THERE was a little bit of magic in Carrickmore's Patrician Hall recently when the local Stepping Stones group presented a very special Christmas performance. The show used the unique and mysterious medium of ultra violet light to capture the magic of Christmas.

The launch of the ultra vision performance marked the end of a very successful five week arts project led by tutors from the Connect project, an initiative run jointly between Strabane and Omagh District Councils. This unique project involving adults with special needs gave participants an opportunity to explore the range of expressive art forms including movement, dance and singing.

The use of ultra violet light, with so much of the person left unseen, allowed apprehensive participants a means of expressing themselves more confidently than performing under spotlight.

The final performance was inspired by winter it was a series of glowing moving Christmas images to music. The performance also provided the group a chance to share their other activities and skills with the wider community.

An Arts Tutor from the Connect Project said, "The performance was loosely formed around participants responses to movement and props, and the group sampled a variety of creative exercises to develop skills which were used in the final showcase. Black light threatre is famous in Eastern Europe, in cities such as Prague which attracts thousands of visitors each year, but is relatively unknown as a performance medium here.

"What made this performance special was use of this intriguing lighting technique, which added a sense of magic for audience and performer alike."

A spokesperson for the Stepping Stones said, "This has been a great project for Stepping Stones, encouraging involvement and increasing self confidence within the group. We are really looking forward to our next challenge with the Connect Project."

This project was funded by The National Lottery programme through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Strabane and Omagh District Council's.