Hip-hop event in Limerick city to provide a ‘safe space’ for artists

AFTER almost seven years of a hiatus a street dance, graffiti and DJ event is to return to one popular Limerick venue.

A community-based dance event entitled Boombox Gathering returns to Limerick on Saturday, September 14, at the old Tourist Office on Arthur’s Quay from 3pm to 6pm. 

Hip-hop dancer and curator of the one-off event, Limerick-based Tobi Omoteso, invites the people of Limerick to an afternoon of “safe” street dance,  graffiti and live DJs.

Boombox Gathering marks the first of four all-Ireland events, commissioned by national dance company Luail, as part of the To This I Belong project.

This gathering will mark seven years since the last event took place in Limerick city. It will be a celebration of dance, and in particular, the hip-hop and street dance community in Limerick.

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The old Tourist Office was last in use as  Chez le Fab, a cafe  and creative hub for emerging artists.  Chez le Fab became a regular venue for Boombox and its community of volunteers, until its closure in 2018. 

Artist and curator of the upcoming event, Tobi Omoteso, said: “There was an underbelly of hip-hop culture back then [in 2018], and it wasn’t out in the open. 

“It was the way that we felt we belonged. It enabled our community to grow, this was a safe space… I wasn’t allowed and didn’t feel welcome in many spaces before Boombox, but here, people didn’t even blink an eye.”

The Boombox Gathering is part of a nationwide commission called ‘To This I Belong’ – a project that will create dance works that celebrate home landscape and community, across the four provinces of Ireland. 

The four artists, Tobi Omoteso, Lucia Kickham, Edwina Guckian and Dylan Quinn have been commissioned by Luail to create four new works. 

With mentoring from multi-award winning choreographer Rosemary Lee, the artists have been supported to create works that connect back into their respective communities.