Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research Ballet, Birmingham and Me Sheila Galloway and Jonothan Neelands Final Report to the Management Group for the Birmingham Royal Ballet and Joint Birmingham Youth Services Partnership Project April 2011 Dr Sheila Galloway Principal Research Fellow Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research University of Warwick Coventry CV4 7AL Tel: +44 (0) 24 7652 2196 www.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/cedar/staff/galloway Acknowledgements We thank all the people associated with this project who gave us their time and thoughts between January 2009 and March 2011 as well as those who welcomed us into Ballet Birmingham and Me sessions. These included ballet classes, workshops, rehearsals, discussion groups and formal meetings at Thorpe Street and in the youth centres. There are too many people – both adults and young people - to thank everyone individually but we valued hugely the chance to share some of your experiences. We do want to say how much we have appreciated the candid and patient approach of the Director for Learning and her attention to detail which supported the evaluation throughout. Our report focuses on professional learning and partnership. There was much more happening in this project which was a joy to see and from which we can all learn. Ballet Birmingham and Me has been a ground-breaking project. It will have an influence on the lives of the young people, youth workers, professional dancers and educators who were involved and also on the conception and design of future programmes. 2 Contents Summary Section A Section B Section C Section D Section E 5 Context and rationale A1 The project: context, rationale and development A2 The cultural and educational policy context A3 The changing economic and staffing position in this period Meeting the project’s aims B1 Opportunities for young people to take part in the arts, develop skills and learn about the creative industries B2 Recording of learning outcomes and accreditation for learning B3 Professional development opportunities for Birmingham Royal Ballet staff and partner organisations. B4 Aspiration to excellence in all aspects and to developing a model of good practice for creating excellent art with young people. B5 Breaking down barriers and promoting ballet as an activity for all B6 Increasing the profile and reputation of all partners Further evaluation aims C1 Effectiveness in engaging young people in good quality dance and arts opportunities C2 Impact on young people and how the development of the project led to this C3 Impact on partner organisations including staff knowledge and understanding of partners‟ professional expertise C4 Effectiveness of the governance structure and the management and leadership structure C5 Style, quality and rigour of workshops and youth work C6 Effectiveness of arrangements to involve young people and young dancers in the management and development of the project C7 Effectiveness of provision of accredited learning for young people C8 Monitoring the project‟s development and on-going formative assessment Other issues relating to learning D1 A meeting of pedagogical paradigms D2 Key roles and strategies in making the project successful from a pedagogical perspective Final Reflections 3 9 14 16 18 21 21 21 23 25 27 28 30 38 40 42 43 43 45 48 E1 E2 Institutional learning, legacy and exit strategies Factors supporting successful outcomes References 50 50 51 Appendices Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Appendix 3 Appendix 4 A note on the evaluation process Summary of data collection Example of interview agenda Project cost summary 52 53 56 57 List of tables Table 1 Funders and timing of support 11 Table 2 Table 3 Main phases of activity Key statistics 12 14 4 Summary 1 Ballet Birmingham and Me operated from mid 2008 to January 2011. Birmingham Royal Ballet, partnered by Birmingham Youth Services (BYS) and Birmingham Association of Youth Clubs (bayc), offered young people in the city the chance to take part in the arts. The aims of the project are covered in (a) to (e) below. A prime intention was that young people‟s views and ideas would help shape this project in both its artistic development and its management. The University of Warwick team of Dr Sheila Galloway and Professor Jonothan Neelands was appointed to evaluate what was then termed the „Birmingham Royal Ballet and Joint Birmingham Youth Services Partnership Project‟. 2 Staff and young people from five youth centres took part. These were chosen because they were located in areas where participants would lack easy access to cultural events. Very few of the young people had any history of attending ballet classes. 141 young people participated and the adults involved included 33 youth workers, 103 members of BRB staff and 25 freelance artists. 3 Funding came from the Big Lottery Fund, Dancing for the Games (formerly People Dancing), Birmingham City Council Creative Futures and Inspire. In kind support came from Birmingham Royal Ballet, Birmingham City Council, and Birmingham Association of Youth Clubs. Allowing for contributions in kind, the project cost just over £760,000. 4 The final aim was to produce a performance of Cinderella by young people and for young people. This would be performed in December 2011, when Birmingham Royal Ballet‟s new production of Cinderella would be premiered. Initial uncertainty over funding meant that this could not be made explicit in the first months of Ballet Birmingham and Me (BB&Me). 5 Alongside technical work in ballet classes, the project included drama workshops, sessions with a range of practising artists to generate ideas, intensive auditioning and training events and a demanding regime of rehearsals in autumn 2010. BYS organised events such as a team building day and a young people‟s evaluation meeting. 6 Young people could work for Arts Award accreditation and 40 of them achieved this at Bronze level. One gained a Silver award. About 30 gained an ASDAN award at Bronze level. 7 A Youth Artistic Board of 17 young people was created: this was a major strength of the project. 8 Participants had three opportunities to perform publicly to invited audiences. These were, in BRB‟s Patrick Centre, Still Life: A Celebration (June 2009) and Cyrano: Sharing of Work (December 2009). The culmination of the project was Cinderella, performed by 59 young people at The Hippodrome in December 2010. 9 BB&Me operated with a Steering Group of senior representatives of the partner organisations. It had a Management Group, an Operations Group, an Artistic Team and a Youth Artistic Board. The core youth workers had separate scheduled meetings to address specific issues. 5 10 The cultural and educational policy context in the years before BB&Me gave a national commitment to arts organisations like BRB encouraging outreach work with disadvantaged communities. It also highlighted complex cultural activity. Major organisations worked to combine excellence and access. Usually this happened through school- based projects, but BB&Me was unusual in choosing to create a partnership with bayc and BYS. This brought its own challenges and rewards. 11 The economic situation at this time meant that there was much uncertainty. Initially this was whether sufficient funds would be secured to meet the project‟s aims. Secondly, BYS underwent a complete reorganisation and all youth workers were aware that stringent job cuts were imminent. Changes at bayc resulted in a redefinition of this organisation‟s mission. BRB (funded in 2008-2009 68% from public funds) was able to sustain momentum in this project even when partner organisations were threatened with cuts and job losses to come as part of the local authority cutbacks ahead of and after the Government‟s Comprehensive Spending Review of October 2010. 12 The project met its six defined aims as follows. a) Young people were offered opportunities to take part in the arts, develop skills and learn about the creative industries. The skills acquired were certainly essential ballet techniques but also many other areas of performance capability and presentation. They learned to concentrate in class, understand team work in this context, became committed to arriving for workshops and rehearsals, and talked about their growing self esteem. They gained confidence in communicating with other young people and adults, both those involved in the project and external to it, including media correspondents. They learned about the creative industries mainly though the innumerable informal learning opportunities they encountered showing how various departments of a major arts company function to present a new production. b) Learning outcomes were formally accredited with the support of the Arts Awards Advisor and youth workers. Despite the challenge of getting so many through the award which was not familiar to most youth workers, 40 young people gained an Arts Award at Bronze level and one gained a Silver award. About 30 young people gained a Bronze ASDAN Award. c) Both BRB staff and youth workers had many and varied professional development opportunities. See (i) below. d) BB&Me sought and achieved excellence in almost all its activities, giving young people a powerful example of collaboration, telling role models and unrivalled opportunities. The partners together worked to combine the Company‟s high performance standards with the commitment to inclusion which was at the centre of the project. Birmingham Youth Service and Birmingham Association of Youth Clubs worked to ensure that the young people were prepared and able to cope with the project as it progressed. The route taken was singular to BB&Me, but some features of the model as it developed clearly encouraged success and may inform other organisations. These are summarised in Section B4 of the report. e) BB&Me broke down barriers to attendance and participation and promoted ballet for all, most obviously by issuing participants with free tickets for performances at The Hippodrome. More importantly, it encouraged young people with no experience of ballet to devote their free time over many 6 months to the project. Few young men were recruited at the start but BB&Me provided a platform for them to address gender stereotypes in a positive way and in this the project was successful. f) The profile and reputation of all partners was increased, publicly through the attention of the local and regional media, and also through personal, local authority and community contacts, through „Celebration‟ events and by the production of a DVD. BRB‟s production values applied to the final performance of Cinderella. The young people had access to dancers of international standing and the resources of a major national arts organisation. Youth workers provided a strong and supportive framework throughout the project. In addition to the above, this evaluation addresses specific questions about the way in which the project operated. g) BB&Me was very successful at engaging young people in good quality dance and arts opportunities. It was especially effective in the ways in which artists, youth workers and participants helped young people with special educational needs to play a full part in the rehearsals and the performance at The Hippodrome of Cinderella. This cannot be said of all youth arts projects. h) There was a strong impact on the young people taking part. The evidence comes from their continued attendance over many months, their steadfastness during the less exciting phases, their increasing engagement with the project, and their wholehearted commitment and energy during the final rehearsals. The BYS evaluation and young people‟s comments on the project‟s Facebook page show the profound effect on some participants. Adults close to these young people have noted how they have developed as has the evaluation team. Youth work supports and nurtures young people in many ways, but one adult involved noted how this project had given the chance of “reaching for the stars”. i) Among partner organisations, BB&Me generated a massive development of staff knowledge and respect for partners‟ expertise. The report considers this in terms of development across organisations, development for Youth Service and bayc staff, development for dancers/choreographers, development for other BRB staff. This complex project has been outstanding in this respect: we comment separately on the merging of different pedagogic styles. j) The various decision-making groups were not all in place in the first months but they became essential