Disabled and neurodiverse arts festival to be held in Derry

The acclaimed D/deaf, disabled and neurodiverse arts festival is celebrating its ninth anniversary with a packed programme of events in Derry and Belfast.

The festival, which runs from October 1 -3, showcases the best new work by D/deaf, disabled and neurodiverse artists from the UK, Ireland, and Europe.

Bounce, which is run by the University of Atypical and supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Department for Communities and Belfast City Council, has grown into one of the top disability arts festivals in Europe featuring a mix of dance, comedy, music, art exhibitions, poetry readings and physical theatre.

The University of Atypical is a disabled-led arts charity, taking an empowerment-based approach towards supporting D/deaf, disabled, and neurodiverse people’s involvement in the arts, and in reaching disabled and deaf audiences.

However it is also geared towards reaching a wider audience.

Damien Coyle, Chief Executive of University of Atypical, said: “Bounce has become a hugely popular event in Belfast and by expanding into the North West the festival can reach an even wider audience.

“We make Bounce events as accessible as possible to disabled and D/deaf audiences, but Bounce is for everyone. The festival is perfect for people with open minds and an appreciation of diverse and unique creative talent.”

Gilly Campbell, Head of Community Arts and Education, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, added:

“The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is committed to supporting the work and career development of our D/deaf, neurodivergent and disabled artists. The Bounce Arts Festival offers an important platform to shine a spotlight on work from these artists whilst also showcasing work by disabled artists from the UK and Europe.

“Congratulations to the University of Atypical who have curated a terrific programme for Bounce this year which features some of the most talented artists from Northern Ireland including, performance artist, Sinead O’Donnell, dancer, Helen Hall and playwright, Alice McCullough.

“I am also delighted to see Bounce expand to the North West for the first time, offering exciting opportunities for the future of the Festival.”

Performance artist Sinead O’Donnell, dancer Helen Hall and storyteller/stand-up comedian, Alice McCullough will all perform in new work commissioned by the University of Atypical in both Derry and Belfast.

Alice McCullough will perform her Brave New Words show at the Verbal Arts Centre in Derry and The Vault in Belfast.

Alice’s award-winning combination of stand-up comedy, poetry, storytelling, and theatre is an uplifting and thought-provoking adventure.

Having had many ups and downs herself, she speaks candidly about her battles with Bipolar disorder and shares inspiring words to keep us going against the odds.

Sinead O’Donnell will perform her show Trigger - derived from the artist’s experiences working in public environments - at the Nerve Centre in Derry and the Flax Arts Centre in Belfast.

Helen Hall will perform Collecting Moments in which she explores how we experience the moment, our attempts to try and step back into that moment and how the moment might change.

Helen will perform at the Nerve Centre and the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast.

The ground-breaking Drag Syndrome, an internationally acclaimed drag-collective featuring drag queens and kings with Down Syndrome who have featured in British Vogue and RuPaul’s DragCon, will perform at the Black Box in Belfast.

All in-venue events will be subject to enhanced Covid-19 protocols and procedures to keep everyone safe.

For more information on all the live shows, workshops, and online content and to book tickets, go to www.universityofatypical.org/bounce