And the Lovin’ Our Lungs Movie Gong Goes to…
House of Swag Dance School Wins Nationwide Movie Competition Highlighting Lung Health for Teenagers
A top gong has gone to a five-strong dance troupe from the House of Swag Dance School, from Swords, Co. Dublin, for their winning entry in the Lovin’ Our Lungs Movie Awards. An initiative of the Irish Lung Health Alliance, a coalition of 17 charities, in partnership with Foróige, the awards sought to build awareness of the importance of lung health for a full and active life among teenagers by having them direct their own original 90-second movies. In particular, the aim was to highlight the importance of three steps in keeping lungs strong and healthy—by not smoking, by exercising for 30 minutes most days, and by eating a healthy diet. The initiative was supported by GSK and entries will be available online at www.lovinourlungs.ie – the winning entry can be viewed here – https://tinyurl.com/jusc7s7
The winning mini-movie by House of Swag Dance School really caught the imagination of judges in bringing the Lovin’ our Lungs theme to life through its high energy fusion of fitness moves and dance grooves. The movie features an impressive array of acrobatics, breakdancing, and hip hop, set against a funky music soundtrack, and concluding with the salutary message “Take care of your lungs, or they won’t take care of you”. In addition to scooping a Lovin’ Our Lungs statuette, the winning entry is being broadcast on RTÉ Two’s Two Tube while the winners will also get to take part in a ‘breathtaking’ adventure experience with Ecoadventure Ireland.
Bláthnaid Treacy, presenter with RTÉ Two’s Two Tube, which is broadcasting the winning entry, commended the winners:
“We celebrate our brains. We celebrate our hearts. With the Lovin’ Our Lungs Movie Awards, at last we can celebrate our lungs. We wanted to get people talking about their lungs and how, if we don’t look after them, then it can mean a life less lived. It was really impressive to see people release their inner Spielbergs and the energy, passion and creativity that they brought to their movies. We think it makes for some really gripping viewing.”
Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lovin’ Our Lungs ambassador and star of the hit movie, Sing Street, believes that to be fit on the outside, we have to be fit on the inside too:
“Nobody likes to be told what to do when you’re young and it kind of goes against the grain to listen to adults. That’s why the Lovin’ Our Lungs Movie Awards work in that it’s not our parents or teachers or doctors or whoever telling us how best to look after our bodies, and our lungs in particular, but ourselves.The reality is that if we’re not fit on the inside, then we can never hope to be fit on the outside. We need to love ourselves and our lungs a little bit more.”
Dr Ronnie Delany, Olympic Gold Medallist and Lovin’ Our Lungs ambassador, highlights the importance of lung health in maintaining both physical and mental fitness:
“With just weeks to go to the Summer Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, our inspiring athletes will carry with them the hopes of a nation. But it’s important to remember that you don’t have to undergo years of intense physical preparation and training and become an Olympic hero to be fit and healthy. By making just small changes to the way we live our lives, in not smoking, in eating a healthy diet, in exercising most days of the week, we can maintain optimum health and fitness and truly look forward to a life without limits.”
For Nathan Brogan, speaking on behalf of the House of Swag Dance School, winners of the Lovin’ Our Lungs Movie Awards, accepting the award was very special:
“We never thought we’d have our own ‘Oscar’ moment where we would get to stand up in front of an audience to accept the Lovin’ Our Lungs statuette and thank everyone, especially our moms! We had so much fun shooting this movie and along the way learned so much about our lungs and why we need to show them the love. If we have helped make a convincing argument to other young people about swapping the sofa, fags and junk food for some groovy dance moves, then that would be cool.”
For Dr Ross Morgan, Consultant Respiratory Physician and spokesperson for the Irish Lung Health Alliance, young people respond best to lung health messages, when they come from themselves:
“Lung disease is the most common health condition in young adults aged 18 to 24 years and research shows that almost 80 per cent of smokers start the habit before the age of 18 years. That’s why we created the Lovin’ Our Lungs Movie Awards to get young people thinking, talking and filming about lung health and how to get the most out of our lungs in a way that would grab the attention of their peers. We know that young people respond best to health messages when they come from themselves rather than being told by us adults, even if we know it’s true! I want to congratulate the five young people from the House of Swag Dance School for their really powerful and inspirational entry on why our lungs matter and would encourage every young person to check it out for themselves.”
Top Five Amazing Lung Facts:
1. Lungs contain 1,500 miles of airways and the total surface area of the alveoli—the tiny air sacs in our lungs—is the size of a tennis court
2. The average size of lungs is seven to eight litres, the equivalent of four, two-litre bottles of soda
3. The lungs are the only organ in the body that can float on water
4. Lungs are the largest and only internal organ exposed to the external environment
5. We breathe in 13 pints of air every 60 seconds, taking breaths 14-16 times a minute or approximately 22,000 times a day