as the project developed and more varied activities and tasks came on stream. From the outset the commitment and vision of senior managers was crucial. In the later stages to ensure that the project would „deliver‟ as planned, it was mainly the Management Group and the Operations Group which became the hub of forward movement. The Chair of the Management Group, the Director and staff of the Department for Learning and the Project Manager all played significant roles over a long period in championing and facilitating the project. The youth workers and officers from the central team played a part both formally and informally across the city. k) The style, quality and rigour of workshops and youth work was impressive (see also Galloway and Neelands, 2010). No compromises were made for an 7 easy life. Our report records that there were sessions which were not especially uplifting but overall the input for participants was of a very high quality. This will have encouraged them to raise their personal commitment and increase their own efforts. These young people experienced many sessions led by expert practitioners from the arts and professional dancers of standing. They were also supported locally by very experienced youth workers. l) A notable success of BB&Me was that the young people were indeed directly involved in the management and delivery of the project. This did not happen in the first year, but during 2010 the Youth Artistic Board became an active component of the project. Some young people excelled in media presentation but all contributed in a mature and increasingly authoritative way, making a bridge between their friends in the youth centres and the adults who were ultimately responsible for the project‟s artistic and operational management. m) The project had to meet the requirements of several different funders in different ways. From February 2010 BYS also spent time recording the young people‟s experience. Our evaluation has been able to look across the project over its duration. Project updates for the Management Group have highlighted emerging issues and the Interim Report gave an analysis of progress at a turning point in the project. Appendices 1 and 2 explain more about the evaluation process. 13 In March 2010 the Management Group noted two areas to be given attention in the evaluation. We address issues concerning continuing professional development most fully in Section C of the report. Matters to do with partnership work come up at almost every point so comment is dispersed throughout the report. We bring together these two areas in Section D which discusses the partnership in terms of pedagogies evident in BB&Me and the strategies which helped its success. Partners‟ aims, working cultures and pedagogy clearly differed (Galloway and Neelands, 2010). Yet they found ways, despite continuing economic pressures and threats to youth service jobs, to sustain this remarkable project and to provide a performance of which all involved could be proud. 8 Section A Context and rationale A1 The project: context, rationale and development This project involved Birmingham Royal Ballet working in partnership with Birmingham Youth Service and Birmingham Association of Youth Clubs, its aims being to: offer opportunities for young people to take part in the arts to develop their skills and learn about the creative industries ensure that learning outcomes are recorded and accreditation for learning is offered where appropriate provide professional development opportunities for Birmingham Royal Ballet Staff and Joint Youth Services staff aspire to excellence in all aspects of the project, and develop a model of good practice for creating excellent art with young people break down barriers to attendance and participation and promote ballet as an activity for all increase the profile and reputation of all partners. Initial planning from the spring of 2008 involved senior staff at each organisation. Their vision set the project in train, yet in prioritising young people‟s involvement, they left open many decisions for future participants. Birmingham Royal Ballet‟s (BRB) Department for Learning has wide experience in outreach community work and in working with schools. Two previous projects provided a basis for planning this one. Safahr, Tales of a Journey, followed by Ballet Hoo, a high profile project initiated by Channel 4 in 2006. Reviewing that experience, BRB staff and partners felt that the next project should, like Ballet Hoo, focus on young people who do not have easy access to arts opportunities. However this time the Company aimed to work more directly with its local partners and to incorporate the views of young participants in shaping the project, in both its artistic development and its management: The idea came from a sketch on flip chart paper. We were hoping for what opportunities we could offer, for young people, for ourselves, and for the Youth Service. (BB&Me Choreographic Director) Recalling the earlier project, „which was wonderful‟, this speaker recalled that „I wanted something different in feel‟. Ballet Hoo had been „very directed‟, but „this project had a different set of values behind it‟. Asked in February 2011 what were the three most successful features of BB&Me, the Choreographic Director pointed to: The creative input of the young people Choice and empowerment; decision-making especially through the Youth Artistic Board Care and compassion: „They were stronger for each other‟. 9 This evaluation project began in December 2008 (with the contract signed in March 2009). The evaluation brief was to: assess whether the project has been successful in achieving its aims identify its effectiveness in engaging young people in good quality dance and arts opportunities discuss the impact on young people and how the development of the project leads to this impact discuss the impact on the partner organisations, including the development of staff knowledge and understanding of partners‟ professional expertise discuss the effectiveness of the governance structure, and the management and leadership structure assess the style, quality and rigour of workshops and youth work asses the effectiveness of arrangements to fully involve young people and young dancers in the management and development of the project assess the effectiveness of the provision of accredited learning opportunities for young people continually monitor the development of the project and provide ongoing formative assessment For clarity we have retained the above headings in Sections B and C of this report. It was agreed that this was to be a qualitative evaluation and Appendix 1 explains more about the approach taken; Appendix 2 summarises the data collection. An impressive feature of Ballet, Birmingham and Me was that it successfully gained additional funds once the project was under way. Each separate grant had its own purpose and timescale. However, the project as a whole depended on the financial support it gained from the Big Lottery Fund and Dancing for the Games. (The latter is part of the West Midlands Culture programme for London 2010. It was funded by Legacy Trust UK, Arts Council England West Midlands and Advantage West Midlands.) The project would not have happened without the funding which they provided. BRB‟s Director of Development saw the successful generation of external funding as a major step for the Department and the Company. These are summarised in Table 1. Additional to these substantial grants, BYS staff and young people gained funds for a trip to London including tickets to see Sister Act and for the final celebratory ball at the Council House in January 2011 a month after the performance of Cinderella. The evaluation team was able to track development over a two-year period, see how different parties became involved and what the project meant for the organisations and individuals. This was an aspirational and very complex project. However it could not be planned in detail at the start because: not all the funding needed was in place, so early stages of the project were necessarily provisional the young people had yet to be recruited so the aim of developing a channel for their contribution to decision-making could not be precisely planned, and though the intention was to build up to a production of Cinderella by young people and for young people, to be created in parallel with the new production of Cinderella by BRB‟s Artistic Director David Bintley, it was still some months 10 before the Company‟s own production was confirmed and this intention could be made explicit. Table 1 Funders and timing of support Funding body Birmingham Royal Ballet Birmingham City Council The Big Lottery Fund Inspire Dancing for the Games Birmingham City Council Creative Futures Duration of funding Duration of project Main purpose of funding Staff and facilities Sum granted Duration of project Staff and facilities £147,025 July 10-July11 Project costs £392,000 Not funder /value added branding January 10-Dec10 Project costs £100,00 Still Life phase/Cyrano phase £30,000 Jan09- Dec09 In kind support Birmingham Youth Services In kind support Birmingham Association of Youth Clubs £120,000 £119,525 £29,000 Source: BRB Finance Department April 2011 Setting out on this partnership project was therefore an act of faith and required a high degree of flexibility from all partners (Galloway and Neelands, 2010). The company was also working with partners in a way which differed from the previous large-scale projects. From the outset support from senior management was crucial and that was given by all partners and evident in the project‟s original Steering Group. However in the first year, at the operational level in the youth centres, BRB staff needed time to understand how each youth centre worked and youth workers needed time to understand how the company saw this project developing. Table 2 below summarises the broad phases of activity from late 2008 to early 2011. These involved both core people and also professionals and freelancers brought in for short periods at different stages. Table 3 details the overall pattern of activity in key statistics showing that 141 young people participated. Adults involved included 33 youth workers, 103 members of BRB staff and 25 freelance artists. 11 Table 2 Main phases of activity Phase Pre-Still Life phase Period 2008 Those involved Original planning group. Senior staff from partner organisations: developmental workshop October 2008 60 young people at 5 youth centres. Youth workers, BRB dancers & musicians BRB learning Dept staff. First young people‟s focus group meetings. Still Life at the Penguin Cafe phase 2009 Jan-June Consolidation phase 2009 Sept-Dec Youth workers and drama practitioners at 5 youth centres. Artistic Director and Director of Choreography appointed. Location Birmingham Royal Ballet Thorp Street 5 week programme: workshops & rehearsals at each of 5 youth centres. Final day of rehearsals & performance to 200 people at BRB‟s Patrick Centre 29-05-09 Drama workshops at 5 youth centres relating to Cyrano. „Sharing of Work‟ at the Patrick Centre Creative preparation work: „Exploration‟ phase. Some work for Arts Award 2010 Jan-July Young people at 5 youth centres. Youth workers, freelance arts practitioners (drama, dance, photography, physical theatre). Artistic Director. Youth Arts Board (YAB) set up, meets regularly. Feedback on plot generation to young people, youth workers. Story outline created by Artistic Director. Carousel of workshops at 5 youth centres with 6 artists visiting each. YAB meetings at BRB offices. Intensive workshop and auditioning process. 2010 August 6 days Young people, youth workers, youth officers, BRB Learning Dept staff, dancers/Artistic Director, choreographers, Costume Dept staff. 6 intensive days over 2 weeks at BRB studios to continue developing synopsis from „Exploration‟ phase. Roles announced at Participants‟ role preferences assessed by 12 Phase Period Those involved artistic team making casting decisions. Location youth centres in personal letters 31-08-10 BRB Thorp Street. Nearby youth centre for some classes. Ballet classes, Arts Awards sessions, workshops, rehearsals. Build-up to 2 nights weekly. Ballet classes, rehearsals October half-term 3 intensive days. Final rehearsals stage calls, performance 2010 Sept Oct Young People, youth workers, youth officers, BRB Dept of Learning staff, choreographers, freelance instructors, Artistic Director, Arts Award Advisor. 