Eclipse Stage School continues to shine 

A NORTHSIDE stage school recently released a charity single to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society.

Eighty children and teens from Eclipse Stage School, Kilbarrack, were involved in the recording of 'I Lived', a song written by American hit band ‘One Republic’.  

The song focuses on living every moment of life and being able to say you have done it all. It marks a poignant step for the group as it not only creates another milestone, but will also help the Irish Cancer Society. 

Eclipse Stage School recently launched the single at the Aviva Stadium, performing at the annual National Conference for Cancer Survivorship 2017.

The local group have been a huge success in the community over the last decade. Since their formation, Eclipse has garnered awards for Best Stage School in Ireland and Dance Group of the Year.

They have also performed at many top venues including the RDS, Croke Park and the O'Reilly Theatre, Belvedere College, where they held their 10th anniversary birthday show earlier this month.

The ‘I Lived’ single was released for download and streaming on October 19 on all digital platforms including iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and Google Play as well as the music video on YouTube.

Christy Dignam of Aslan, who was diagnosed with an incurable blood cancer in 2013, kindly supported the project. 

Christy, along with Joe Jewell, Aslan’s lead guitarist, dropped into rehearsals to give the Eclipse students (age four to 19) advice and mentored them on their road to releasing their debut single.

The project is the brainchild of creative director and choreographer, Kenneth Giles (27) from Kilbarrack. 

Kenneth decided to dedicate a special project to helping others in need to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the award-winning stage school he owns. 

In a recent interview with Northside People, Kenneth told how a a rare form of skin cancer developed under his eye twice in the space of one year which doctors said is usually only seen in people of age 50+. He said he never realised the damage sun can do over time. 

"I've had some sunburn when on holidays which definitely added to the damage but I never realised sun without protection, repeatedly on your skin can cause so much damage,” he said.  

“We hope that people support the charity single and our efforts to raise awareness of cancer among every generation, from kids to the elderly. No one is immune from cancer.”

For more information on the Eclipse Stage School, contact Kenneth Giles at 087-6132573, email [email protected] or visit www.facebook.com/EclipseStageSchool