The few weeks before and after Christmas are always a little quiet on both the gig and workshop scenes, for obvious reasons.
It also coincides with an annual cash-flow problem, waiting for our main funding to be released, and this always leads to a couple of anxious weeks of looking at the bank balance and hoping that both the funding, and some work, will come in.
Thankfully, in the last week, we did receive the funding, and we are getting steadily busier with performances and workshops – the hibernation is over!
On Saturday, we played for the ‘Operation Transformation 5K Run’ in the Phoenix Park. The weather was dry, but very cold and windy, and it became a battle of us against the elements, which we, of course, won!
This week, we will be workshopping with young people in Finglas, Donore Avenue and Marino, with teachers and children in Balbriggan, and Sarah will pay a welcome visit to DIT Sambasoc – a group we helped to set up last year.
Simeon will be working a full day in University of Limerick on Monday, with Community Music MA students and other dance and music specialists. Some of these people will be the drumming facilitators of the future, and it’s great to have this opportunity to work with them.
On top of that, we will have four ‘internal’ workshops and rehearsals with children, young people and adults, and some prep for a couple of gigs next week.
It is starting to get busy, but we’re not complaining!