2010 Nov-Dec Young people, youth workers, youth officers, BRB Dept of Learning staff, choreographers, Artistic Director, Arts Award Advisor. BRB Thorp Street studios. Elmhurst School of Ballet. Patrick Centre. Hippodrome Theatre. Showing of film. Masked ball. 2010 Jan-Feb All involved plus invited guests from several organisations. Patrick Centre, The Council House, Birmingham Table 2 gives just a glimpse of the painstaking process which ended in the BB&Me performance of Cinderella on 7th December 2010 at the Hippodrome to an invited audience of family, friends, supporters, funders and regional arts and community representatives. The culmination of much work from all the adults and young people involved, this evening was a resounding success and a credit to all involved. This report recognises the powerful effect of such events. The young people‟s euphoric Facebook comments around the time of the performance testify to the effect on them at that time and their contributions to the BYS young people‟s evaluation day in February 2011 confirm how their experience had a major effect on many of them. The documentary DVD of the project conveys the aspiration, hard work and rewards which both young people and adults felt. However we do not over-emphasise the success of the production alone because we have sought to see this event in perspective and to understand the very complex processes at work as the foundations were laid and in the two years leading up to that success. For instance, the performance in May 2009 of Still Life at the Penguin Cafe: A Celebration was a significant staging post early on. Without that, it is hard to imagine how participants and youth workers could have engaged with the more ambitious and demanding Cinderella production. During the various phases of the project, many people were involved, as the following summary shows: 13 Table 3 Key statistics Number of young people enrolled 141 (this does not include one off attendees for open days /trial sessions) Number of Days worked 212 Number of sessions delivered 299 Number of different events 39 Number of attendees 7425 Female 6145 Male 1280 Number of Youth Work staff Birmingham Youth Services Number of Youth Work staff Birmingham Association of Youth Clubs Number of BRB staff 33 3 103 Number of Freelance artists 25 Number of Training sessions 17 Number training session attendees 155 Number of attendees with a disability 958 Theatre attendees 531 This does not include the participant evaluation session or celebration event run by BYS These figures exclude students from a local FE College who were involved in December 2010 working on hair and make-up for the performance. Source: BRB Department for Learning Feb 2011. A 2 The cultural and educational policy context In the years before this project there was under the previous government an unprecedented increase in funding for cultural activity, often to support social inclusion, cohesion and other social agendas. Flagship programmes such as Creative Partnerships and the targeted funding for mainstream cultural organisations‟ outreach work with disadvantaged populations supported the link between grassroots cultural activity and the importance of creativity to the UK‟s economic growth. Participation in cultural activity was claimed to have a wide range of personal and social outcomes including developing local entrepreneurism and social enterprise in communities with high levels of unemployment and other challenges. The BB&Me project needs to be considered in the context of this cultural policy and the funding opportunities it created, which at the time were weighted towards engaging young people in cultural activities with leading cultural organisations as well as to funding other kinds of work with young people in formal education. One thread in this policy of widening participation to arts and other creative activities was to do with encouraging leading cultural organisations offering complex cultural activity to focus on accessibility to the classical arts in particular. The former New Labour Minister for the DCSF, Tessa Jowell offered this rationale: 14 Complex cultural activity is not just a pleasurable hinterland for the public, a fall back after the important things – work and paying tax – are done. It is at the heart of what it means to be a fully developed human being. Government should be concerned that so few aspire to it, and has a responsibility to do what it reasonably can to raise the quantity and quality of that aspiration (DCMS, 2004, p.2) Jowell‟s concern was that there tends to be a socially recognised hierarchy of the arts in which ballet, opera and other classical and complex arts have become associated with a social hierarchy of consumers. Jowell recognised that without educational interventions designed to inspire, encourage and teach young people to appreciate and get involved this situation could not be remedied. In Government and the Value of Culture (DCMS 2004), Jowell called for a change of direction within the political debates about culture and argued that „by accepting culture is an important investment in personal social capital we begin to justify that investment on culture‟s own terms‟(p.16). Her suggestion of valuing culture on its own terms was reinforced in the 2008 policy document Supporting Excellence in the Arts, in which Brian McMaster argued for reinstating „excellence‟ in cultural policy discussions. For many of the leading national cultural organisations the grail for educational work became to combine access and excellence: to open the doors wider to underrepresented audiences but also to ensure that the highest standards of artistic excellence were maintained. This emphasis needed also to ensure that young audiences could be introduced to the demands made by complex cultural activity and learn how to make and appreciate the classical arts in particular. The Royal Shakespeare Company, Birmingham Royal Ballet, the Tate, Royal Opera House. London Philharmonic Orchestra and others have been actively engaged in promoting excellence and inclusion, often with disadvantaged groups of young people in challenging circumstances. More often than not these projects have been brokered with school and other educational institutions and offered as a curricular or extra-curricular entitlement. What is distinctive about BB&Me is that the partnership was with the Youth Services in Birmingham and located in youth centres and clubs rather than in schools. It was a long term commitment to the young people involved. This is still a relatively new idea for cultural organisations like Birmingham Royal Ballet which are most used to shorter day or half day engagement. It ran for two years and involved three performance projects so that there were occasional performance opportunities as well as other activities at intervals to keep the young people engaged with BRB. One consequence of strategizing long term partnership over shorter term contact is that the project focused significant resources on a limited number of young people in order to work with them intensively over time, rather than spreading these resources to reach a greater number of young people but for shorter periods. However, it is unlikely that the Cinderella project in particular could have been achieved without the depth of engagement and training over time. The project was successful in bringing young people together from across the city and a key pedagogical value was that the project encouraged young people from different centres to meet and mix and discover each other‟s differences and landscapes. 15 A 3 The changing economic and staffing position in this period This period saw marked recessionary retrenchment during 2009, uncertainty around the time of the General Election in May 2010 and, in winter 2010-11, severe cutbacks in Local Authority workforces. Birmingham Royal Ballet is funded largely from public funds, amounting to 68% of total income in 2008-2009, the year when this project started. This included £1,111,800 from Birmingham City Council and £7,987,147 from Arts Council England as a Regularly Funded Organisation. (BRB Annual Report 2008-2009, pp 27-30). With commercial activities and donations, total income was £13,399,444. Early commitment to the project was supported by additional funding secured as it developed (Table 1). There were no significant staffing changes among BRB staff who were involved. The Project Manager appointed in January 2009 stayed in post until just after the December 2010 performance. At different stages, staff from the Department for Learning were brought in along with BRB musicians and dancers/instructors to deliver ballet classes, workshops and rehearsals in youth centres and at BRB‟s Thorp Street studios. Partner organisations faced unsettled times. The original senior people from both BYS and bayc moved from their roles in 2009. At bayc a new Chief Executive and a major review of the organisation resulted in a less „hands on‟ approach than had been envisaged originally. The Youth Arts Development Officer remained in post but organisational change meant less opportunity to engage directly at grassroots level. Instead, in line with its revised purpose, bayc provided (part-time) office space and continued support to the BB&Me project manager. During 2009 Birmingham Youth Service encountered first, staff sickness absence, secondly imminent job cuts and thirdly major reorganisation within the Youth Service. A new Deputy Head of Youth Service came into post with responsibility to support this project. Late in 2009 two staff from the BYS Central Youth Services were brought in to work in tandem with youth workers from the five youth centres, to liaise with the project‟s Management Group and Operations Group and to support the Youth Arts Board. This stabilised and helped sustain momentum, though youth workers remained uncertain about the future of jobs in the youth service. The financial commitment of BYS to BB&Me had to be reassessed around this time. In fact, the core group of six or seven experienced youth workers located at five youth centres remained in post for most of the project. Only at one centre were there significant changes. There were many times when BRB staff and youth workers had to reconcile their very different approaches to a situation, but this core group proved a factor in the success of Ballet Birmingham and Me because they could bring the learning and rethinking of the early stages into the later months when many new people were involved and everyone was under more pressure. By then they were also at ease in working alongside BRB staff and were familiar with the Thorp Street environment, having spent many evenings on the premises with young people at classes, rehearsals and arts award sessions. It is notable that the project was able to continue without compromising either the process of learning and development nor the quality of the final production, despite continuing uncertainty about youth service jobs and economic pressures. When the situation was especially doubtful for youth service staff, and when its financial contribution had to be reassessed, BRB was able to provide security and sustain momentum. A small cultural organisation with a modest budget or short-term horizon would have found it difficult to do this. 16 One example which illustrates this emerged only part-way through the project and demonstrates how the standing of a renowned organisation is a strength. Agreement was needed to use Prokofiev‟s score for Cinderella in an abridged form. To resolve this, a representative of Boosey and Hawkes visited the musician‟s grandson abroad to negotiate the use of the music by Birmingham Royal Ballet for educational purposes. For a smaller arts organisation, this could have proved an insurmountable obstacle. 