Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody… With somebody who loves… ANIMATION!

On March 7th, our Dublin studio teams and animation industry friends donned their best dancing shoes to hit the dancefloor and raise some much needed funds for two fantastic local charities, Jack and Jill Children's Foundation and Focus Ireland Family Centre.

Our goal was to raise funds for the charities, get our awesome animation community together for a fun entertainment-filled evening, and show off some epic dance moves. The results were a brilliant feast for the senses with dancers going all out, sporting creative costumes and showstopping choreography.

We were blown away by the superb performances of our volunteer dancers, which included the dynamic duo of Aidan McKenna and Dee O'Leary, along with the talented dance group of Aoife Kennedy, Cliona Curran, Sinead Costello and Theresa Reddington who represented our Brown Bag Films studio, as well as the dazzling dance groups of Roisin Chapman, Supriya Pendurkar and Laura Allen who represented Animation Ireland, and Michael McCormack, Mariyam Ali, and Lara Goodman who represented Boulder Media and the skillful duos of Rossa and Emma Lundberg who represented Lissenbloom, Sara Coca and Ganzalo Diaz who represented Lighthouse Studios, and Mythra Varun and Srija Mashetty who represented Microbeing!

Our fantastic panel of judges from across the industry, which included Clodagh Garry (Brown Bag Films), Catherine Greally (Kavaleer), Jenni MacNeaney (Boulder Media), and David Monaghan (Lighthouse Studios), had the exceedingly tough challenge of selecting the winners, but came to a clear decision after careful deliberation. We extend a HUGE congratulations to the winning team Mythra Varun & Srija Mashetty who performed an epic dance that capped off the competition!

There was also some excellent entertainment throughout the evening from the stellar Davina Devine who MC'd, the fantastic Skate Revolution, Dublin Dance Studio professional dancers, Playlist choir and our very own Vicky Curtis who rounded off the evening off with some snazzy DJ skills.

We are thrilled to have raised over €18K, thanks to our wonderful sponsors, event attendees, and everyone who donated! Rossa Lundberg and Laura Allen who spearheaded the organisation of the event were delighted with the results.

“It was a real joy to put this event together and connect with so many amazing people from across the animation industry, looking around on the night brought a massive smile to my face. Additionally, hearing from the two amazing charities about the impact of the funds raised has been truly special. We would love to get the opportunity to do it again next year!”

—Rossa Lundberg, Senior Editor, Brown Bag Films Dublin

“It was incredible to see the generosity of not only people’s monetary donations but also their time and enthusiasm. How incredible to raise that much money for charity and to have so much fun doing it as well!  I’m still finding glitter in my keyboard… looking forward to going bigger and better in 2025!”

—Laura Allen, Production Workflow Manager, Brown Bag Films Dublin

Check out a special video from the night to get a taste of the fun!

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We are so excited to be supporting two causes that are dear to our hearts, the Jack and Jill Children's Foundation and Focus Ireland Family Centre.

“I just want to say a huge ‘Thank You’ to you and the team at Brown Bag films for raising so much needed funds for Jack and Jill families with your Strictly Come Dancing event.

Your donation of €9,152 will provide a whopping 508 hours of home nursing care for the very sick children that we look after nationwide, making a very real difference to their families. It will give the families a chance to do the normal things that we all take for granted, things like getting a nights sleep, doing the food shop or taking their other kids to the park, alleviating some of the stress from looking after a child with life limiting conditions.

You have made a real difference to the lives of the people we support! Thank you so much!”

—Deirdre Walsh, CEO Jack and Jill Foundation

“The incredible €9156.25 that Brown Bag Films have raised will support 12 families with children in long-term accommodation for one month, ensuring that they will receive wrap-around supports such as advice and information, and allocated case workers, with the ultimate goal of securing long-term accommodation for the families.”

—Kieran McCarthy, Corporate Fundraising Officer, Focus Ireland Family Centre

We'd like to thank all our sponsors for the event:

Brown Bag Films, Boulder Media, Gorilla Post Production, Lighthouse Studios, Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet, Little Moon Animation, Animation Ireland, Lissenbloom, Turnip and Duck, Jam Media, Brown Bag Films Social Committee, Kavaleer, Treehouse Republic, WIA, and Macrobeing. With a welcoming mixer in collaboration with the NTAA.

The caricature booth was sponsored by Animation Ireland, special shout out to Kayla!

Special thanks to all our fabulous dance volunteers, their amazing choreographers Dance Club Kilkenny & Dublin Dance Studio, and all the performers who made it a true carnival—Davina Devine, Playlist choir, Skate Revolution and DJ Vicky Curtis.

And, of course, a HUGE shout-out goes to the event organisers, the determined and passionate team of Laura Allen, Michelle Connelly, Sean Hogan, Natalya McDonald, and Rossa Lundberg who pulled off a spectacular event.

Watch this space as we aim to have Animation Come Dancing return again next year!