A wonderful opportunity to dance with live musicians, play for live dancing and learn about sean-nós.
Sean-nós dance is ‘old style’ percussive dance from Ireland. It’s really fun, low to the ground, improvised and in the music. You are supposed to dance like yourself, responding to how the music moves you, a great way to express yourself and say ‘I am here’.
Learn some of the history and customs of this traditional art form, dance steps and improvisational techniques alongside some of the best Irish traditional musicians in Liverpool.
Suitable for all abilities and for adults and young people who can concentrate and follow a class structure. Musicians are also encouraged to attend to deepen their understanding of playing for dancers and the natural lift and dynamism in traditional Irish dance music.
Led by Maria Malone from Movema dance charity and influential fiddle player Mikey Kenney.
This is a chance for 20 people only to join some of Liverpool’s finest Irish musicians and dancers for a fun and lively introduction to Irish set dancing.
Set dancing is céilí’s more challenging cousin! It’s a group social dance, done in sets of eight people, and features Ireland’s trademark fast music and intricate footwork.
Over the six-week course you will learn the basics of the footwork, including some percussive, battering steps, and structure of the dances and get an introduction to the history of music of the dance.
The classes will be relaxed and informal and feature musicians from Liverpool Ceilidh Band and teachers from Liverpool Irish Centre and Movema dance company.
You can come with a partner or on your own. Please wear light, comfortable clothing and preferably some hard soled shoes.
Open to over 16’s.
7-9pm, Tuesday nights:
27th October
3rd November
10th November
17th November
24th November
1st December.
Irish people have made homes all over the world, and Liverpool is no exception. It’s known affectionately as East Dublin, East Belfast, and the 33rd county. This year, Liverpool Irish Festival asks what it means to arrive: to cross a threshold, claim a space, and say simply: I am here.
Rooted in that spirit of arrival, the George Ferguson Irish Dance School and Merseyside’s Melody Makers have collaborated to create a programme that celebrates the many ways we come home. Whether home is somewhere new or somewhere long known, being there carries its own weight of anticipation, expectation and nostalgia. This year invited guests will take to the stage (along with some audience members!). Their presence will serve as their own statement of being.
This engaging two-hour programme brings together over 50 musicians and dancers from across Merseyside. They’ll perform in one of Liverpool’s most magnificent settings: the ever-emerald Sefton Park Palm House. A space that has sheltered and sustained living things for over a century feels like the right place to celebrate a community that has done the same.
Liverpool Irish Festival is proud to present this thematic collaboration as part of an ongoing series of bespoke programmes and a performance that is becoming a firm fixture of the Festival calendar. Grab your tickets whilst you can.
♿: We have created spaces for eight wheelchair spaces. These are linked with companion/carer spaces. To purchase one of these, please pick your wheelchair space (highlighted yellow at the point of booking). We will automatically save the seat next to your reserved space for your companion/carer. You will be charged one concession priced ticket for the two spaces on your selected row.
Get ready for a joyful, next-generation Céilí.
Movema dance company, in league with live-band The Saltcutters, lead an evening of dance and music born from their experiences as multiple-heritage artists, working with Irish traditional forms in Liverpool, made in response to the Festival’s theme, I am here.
In the spirit of the old meanings of ‘céilí’, ‘neighbour’, ‘visit’ or ‘gathering’, Movema and Saltcutters invite you to come together with your neighbours to celebrate our shared humanity through group dances that connect us to others and celebrate our similarities and our differences. Expect dances and tunes from Ireland, England, Scotland and beyond. Guests will also hear the surprising stories of how music and dance travel, adapt, change and upend what we think we know about identity.
No experience is needed. No partner is required. Everyone’s welcome to dance any role. The evening’s calling is gender-free, so instead of ‘ladies and gents’ you might hear terms like ‘larks and robins’ or ‘ones and twos’. Dance whichever part feels right for you. Ideal for ages 16 and above.
Ticket price includes a hearty Irish stew with vegan and gluten-free options and a bar will be operating serving refreshments.
If you have got any access needs or concerns or want to know more before you come, get in touch: info@movema.co.uk
A Festival-staple and must-see; we invite you to pop-by — or indeed, spend the day with us — at the Museum of Liverpool (Pier Head). There, we’ve a veritable array of activity to entertain kids (and adults) of all ages.
The Armagh Rhymers return with their (exclusive to the Festival) Liver Bird story helping to understand how the First Nations people of North America helped the Irish during The Great Hunger. The Bolger-Cunningham Dance School will give it their all in the morning, before the George Ferguson School for Irish Dance produce junior and senior dance sets, whilst Melody Makers will bring their intergenerational group to play in the space. You’ll also be able to collect a Brave Maeve Tír Na nÓg map. The day puts the Irish of Liverpool at the heart of everything; the programme, the Museum and the city.
Plus there’ll be Brave Maeve activities for all the family.
The Family Day is sponsored by Tourism Ireland and held in partnership with National Museums Liverpool. As part of the Family programme, you might also like the Samhain Céilí (Sun 25 Oct).
After premiering at Africa Oye Festival, Movema will be delivering their show Taking Flight in Phythian Park on Saturday 26th September, from 11am to 4pm.
In the Taking Flight performance, Movema dance practitioners dress as four futuristic creatures whose bodies are part aircraft, part bird, part human. Symbolic and mythical birds from different cultures all share their stories of migration, flight and freedom: the Fung Huang (Phoenix) from Chinese culture, the Peacock from India, the Sankofa bird from Ghana and the Liver bird.
In the run up to the day, Movema will deliver family friendly dance session inspired by the show.
In this special sessions, Movema dance practitioners will bring the costumes for the performance and dance with children and families exploring the costumes and their story. You even have a chance to contribute to the story!