17 Section B Meeting the project’s aims In this section we address the aims set out in 2008 (see Section A). B. 1 The project sought to offer opportunities for young people to take part in the arts to develop their skills and learn about the creative industries Skills development Few participants had any real ballet training. Some enjoyed other dance genres but in most cases the skills gained were developed through BB&Me from almost nothing. As well as ballet technique, the young people mastered other skills, as described by the choreographers in August 2010 (below). The first speaker notes that his group had been working on a really hard pattern and, just as professionals need to help themselves through difficult sequences, so: Dancer C: There is a way, beside dancing, there is a way – you know – little tricks of doing it: like putting your foot in the right direction first – and those kind of things. You don‟t necessarily need to be able to dance to know them. Besides dancing, there‟s a stagecraft that needs to be taught as well. Dancer E: There‟s a logic to it as well. Dancer C: There‟s a logic and a stagecraft and special awareness and for me it is more important at the moment than actual technique. These BRB dancers were very aware that choreography for BB&Me would need flexibility: Dancer F: We‟re working with a story and there‟s so many different sort of things going on in the story and each scene is different... Sometimes it might be literally coming in, working out some strict choreography and doing it and other times we‟ll go, „OK, certain things in the story need to happen right now. They‟re not all going to be expressed through dance. You have to sort of do acting and so on. Among members of the Youth Artistic Board, in BYS‟s young people‟s 2010 evaluation, and in their reactions after the performance, participants spoke mostly of personal development through their increased confidence and self-esteem, and social benefits in the ability to work with others from different parts of the city and make good friends among them. They valued the dance skills and ability to work in a team to achieve a performance which they realised was remarkable. From our observations we saw the growing ability to express views in appropriate ways in meetings with adults (Galloway and Neelands, 2010). The YAB particularly gave a framework for young people not just to pass on arrangements „from above‟ but also to raise issues with the artistic director and others as in the YAB meeting of Sept 2010. This was very different from the initial notion that young people would attend Management Group meetings. They were not ready for that in the first year of the project and the first young people‟s focus groups did not develop the skills needed. Once the YAB was in place, there was a purpose to their meetings in providing a link 18 between young people in the centres and the project management. We noted the marked difference between the first focus group (February 2009) and the first YAB group: by April 2010, these young people had experience and motivation as well as strong support from both BRB and BYS. They later gave competent presentations to BRB staff and friends, youth service staff and project participants as well as radio and television interviews to explain the purpose and their experience of the project. The self esteem of all participants derived not only from such public opportunities but also from recognition from friends and family too, like the young man who told the YAB (September 2010) that they were confronting the stereotype of ballet not being for boys, and that his mother was proud of him. This project was about young people new to ballet developing dance skills. They also developed other skills: social, organisational, creative, and much more. Opportunities to learn about the creative industries: work experience The intention was for this to happen partly through work experience placements with BRB departments in 2010. The Company has experience of offering work experience through schools and colleges, but the logistics of offering work experience on a more personalised basis proved very demanding. It had to fit the young person‟s schedule, allowing for school terms, exam periods and so on; it also had to be acceptable to the technical or administrative department in the company where staff might be preoccupied with getting a new production on stage or indeed away on tour. Setting up personalised placements of this sort is quite different from working with a school where one teacher is responsible for many students and there is a regular system and timetable. Initially it was thought that some young people who did not wish to perform might be involved in technical areas prior to the December 2010 performance. However the project necessarily concentrated increasingly on the date of the performance and those who were performing were too busy in these weeks to have time or energy for work experience. This proved difficult to organise also because all BRB staff and all youth workers were working at full stretch in the weeks before December. For BRB staff this was a pressurised time too because technical departments were preoccupied with the Company‟s new production of Cinderella which premiered only days before the young people‟s performance. Three young people had in all nine days of work experience immediately after the December performance. The offer to others remains open in 2011. Opportunities to learn about the creative industries: informal learning Though the intention to provide learning opportunities about the creative industries was not met during the project period in the way that had at first been envisaged, nevertheless young people had innumerable opportunities to learn about the industry through exposure to different elements of the company and through seeing how it functions. This was most evident during the final rehearsals. Cast members were photographed and contributed their own items to the programme prepared by BRB‟s Communications Department. They saw this distributed to the 19 Hippodrome audience. They realised how the costume department worked when four members of staff working in pairs took a time-consuming 40 measurements from each participant in August 2010 so as to have these on file for seamstresses to make costumes later. They saw the costume designs and later marvelled at the professional finish of their costumes. Where one or two individuals had initial misgivings, they finally understood that the overall visual effect was what mattered more than the individual. Filming the performance meant that each person could later see how that costume had a part in the production as a whole. (These costumes were later on public display at the „Made in Birmingham‟ exhibition.) In 2009 professional musicians worked with the young people in the youth centres and in 2010 for ballet classes and some rehearsals at Thorp Street. For the production the BB&Me company was introduced to the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, BRB‟s resident orchestra, and saw how it worked with the company and technical staff. In ballet classes we observed how over time they gradually appreciated the need to focus and avoid distraction. They learned from the choreographers about daily class and the need to work as a team. One BRB dancer thought that this was valuable for the Company because it helped people understand what the regime of a professional dancer is. The decision to include in the BB&Me Cinderella a pas de deux by principal dancers appearing in the Company‟s new production provided another learning point. It demonstrated the talent, training, skill and courage in performance of BRB professionals. This was a neat counterpoint to the work young people were doing in developing their sequences with the choreographers, where the dance had to be shaped to the capacities of the young people. It was managed in a way which did not undermine the achievement of the young people. Most choreographers took a business-like approach in rehearsals and concentrated on the young people: they had no chance to demonstrate what they themselves were capable of on stage. (This came through seeing the BRB production.) The pas de deux was therefore a telling demonstration of what a ballet career involves. The stage manager gave the BB&Me company a clear introduction to being on stage and in the wings, and they saw how the stage crew worked on set changes. Rehearsals demonstrated the role of the lighting team. Waiting in windlowless changing rooms and corridors before going into the restricted area of the wings would dispel any unduly romantic ideas of what it entails to be a professional performer. Youth Artistic Board members had media training and all participants experienced occasions when they were filmed rehearsing for regional television. Even the business of entering and leaving the building and engaging with reception staff should not be ignored because this is all part of acquiring the social skills to operate in an adult working environment. Some participants were more aware than others of the Company as an organisation. On the evening of the performance, a group of girls coming back into the Thorp Street building after a break went past a screen showing video clips about the Company‟s production of Cinderella. One gestured at the screen and commented in passing: „That‟s David Bintley‟. They moved on without further comment (7-12-10). Because this was a long-term project, it gave opportunities between spring 2009 and winter 2010-11 for these young people to get behind the glamour of the stage and gain a more balanced view of the variety of work and the level of professionalism in 20 such a company. Though there was less structured work experience than envisaged at the start, much will be gained from this informal learning. However, we should note that at the end of the project there remained a doubt among some choreographers as to whether every single participant had really appreciated the remarkable good fortune of being given such access to an internationally renowned dance company. B 2 The project would ensure that learning outcomes were recorded and accreditation for learning offered where appropriate Arts Awards (Bronze level) were by the start of 2011 achieved by 40 young people, with a few more still completing portfolios. One award was at Silver level. The Arts Award supports young people who want to deepen their enjoyment within the arts, build creative and leadership skills, and achieve a national qualification. These awards certainly signal success but the process was not entirely trouble-free. Youth workers are accustomed to helping young people gain accreditation but the Arts Award was not the one most familiar to them. All core youth workers had training for the Arts Award. With such a large group to be entered, BRB felt that additional support would reduce pressure on the youth workers so an Arts Award Advisor was engaged to work with the young people during the evening sessions, in youth centres then at Thorp Street during 2010. This was a complicated exercise: the Thorp Street evenings were scheduled as half dance class or rehearsal and half Arts Award time. They took place after a full day at school and during a period when many participants would be completing course work for school GCSE or A levels. Moreover, some young people were in any case really there to dance, so compiling a portfolio for a formal accreditation was not necessarily very appealing to them. The young people were also at different stages because those from youth centre 3, with the largest group, was ahead of the other groups. The youth workers here had realised that with so many taking part, they needed to get this under way early. We return to this topic in Section C7. B 3 The project would provide professional development opportunities for Birmingham Royal Ballet Staff and Joint Youth Services staff. For all groups, this project was a huge learning experience. Expertise was gained in many areas. However this did not always happen in the ways which had initially been foreseen. We discuss issues about professional development in Section C3 and discuss different pedagogical approaches in Section D. B 4 The project aimed to aspire to excellence in all aspects of the project, and to develop a model of good practice for creating excellent art with young people. Aiming for excellence The aspiration to excellence was there throughout. BRB wished to adhere to the Company‟s regular production values. So, when there was uncertainty about the Cyrano- related drama work by the five youth centres this was shown at the Patrick 21 Centre as a „sharing of work‟. This reduced the pressure on those presenting and recognised the very limited time they had had to prepare. In early 2010 the partners together faced an uneasy situation, even a „moment of truth‟ about judgments of quality. BRB intended in the intensive/casting period in August to ensure that the very best would be seen on stage. At the same time the Company wanted to ensure inclusivity. BYS wanted young people to know that their efforts were valued and they would not be disregarded because they might be seen as not „good enough‟ technically. The solution from the partners was to arrive at a position that would ensure that there were opportunities for all to reach their very best standard of performance. This was a telling debate for those involved, and a critical