Mother & Baby Movement Group

Over 8 weeks, mothers, and their babies (up to 1 year) are invited into Rua Red’s Dance Studio to explore movement as a creative practice shaped by the realities of early motherhood.

Guided by artist Gráinne O’Carroll, whose work spans visual art and physical theatre, the sessions aim to combine structured exercises with improvisation, inviting participants to move with their babies, respond to music, and experiment with rhythm, interruption, and repetition. Rocking, bouncing, swaying, and even feeding become part of the material we work with, rather than distractions.

Gráinne will be facilitating and participating with her own 7-month-old, creating a space that is not quite a class, not quite a mother-and-baby group, but something in-between: a shared exploration of movement, expression, and exchange. Sometimes there will be interruptions, and that’s okay!

What to Expect:

• Gently working on strength and stretching for postpartum bodies

• Warming up in ways that adapt the meditative ways of soothing and repetition

• Fun, play, and improvisation

• Sharing! Participants are welcome to bring suggestions, tell stories, bring poems, props, etc.

Important:

• You don’t need to have any drama, dance or movement experience

• Please bring a sling/carrier for your baby (if you don’t have one Gráinne will bring two spares, and anyone with an extra one is encouraged to bring it along to share)

• Wear comfortable clothes, and be comfortable barefoot/in socks.

And, after each session, we’ll hang out for a cuppa and chat at Rua Red’s café!

About Gráinne O’Carroll: Gráinne O’Carroll is a Dublin-based artist working across visual art and physical theatre. Trained in Dublin, Bergen and Barcelona, her practice explores the body as site and subject of intelligence, mystery, and creativity, often through improvisation and collective processes. As a first-time mother, she is currently researching how the everyday gestures, interruptions, and physicality of early motherhood can generate new creative forms and shared performance languages.

Schedule: Wednesdays, 29th October to 17th December

Time: 11:30am to 12:30pm

Project funders: South Dublin County Council

Audience: Mothers with babies under 12 months(For everyone's safety, there are no older siblings allowed)

Cost: €5 per session