Sessions will take place on Thursday 17th and 24th September, 1pm-2pm, in Kensington Library. More sessions to be announced, follow Movema on socials for updates.
Don’t miss out on seeing the full show on Saturday 26th September in Phythian Park!
Performances and workshops are open to families and children of all ages and completely free, thanks to Culture Liverpool’s Creative Neighbourhoods programme: Home – A Celebration of Place.
Get ready for a joyful, next-generation Céilí. Movema dance company, in league with live-band Saltcutters, lead an evening of dance and music born from their experiences as multiple-heritage artists, working with Irish traditional forms in Liverpool, made in response to the Festival’s theme, I am here.
In the spirit of the old meanings of ‘Céilí’, ‘neighbour’, ‘visit’ or ‘gathering’, Movema and Saltcutters invite you to come together with your neighbours to celebrate our shared humanity through group dances that connect us to others and celebrate our similarities and our differences. Expect dances and tunes from Ireland, England, Scotland and beyond. Guests will also hear the surprising stories of how music and dance travel, adapt, change and upend what we think we know about identity.
No experience is needed. No partner is required. Everyone’s welcome to dance any role. The evening’s calling is gender-free, so instead of ‘ladies and gents’ you might hear terms like ‘larks and robins’ or ‘ones and twos’. Dance whichever part feels right for you. Ideal for ages 16 and above.
Ticket price includes a hearty Irish stew with vegan and gluten-free options and a bar will be operating serving refreshments.
Proceeds will go towards supporting Movema’s charitable work with women, children and resettled communities in Liverpool.For more ways to support and donate to Movema’s work with women, children, families & communities visit https://movema.co.uk/support-movema/
If you have any access needs or concerns or want to know more before you come? Get in touch: info@movema.co.uk
Book now!
Saturday, 17 October 2026
- 6.30–11pm
- St Bride’s Church, Percy St, Liverpool L8 7LT
- £20 (includes hearty Irish stew – vegan & GF options)
- No experience or partner needed – everyone welcome, all roles are gender-free.
- Ages 16+ (over 12s welcome to attend with an adult.
- Bar available.
- Proceeds support Movema’s charitable work with women, children and resettled communities in Liverpool.
Social Dance Lab: Shared Roots
Merseyside Social Dance CIC presents Social Dance Lab: Shared Roots — a beginner-friendly night bringing Salsa, Bachata and Kizomba together at Future Yard.
Following the first Social Dance Lab: Latin Roots, Shared Roots expands the idea by bringing Kizomba into the programme and exploring connections and shared influences across social dance traditions shaped in Latin America, Africa and their diasporas.
The evening is designed as a journey through all three dances, with beginner-friendly classes in Salsa, Bachata and Kizomba, short 15-minute practice sessions between each class, followed by an SBK social where everyone can stay, practise, dance and connect. No partner or previous dance experience is needed.
Social Dance Lab is about connection, discovery and participation — creating a welcoming space where newcomers can learn together, meet people and gradually become part of a regular social dance community in Merseyside.
19:00 – Beginner Salsa with Noemi
19:45 – Practice
20:00 – Beginner Bachata with Tee
20:45 – Practice
21:00 – Beginner Kizomba with Jonathan
21:45 – Practice
22:00 – SBK Social
“It was emotional, warm, honest and incredibly beautiful. In a world that is full of things that we don’t know what’s real anymore, this was like pure gold.”~Audience Member
NIDA is an invitation to step away from the stresses and challenges of everyday life and to be welcomed into a world where beautiful and uplifting Kathak dance and soulful Indian music meet by the intimacy of candlelight. This brand-new work is a guiding hand for those who have lost their way, illuminating the path and awakening inspiration.
Feel worries and uncertainties melt away as you are drawn to the intricate rhythms and melodies woven by dancer and musician as they perform. Featuring live music from the rare and hypnotic Santoor, this feel-good show is a treat for the senses and beautifully demonstrates the connection between music and dance.
Be taken on an emotional journey through wordless storytelling, beatboxing, mime and percussive dance with upbeat audience interaction. Join our world-class artists for a nourishing, affirming and enriching experience that will stay with you.
Artists
- Sonia Sabri MBE – Artistic Director, Choreographer and Kathak Dance Artist.
- Sarvar Sabri – Musical Director, Composer and Tabla Maestro.
- Gulfam Sabri – Vocals, Santoor and Harmonium.
- Pulkit Sharma – Duff and Chendra drums
Following the sell-out success of Traces Through Time, Fallen Angels Dance Theatre returns with a deeply moving and transformative new evening of dance, Holding Light.
At the heart of Fallen Angels is a powerful mission, creating extraordinary dance theatre performed by artists with lived experience of addiction and mental health recovery. Their work brings raw, authentic lived experience to the stage, breaking down stigma and celebrating personal resilience through striking physical storytelling.
Crafted over six months of collaboration between the dancers and creative team, Holding Light explores light as both a dynamic partner on stage and a metaphor for recovery, hope, and personal awakening. The evening weaves together three distinct creative perspectives. Acclaimed choreographer Russell Maliphant brings his signature mastery of light and movement, making illumination an active collaborator with the dancers. International dance artist Alice Godfrey offers a rich, emotive exploration of body, space, and personal transformation, while sound artist Feri Gyemant frames every movement with an immersive and emotionally charged soundscape.
“If we can tell those complex, challenging stories, then hopefully the public can understand more about recovery”
Claire Morris, Creative & Strategic Director
Authentic, moving, and uplifting, Holding Light invites audiences to witness stories that are often unseen, offering a deeply memorable evening of dance, hope and healing.