one, since everyone had to live with the decision and be prepared to justify it to the young people (Management Group meeting May 2010). This resolution was possible because the project had a timescale which had already enabled partners to work out other difficulties without the end of the project being in immediate prospect. The groundwork already done will undoubtedly have influenced the approach to the casting process in August 2010 and the announcements to the young people of their roles which were ultimately impeccable in style and an excellent model for other initiatives. It was striking also to see young people responding to the example of elite professionals and their colleagues. This affected not only their increased concentration in ballet classes. Some of them recognised that the young dancers working with them were role models, as was evident from the September 2010 YAB meeting, notes in the Cinderella programme, and BYS‟s 2011 evaluation. One aspect of „excellence‟ is the ability of participants to set their own standards but also to look beyond themselves to the collective endeavour: I‟d worked with her quite closely to create the role. It was brilliant, her managing to focus in herself. She was concentrating, muttering “I‟ve just got to step up. Just keep going.” Also the way some of them danced together, took care of each other, worked as a team. The individual technical and performance journey of many of them. I was very proud and it was very emotional. It‟s had an impact down and through the Company. (BB&Me Director of Choreography, February 2011) A model of good practice for creating excellent art with young people There can be no single generic model of good practice. It would be wrong to make assumptions that the structures and practices which did work well for BRB and its partners would automatically prove successful in another context. However great forethought and commitment was given to planning this project and much attention to detail was evident as it developed. Certain factors did contribute strongly to its success. We would highlight the following: Time taken by the project manager to become familiar with the five centres and see how the youth workers at each operated. The various phases and performance opportunities. 22 The blend of location with some activities taking place at youth centres and others at BRB‟s premises giving both youth workers and young people a chance to become familiar with this working environment before the pressure of the final rehearsals. The readiness of different parties to be flexible and to address awkward issues as they arose. The criteria for the „intensive‟ sessions in August 2010 and advice given to participants to focus: „Try it out; Listen; Work as a team; Give ideas; Suitability of the role; Take risks; Give it a go.‟ Youth workers contributed to the final shape of the criteria and advice. The casting process: participants completed a form giving their preferences or hopes for the type of role they would like. We observed the artistic director and the choreographic director carrying these reply sheets as they moved around groups, watching how the young people worked in these sessions. The exemplary format used for the casting announcements following the „intensives‟ is discussed in Section C. The commitment to ensuring that young people‟s views were influential and the willingness to rethink the format for building these in. This is discussed more fully in Section C. Aspects of the project relating to governance etc are also discussed below. An unexpected addition to the project was the offer from University College, Birmingham to offer the skills of about 40 young people doing vocational courses in hair and make up to work on the December 2010 production. This was valuable practical experience for them to work with a prestigious company and to interpret the professional design brief. It was also positive to have more young people involved who were close in age to the participants. Here again, the flexibility to welcome these young people into the production process was a very positive element, both for BB&Me and for the college students. One early decision concerned the artistic management of the project and whether the Company should bring in external choreographers and „accept how they work‟ (BB&Me Director of Choreography, February 2011). Rather than this, BRB dancers were engaged to work with the young people in the early phases (spring 2009) and in the months leading up to the production (second half of 2010): There were a lot of plusses from using people from BRB. There would be a legacy. They would have created something here. The choreography would be similar stylistically.‟ (BB&Me Director of Choreography) B5 BB&Me sought to break down barriers to attendance and participation and promote ballet as an activity for all. Only time will tell whether the project has encouraged attendance by young people or other groups. BB&Me Performances (June and December 2009 and December 2010) certainly brought into the Patrick Centre and the Hippodrome diverse audiences with a pleasingly wide age range. Each was of course a benign audience given free seats which came because of some connection with a participant. 23 Whether this will convert into future ballet-goers cannot be predicted. We would speculate that for the 80 plus members of the Ballet Birmingham and Me project, there will be almost no barrier, other than financial, to attending future ballet performances at the Hippodrome. Barriers to participation in dance have certainly been broached. Some of the young people already had a lukewarm interest in dance. A very few had taken ballet classes before their teenage years. Several had done sporadic street dance or workshops at their youth centres or elsewhere, and some had performed at community events. Others just enjoyed dancing in social contexts. An on-the spot question from a youth officer to YAB members (Sept 2010) confirmed that 80% of these young people would continue to dance after the project ended. Some youth centres had been able to sustain and enhance interest in dance: Youth centre 5 already had a dance group operating prior to the BRB project. Workers at youth centre 3 booked additional dance sessions on evenings not allocated to BRB. Regarding participation we note that consistent attendance for two nights weekly is demanding during winter periods at a time when there are many school deadlines for GCSEs or A Levels. Young people remained committed to participation at both their own youth centre and at Thorp Street in the city centre. While a few had variable attendance, there were still very few drop-outs. Participants were given one free ticket each for performances at the Hippodrome of the triple bill Pomp and Circumstance including Still Life at the Penguin Cafe (May 2009), Cyrano (November 2009) and Cinderella (November 2010). Separately, one youth centre secured funds to organise a trip to London including a performance of Sister Act. In 2009, long before the possible Cinderella production had been announced, they continued attending evening sessions and invited friends and family to see at the Patrick Centre their very lively performance of Still Life at the Penguin Café: A Celebration. In December 2009 they showed work relating to Cyrano. Even before the performance of Cinderella at the Hippodrome, the young people had become familiar with performance venues and some of the demands, pressures and joys of putting on a production. Such indicators do not however guarantee that the experience of these young people will ensure future audiences for Birmingham Royal Ballet or indeed for any arts organisation. Impact assessments are always controversial and the evaluation team was not tasked to address the matter of future audiences. However, in breaking down barriers, this project had a deep community aspect as well and in that it has been very successful. BB&Me took dancers, dance instructors and 25 professional artists in other art forms out to youth centres in the city‟s „coolspots‟ where young people are not easily able to access original, live cultural experiences. With back-up from local youth workers, the project brought participants into the very centre of the city and gave them access to superb resources (buildings and staff) at Thorp Street, Elmhurst and the Hippodrome. In terms of opening doors and removing barriers to the world of ballet, this project has, for these young people and for those close to them, done all that could have been hoped for from those who initiated the project. For the youth workers too, this has been an opportunity to learn about „behind the scenes‟ in ways that may encourage them to join audiences in the future and to bring 24 others with them, whether personal friends, family, or the young people with whom they work locally. Some caution is still needed. Since they are already in their teenage years, and very few had any prior ballet training, there is little likelihood of any of these young people becoming professional ballet dancers. Some personal entries in the December Cinderella programme provoked concern from some of the choreographers who questioned their expectations and realism. The challenge for the adults in this project is to support the young person who gradually realises that the corps de ballet of an international ballet company is not a goal likely to be reached by a late beginner. There are however other ambitions. Leaving aside the demanding technical skills required of the professional ballet dancer, some participants might well head for the world of dance in another form or into the creative industries in some way, partly as a result of the demystification, learning and self-development process which they have enjoyed through BB&Me. B 6) The project aimed to increase the profile and reputation of all partners. Birmingham Royal Ballet has been shown to be reaching out to the community in some of the city‟s difficult areas, in providing opportunities for young people who would never otherwise have had a chance for such intense and well supported learning and development, and in being prepared to commit to, devise and sustain this long-term, challenging project. It found ways to hold true to the company‟s production values while bringing in young people most of whom had never had dance lessons, certainly not ballet lessons as children. The 2010 Cinderella was a very impressive achievement. Equally impressive was the development of the project and the activity which prepared the way for that performance over a period of two years. This required work in the youth centres with individual young people over a sustained period. Sometimes it meant youth workers were sorting out home/life problems which might affect the participant‟s ability to stay in the project. While there were critical points in the final weeks, it is just as important to recognise the work done before that. The location of the different activities meant that young people were not only at the youth centres but also at BRB‟s studios, meeting rooms, the Patrick Centre and the Hippodrome. For those young people who were at the start lacking in confidence, the consistent support of the youth workers in these different contexts, despite the logistical challenges, was a major input. A real success of the project in the view of the youth workers was the fact that it did become a cross-city project, both for themselves and for the young people. This became more apparent in the last six months and was highlighted by youth workers in their post-production debriefing meeting (12-01-11). For the youth workers this came through the connection with young people from different centres who had become familiar to them and with whom relationships of trust had developed. For the young people this came partly from the team work needed for the production but it was also a social feature: „making new friends‟ was one of their most frequent comments. One youth worker was aware in August 2010 that some young people had (outside the project) been travelling to different parts of the city beyond their own areas and they would probably not have done this without the links which the project created. In these ways the project had strong community elements. 