstract painting art form allows creators to experiment with the effect of everyday objects through the paint.
The legendary Shakefest Hafla will once again be a night to remember, with performances from some of the most talented artists from across the world. Dr. Subhashini Goda, the guest cultural dance performer, will perform four dances in Indian Classical and Bharatanatyam. The festival will also feature Finn Nichol, a talented artist originally from Birr, Co. Offaly, who will showcase his most recent works previously featured in Soundscapes of Nature at the Birr Music Festival 2022. Finn Nichol is also the winner of the RDS Taylor award in late 2021. The Red Embers Bellydance Troupe, long-term organizers, performers, and supporters of Shakefest, will perform four cultural dance songs – Tribal, South American, and Cabaret style.
The recital will also showcase youth dance sensation Ishani Acharya, who can perform in multiple dance genres, including Bollywood, Indian Classical, Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Ballet, Hip Hop, and Krump. Rose from the Celtic Blondes will also perform Irish dance and music. Rahan Comhaltas, who host Culture Night each year at the Castle, will be in their usual charismatic form with Irish dance, song, craic, and storytelling.
Featured artist, Caroline Conway, renowned for her stunning projected imagery, will create an illuminating animation projection show on the front of Charleville Castle as a magnificent visual crescendo to the night’s festivities. She will be focusing on the history, community and ethos of Charleville Castle Heritage Trust - it is exciting to anticipate how she will interpret Charleville Castle, built from 1801-1814 - its life, times, and journey from the past to the present and its community aspirations for the future. The outdoor Castle Illumination show will begin at 10:30pm and is part of the whole evening programme which starts at 7.30pm.
The Saturday Evening Recital is only €10 per adult and €20 per family (two adults and up to three children ). Prices start from only €7.50 for workshops - for more information on tickets and to book, please visit www.shakefest.net or email [email protected].