25 At the end of the project, partners took the chance to celebrate what had been achieved. BYS secured additional funding from Birmingham City Council for a celebration ball at the Council House. BRB organised a showing of the film of the performance of the young people‟s Cinderella, as neither the performers nor the youth workers had been able to see the performance. A documentary DVD was prepared. The Communications Department and external PR consultants handled publicity and media contacts. It is hard to imagine how a small or medium-sized arts organisation could have sustained a similar programme in such difficult economic times, nor how it could have mounted such a high profile representation of the activity. The PR activity and production of the DVD were funded from project resources, but without BRB‟s expertise in these areas, it is doubtful whether this aspect of the project could have been co-ordinated and managed during the final stage and after the production, in early 2011. One aspect of the project drew comment from the post-production dancers‟ group interview. This was the opportunity to confront stereotypical ideas about ballet. Just as the young man speaking at the YAB meeting was happy to say that ballet was for boys as well as girls, so one dancer emphasised the value of challenging notions of elitism and of gender stereotypes: Ideas about male ballet dancers in particular both being elite professionals and therefore elite people. I hate that and I‟m constantly trying to dispel the idea... Projects like that really do that and it‟s so nice for us to be able to go into a studio and just be normal people. That‟s something I really enjoy. I really enjoy that first couple of sessions where there‟s that realisation that “These are just guys. He lives in Ladywood too”. (Dancer B) As a counterpoint to the glamour of the final phase, this speaker emphasised the purpose and value of the project because it was undertaken by (largely) publicly funded organisations. Despite reservations about the project as a way of building audiences, its value was evident in different terms: We have a responsibility as a result of our funding to engage with the community. And to have the community understand what we do and why it‟s important for us to do that in the community. And in that sense, I think it‟s something that you can‟t put a value on. 26 Section C Other evaluation aims We considered above in Section B how far the project met its explicit aims. Additional questions were put to the evaluation team. For a fuller account of the evaluation process, see Appendices 1 and 2. Here we note only that in January 2010 the team sought guidance from the Management Group on where to deploy the time available as future activity escalated. The Group confirmed that our focus should be on professional development and the partnership work taking place. It was already clear that BYS would be tracking young people‟s „journeys‟; youth service staff were best placed to do this on a continuing basis and our team did not have the resources to tackle this adequately as well as other tasks. We had however benefited from access to the young people during 2009 and were able to speak with them informally during workshops, classes and rehearsals right through 2010 in the five youth centres, at the Patrick Centre and in the final stages at The Hippodrome. So, having observed some of the very first dance sessions in the youth centres in early 2009, we also saw the same young people 18 months later, working towards the public performance of Cinderella. This informal contact helped provide a backcloth for the areas on which we now concentrated. In Section C we address the questions posed in the early stages of the project (see Section A), giving attention to professional development and partnership work. In Section D we address more directly other issues arising from the evaluation, especially the ways in which different pedagogies were operating within this project and how people from different working environments handled this. C 1 The effectiveness of the project in engaging young people in good quality dance and arts opportunities The young people taking part in BB&Me were able to attend performances of the highest international standard. They were able to work with dancers who perform at this level but who were ready to help them develop their own skills in an appropriate way. They had opportunities to perform to invited audiences. They encountered many BRB creative, administrative and technical staff and freelance artists each of whom brought a particular professional approach to the activity. Over time, they came to understand the degree of personal effort needed to produce such a performance. Section B gave a fuller assessment of these issues, but they had to understand at the least schedules, timetabling, the pattern of rehearsals, and the importance of attending because the absence of one individual could affect everyone else in that scene. Those with special needs BB&Me aimed to be inclusive in drawing in all sorts of young people, but especially those who might not easily be able to access live cultural experiences. One youth centre was for young people with learning disabilities and a group of eleven participated throughout the project. There was a telling progression from early 2009 to late 2010. During the Still Life phase, each youth centre rehearsed a scene and these were put together in sequence in the final rehearsal at the Patrick Centre, when all participants also learned the finale. The worker at this youth centre (and her assistant) chose to dance alongside the young people and it was clear in rehearsals that this gave them confidence. After the performance she was delighted that they had had the chance to perform in such an event. 27 By the time of the casting for Cinderella, participants from the five youth centres had been mingling both in ballet classes and in the intensive sessions. This meant that these particular young people were coping with a much wider range of people than usual, and that other participants were getting used to what they could do and how they might on occasion need back-up. In the performance, members of this youth centre did not operate as a group, but had roles alongside other young people. Like the casting process, this was excellent practice. It was possible because over time all participants had been able to adapt to any special issues and take account of them, and the young people themselves had developed the confidence to take part, in some cases taking substantial roles and performing with panache. Post-performance, the choreographers commented in a group interview on how they had themselves learned from working with these young people: We had three or four kids with quite severe learning difficulties and I think for us, learning to communicate in a way that was suitable.... we had to learn to communicate and to be very specific because what we found was, if we set something, it was impossible for them to change it. It took so long to kind of re-educate that movement into that person‟s body. (Dancer B) These dancers said how impressed they were by the support given them by other participants and recognised the role of the youth workers in this respect. C 2 The impact on young people and how the development of the project leads to this impact In the first year, youth workers commented especially on the commitment and discipline required from the participants. Later, the Youth Artistic Board (September 2010), and finally a wider group at the BYS Young People‟s Evaluation (February 2011) highlighted confidence, self esteem, and social benefits as well as dance skills. From seeing the project develop over time we emphasise again the tenacity needed to continue through a project like this where not every component will be entirely to the taste of every young person. The variety of opportunities has not been mentioned much by interviewees but we highlight this as a key requirement of any long-term project which seeks to offer something with which every young person can engage. Some enjoyed most the development of dance technique: for them the instruction in ballet classes was important. Others liked best the chance to perform, and they were given those opportunities. Some gained from the drama sessions which showed how performance can use mime and talents other than ballet technique. All appreciated the recognition they had, whether through an attendance certificate, an Arts Award, a word in rehearsal from a choreographer or ballet mistress, encouragement from another young person, or the applause of an audience. Over two years, the consistent support of the youth workers made this project more than the sum of its parts and for those young people lacking much parental support or facing particular difficulties, their role was crucial. Still Life at the Penguin Cafe, performed at the Patrick Centre, was an excellent choice for the first phase. The „Exploration‟ phase enabled ideas to be tried out and drafted into a performance synopsis. Cinderella called for probably more than anyone had envisaged. But as a public performance in a renowned venue, with the 28 full professional support of BRB and Hippodrome staff, it gave these young people an experience to remember. It is rare for young people to be stretched in this way and given the chance to show what they are able, with support, to achieve. Some secondary schools in the public sector and some in the independent sector can offer such special opportunities. But BB&Me was not working with schools. These young people were not „captive‟ and not obliged to keep turning up to evening sessions on a cold November evening when life might be full of other problems or they might have to ask a parent to deliver and collect them. No-one should underestimate the resolution and commitment of these young people and of the adults, whether family, youth workers or BRB staff, who stood behind them to enable them to reach the performance. Bayc‟s Youth Arts Development Officer observed: „I have never seen youth workers pushed so hard but with support they rose to the challenge and achieved so much‟ (November 2010). BRB‟s dancers and members of the Department for Learning reflected on areas of practical understanding which are easily overlooked: Not only did they have to know when to come on, they also had the obstacle of coming up the stairs and time off stage.... They had to know the music: after 16 counts, you need to walk on...‟ (Ballet mistress January 2011) Just as we observed and noted in the Interim Report the difference between the manner and focus of the young people between their first sessions and later stages, so this was evident to others who worked closely with the young people: The problem was at the beginning really. The talking was still there even during the intensives: that was the middle ground. By the end you could have heard a pin drop. Some had seen a Company class. Afterwards they said: “They don‟t talk. They get on and do it.” It really made them think. By the end they were really on the ball. It was the same backstage: I thought it would be a matter of crowd control but their behaviour was amazing. (Ballet mistress, January 2011) The choreographers interviewed after the production also gave credit to their ability to concentrate: Considering that they‟re not trained dancers and there‟s a limit to what you can do, I think the majority of them coped very well. Not only with the choreography, but with the transition between studio to the stage, dealing with the lights, the orchestra – we do that all the time and even we have issues.... They just got on there and just did it. That‟s why I like working with young people because they‟re so adaptable and they‟ll just go along with it.... All sorts of gripes that we have because it‟s our day-to-day job, they were just “Oh, OK, keep going”. (Dancer F) During 2010, the Youth Artistic Board made a lively contribution to the project. YAB members took the opportunity and made the most of it: they communicated effectively with friends at the youth centres, with members of the Company, with potential sponsors, and with national media organisations. Its members gave a powerful example of a mature and productive contribution to a major project. 29 The project offered an unusual chance to these young people which the youth workers appreciated. One remarked on how special it could be for some participants: What an opportunity to do a project with Birmingham Royal Ballet! Some of them go through school: they don‟t cause any problem but they don‟t really achieve much. (Youth worker, May 2010) BB&Me, in her view, was an amazing opportunity as well as something which they could put on a CV: it might be especially valuable for those who „find it hard to articulate‟. This youth worker said in interview how impressed she was to see young people sustaining their commitment over (at this point) more than 12 months and building relationships with other young people across the city. Two telling post-performance reflections came from people who were directly involved about the effect this project had on the young people: In terms of “reaching for the stars”, we don‟t always get these opportunities in a youth work setting, but with the rich partnerships involved, we did. (bayc Youth Arts Development Officer, November 2010) There were some profoundly priceless moments. When light bulbs sparked in their eyes. (BB&Me Choreographic Director, February 2011) C 3 The impact on the partner organisations including the development of staff knowledge and understanding of partners’ professional expertise Development across organisations In the early stages, the project‟s Management Group envisaged joint training and CPD sessions for those involved and some of these took place eg a professional development session for senior managers in October 2008 and an early training session led by bayc‟s Youth Arts Development Officer. During 2010 it was hard to organise joint meetings for all involved. Meetings between youth workers and the company‟s dancers/ choreographers could not be arranged in a structured way because of the difficulty of different working schedules and touring commitments. BYS held meetings of the youth workers which were sometimes attended by BRB‟s Project Manager and in February 2010 BYS organised a team building day for young people and youth workers to which BRB staff contributed. The BB&Me Project Manager led parts of the day alongside BYS staff. This was an excellent demonstration of collaboration and showed how far the partners had come in working in parallel. Though planned for the young people, this event also constituted professional development for the adults involved. If formal CPD sessions have been relatively limited, the informal learning on this project has been very marked. We have seen this not only in the „getting to know you‟ stages during which BYS and bayc staff on the one hand and BRB staff on the other had to get to grips with how the other organisation worked with young people. This was not always a comfortable process because it could require each partner to reassess its priorities for the project. 30 We also saw how key people worked when a difficult situation or a real crisis arose. One instance was when in spring of 2010 participants were obliged to work barefoot for Indian dance sessions. The reluctance of some young people to do so had to be addressed and youth workers were important in articulating the concerns to BRB staff. An agreement was jointly reached whereby some would sit out of the class for these sessions. The Company arranged media training for YAB members, some of whom were interviewed during the August intensives. A slip of the tongue by one young person during a regional TV broadcast proved embarrassing and here again the youth workers were able to convey to BRB what this meant so that a suitable response could be made and were there to give support. The young person chose not to pursue the matter. Probably the most difficult situation arose when, just ten days before the BB&Me performance, some young people attending the new production of Cinderella behaved inappropriately, provoking a complaint from a member of the audience. Telephone and email discussion between BYS staff and BRB staff over the weekend was followed by a Monday morning meeting with youth workers and BB&Me staff which unanimously agreed that five young people should be excluded from the production. After a morning of much speculation, the young people were told this. While this was at the time very demanding and dispiriting for everyone involved, the moment was managed very steadily and the immediate drama was overtaken by the need to focus on the coming performance. This as an important learning point for all the young people but also showed the partners working together with a united front at a particularly difficult time. These examples of difficulties overcome should not undermine the achievements made. They show rather that a sound partnership will find ways to handle the unforeseen pitfalls which are bound to appear in any initiative. Reviewing the nature of the many meetings, sessions and having observed activities involving young people and adults over more than two years, we want to stress the informal learning opportunities which presented as this project developed. Some of these could probably never have been predicted. (See also Sections B3, and D.) We also saw adults from all partner organisations operating very effectively together, as in the May 2010 feedback session involving „Exploration‟ phase artists and youth workers: An excellent session, very well prepared for, excellently facilitated and the artist/youth workers interface very well managed..... A very important discussion is facilitated between youth workers and artists around the social content of young people‟s ideas and where these might have come from..... This is a very inspiring and rewarding session and it is clear that all present feel this has been a unique and very special occasion. A [the artistic director] and B [choreographic director] work together without ego, very effective, very committed and their combined experience is really lifting the work. (Fieldnotes May 2010) Development for BYS and bayc staff Birmingham Association of Youth Clubs played a key role in the initial partnership development and offered continued support for the project manager. They are 31 committed to producing training and did so in sessions in the opening phase. Later bayc became less active on a regular basis but the Chief Executive began the „Legacy‟ discussions by leading a session for BB&Me partners in October 2010. We noted above that bayc‟s organisational review had refocused its actions after the start of this project. The Youth Arts Development Officer was involved in early events, attended some Management Group meetings and helped during final rehearsals at the Hippodrome. She was also the direct point of contact and support for the Project Manager when she spent time at bayc‟s offices. BYS youth centre staff recruited and supported the young people for each phase of the project, being present with them before, during and after each activity or event. During early and mid 2009 the „core‟ youth workers at the five centres continued to work with their young people. There was a period of reduced momentum at management levels until late in 2009 two members of the central team were allocated to work on the project and support youth workers. A clearer focus overcame some earlier uncertainty. Better communication at a strategic level happened just when the youth workers who had been involved since March 2009 were becoming more confident about their role. The incoming youth officers were able to give time to tracking the young people‟s experience. They organised a team building event for all young people and youth workers in February 2010 and ensured that youth workers had their own meetings to share experience about BB&Me. One supported the Youth Arts Board set up by the new Artistic Director, attending all sessions. They also developed evaluation processes to track young people‟s responses in a style familiar to the BYS. All youth workers achieved Arts Award training. Equally important to one youth worker were the relationships which they had developed: It has been difficult with staffing: managing it, the commitment required; staffing levels especially. But for what young people get out of it: it‟s relationship-building – potential for the future. (Youth Worker, May2010) In the Still Life phase of the project youth workers told us that this project was developing in a quite different style from that they had seen with Ballet Hoo. So although practical and indeed ideological issues would arise, there was a working atmosphere which enabled these to be addressed. Early in 2010, this was echoed by the incoming youth officer from the central team. During the August 2010 intensives, one meeting (16-08-10) brought together the youth workers and dancers/choreographers. All involved spoke of this as a turning point. One dancer commented: That was really, really good. I did the Ballet Hoo project and we never had a meeting like that. And through the entire project we had problems with the youth workers. We had differences of opinions and difference of views simply because we never had a meeting like that. Simply by establishing a common ground, it was a level playing field for everyone. (BRB choreographer August 2010) Our observation confirmed the value of this session, held „to deal with rising tensions between two groups‟. At the time, these seemed to exemplify the culture clash between BRB professionals and youth workers. Field Notes describe the artistic director and choreographic director as 32 brave and right to tackle these head on in another brilliantly facilitated meeting.... In the end both sides full of mutual admiration, but issues to do with discipline, expectations of choreographers surfaced and dealt with positively and to mutual satisfaction. ((Field notes 17 -08-10) This important discussion took place 18 months into the project. The original hope had been that such rapport and understanding would develop in the first months but this proved to be unduly optimistic. It takes time to develop understanding and trust between partners: the generous timescale of this project made that a realistic aim and one which was met. The Choreographic Director later described this as „a wonderful good catalyst moment with the youth workers. I was really chuffed with things. People left feeling really good energy‟. Finally, the very experienced bayc Youth Arts Officer recognised the strength of BB&Me‟s artistic direction in being clear with the young people during the August intensives: He was very clear with the boundaries. He said “I can‟t give you total autonomy, so I can‟t promise you that.” We sometimes do give the impression that it‟s possible, but life‟s not like that. The above is borne out by our observations from the first YAB session (April 2010) where it was made very clear that there were areas which the young people could decide or could advise, but other areas where the actual decision would have to be made by others. The part played by youth workers was warmly appreciated by choreographers in the post-production group interview. Dancer E: They‟d be there in rehearsals from time to time... If someone was getting restless or someone was getting tired and needed pepping up, and we‟d be choreographing.. they‟d be able to help... Dancer B: They maybe stepped back a little bit in the early part of our rehearsal process, probably for fear of getting in the way, not interfering.... I did feel kept in the loop from the youth workers for example if someone wasn‟t going to be present they‟d come to us and told us and if it was appropriate they told us why. Dancer E: They were really helpful. I guess we were both doing our respective things. Dancer G: They felt really involved and really comfortable in choreographing large sections- and keeping the ideas together and what we wanted and what the kids wanted to do as well. So I felt as if they were part of our team. They helped with discussions and the whole process as well. Prior to this period, some youth workers had felt ambivalent about their role as it seemed to be to „deliver‟ the young people to sessions run by BRB staff. During the August intensives some youth workers chose to join the ballet class. Others were happy to contribute as described above, making suggestions which could help the scene develop. 33 In our view the main professional development in this project has been through learning at work: through facing situations and reviewing them separately and collectively in order to move things forward. This has probably been more influential than any specific training sessions. Development for BRB dancers/ choreographers The team of dancers contracted to work on choreography was complemented by staff from the Department for Learning who have substantial experience of working with children and young people. One member of staff thought that a key skill was „adaptability‟. This was born partly of a frustration that „each session you‟d never know – it was quite hard if you had a plan in place, if you‟d prepared a section, to choreograph it with the young people‟. And because there were so many groups, if there was any staff absence, it was possible to find oneself working with a unfamiliar group on an unfamiliar scene. Her very philosophical response was: „It‟s not a bad thing – you need the skills to get on and do it‟. For the ballet mistresses, having the music was essential because they needed to help the young people to count through their sequences, and this called for preparation. One felt that learning to maximise the ideas of the young people and shape sequences to fit their ability had proved „a more creative way of working: „You can‟t just put steps on people who haven‟t done ballet before because it would look awkward‟ (Ballet mistress, January 2011). A very experienced facilitator pinpointed some unfamiliar demands which BRB dancers faced in working with these young people. There were always creative surprises but in addition: I found working with large groups – it may be the nature of young people – challenging to settle. I‟m not a shouter, not a whistle blower: it was a bit of a surprise. The company dancers who took part in the Still Life sessions in early 2009 or in the 2010 classes and intensive sessions stressed the value for them of working in a creative project in a different way, with young people. In August 2010 they reflected on their reasons for contributing to the project: Dancer A: It‟s really rewarding project to see kids from outside the dance world get an opportunity and I think the reason I got involved was to see the end performance and to see them grow – and that‟s a really cool experience. Dancer B: I‟d done quite a lot of work for the ... Department for Learning...one-off short projects or evenings or longer projects. And I think I was just looking to build on that to increase the skills of dealing with young people, but also dealing with people in a creative environment, in the studio. Dancer C: It‟s not something we get to do very often. So it‟s nice to do something different. Dancer A: It helps us as well: choreographically... and the different skills that you learn by working with people. 34 For dancers who are themselves used to working to direction in the studio, the chance to lead classes developed additional skills in managing a class, building rapport and sharing knowledge. They commented (August 2010): Dancer B: A lot of the skills that you develop from working with a group of young people aren‟t necessarily different from the skills you‟d need to run a studio of professional dancers, so in many ways it‟s practice for the same thing, regardless of the skill levels of the people you‟re working with. This dancer/choreographer repeated the same thoughts in January 2011 after weeks of rehearsing for the performance of Cinderella. A less experienced dancer highlighted the reciprocity of the learning relationships: Dancer D: Everything‟s from the beginning and you have to sort of build a foundation, like a rapport with them and then give them as much information as you can about the art form and what we‟re going to achieve.... Working with people it‟s like a two-way thing as well... they‟re giving us a lot of ideas. And we‟re able with our skills I guess to sort of streamline them and point them in the right direction for the end product. These dancers reflected on the difference for them between taking instruction or direction and learning to nurture others: Dancer F: Usually we‟re the ones that are participating, being told what to do, getting directed. But when you‟re – even just teaching class – you‟re at the front of the room and you‟re having to hold everyone‟s attention and you‟re trying to give then the best experience possible and get stuff – achieve things and all that – I found that quite interesting straight away because you have to make that switch..... between delivering, fulfilling your job in a dancer sense or delivering what you want out of people and getting them to do stuff for you. These skills which are second nature to the experienced staff within the Department for Learning were being acquired through the project by members of the company and, from their reflections, were contributing to their own professional development. The chance to encourage young people‟s creativity was something which some dancers enjoyed in the August intensive sessions: Dancer F: For the young people we‟re working with, it‟s really inclusive and they‟re just as much the choreographers as we are because we‟re dancing off each other. These past couple of rehearsals, B and I approached them a bit more experientially and prompted them and then saw what they came back with. We didn‟t go in a with a set idea of something to teach them and it‟s really interesting watching their reactions to that and how we can give them ideas on the scene, what the characters are going to be like, or ask them what they want the characters to be like... It‟s much simpler to go into a room and say „This is what we‟re going to do‟. And that‟s it. Dancer B described the more open-ended approach as a „workshopping concept. The BB&Me Director of Choreography felt that the project had offered Something about fresh ways to relate to young people. It was different from the classical ballet model. They were differentiating or adapting the dance 35 material. They learned about working a room – holding the attention of the young people. By 2011 the choreographers had further reflections on the process. The exploration phase had been followed by the more focused rehearsal phase in the autumn when they returned from touring and the pressure of time with the young people was acute. In the final weeks rehearsals had to be more targeted: What we were doing was really that direct instruction with the students and the idea was we have to be channelling the young people‟s ideas. So some of that was happening. I think by the end it was more a case of us being very specific about what they needed to do rather than their lead. (Dancer B) The touring schedule made things difficult because the young people, the youth workers and the artistic direction team had to sustain development which could mean changes to what had previously been agreed with the choreographers. The dancers also regretted the fact that they had not been involved in the process of generating the story line, because some of them were uneasy about the ways in which it diverged from the traditional Cinderella plot. This had proved difficult when characters were still being created a week before the show (Dancers‟ group interview 12-01-11). At the same time they recognised that more advance preparation would have meant allocating more time and extra expense. Some concerns could have been addressed through a weekly meeting of the choreographers „to review the story and review what‟s been changed‟ But this too would have incurred additional cost. Development for other BRB staff Some Heads of Department have been very supportive and practical about what was needed to make this project successful and to help give the young people a good experience and facilitate a good performance. The company continues to offer work experience and this may give further opportunities for Heads of Departments to get to know what young people are seeking and what they are capable of. Work experience carries its own management cost in planning: at company level in selecting young people and seeking to meet their needs, at departmental level, in providing a framework to ensure that young people are given a worthwhile experience. The Costume Department had contact with each member of the cast. This production presented a variety of physiques quite different from those of the professional dancers with whom the department usually works. Adjustments were made to the construction of individual costumes so that the young people would feel comfortable wearing them. Many participants were grappling with teenage issues to do with personal style, body image and so on. Some needed time to understand that the individual was a part of the whole and the overall design mattered more than one‟s personal image. At the same time, the attention by staff to detail and final presentation was just what would have happened in a professional performance. Early assumptions that the participants might want their Cinderella to be performed in street clothes had to be rethought when the young people opted for traditional costumes. There was a launch to inform the Company about the project, and departments were approached individually about the different parts they could play. However staff had limited time on this project and they are accustomed to working with professionals 36 who know and fit in with familiar processes. There were instances of delays or misinterpretations, as when the young people‟s production was either „not yet ready‟ for the technical team, or when an individual participant was less careful than expected about a costume. These moments were overcome, but made BB&Me staff vigilant about ensuring that the interface with BRB departments would be as positive as possible. In the weeks prior to Cinderella, it was not clear how far the aims of the project and the logistical challenges were fully appreciated by all departments. A company operating at national and international levels has a constant forward momentum to meet the next commitment and staff were already busy working towards BRB‟s new production of Cinderella. One practical suggestion from the Department for Learning‟s review was that on another occasion it might be advisable to produce a young people‟s performance associated with a production which is already in the Company‟s repertoire, rather than one which was about to be premiered. However, after the performance, soundings by the Department for Learning elicited very positive responses from some senior managers, who emphasised the evident effect on young people, the learning within the company, the successful fundraising, the profile given to classical ballet and the rigour it requires, the motivational power and community value of the project. One senior respondent noted that the work was Very important for the Company. BRB is giving the young people valuable experience in working in an environment they are simply not used to, and makes them aware of the disciplines, professionalism and hard work behind the scenes and in performance. Another commented on „the highs‟ as: The performance. Watching the young performers enjoy and develop their performance skills from the first rehearsal to the performance. The „learning‟ was captured as: That ballet can inspire, motivate, challenge and develop young people. It can also inspire, motivate and challenge all BRB staff involved with the project. Another senior colleague noted that for those who sponsored the project: Funders were delighted with the quality of the project and its effectiveness in engaging young people and sustaining their motivation and interest over such a long time. Department for Learning staff developed great expertise. Their own review of „lessons learned‟ for planning future programmes on a large scale wisely distinguished between reactions in the euphoria just after the performance of Cinderella, and more measured reflections in the weeks following. If the Department were to embark now on a follow-up project akin to BB&Me, it already knows some areas which it would redesign and staff have the confidence and skills to handle the demands of such a project. They also know the factors which made BB&Me a success and which they would want to replicate. We consider more fully in Section D the varieties of pedagogy which featured in this project and the ways in which these interacted. 37 C 4 The effectiveness of the governance structure, and the management and leadership structure The project operated through a number of groups. The Steering Group was necessary as it included senior representatives of the organisations involved and initiated the project as a whole. It met at intervals during its development. While the Steering Group was able from the very start to set out the vision which it had, the details of the project were handled at other levels. Its Chair person had helped to develop the initial idea of an educational project alongside BRB‟s new Cinderella. She also chaired the Management Group. A member of BRB‟s Board, her role in this project was as an independent facilitator. The BB&Me Management Group comprised some BRB senior managers and representatives of the partner organisations, meeting (usually) monthly. BRB‟s Department for Learning kept detailed minutes of these discussions and decisions and the evaluation team attended about half the meetings. The Chairperson was a champion for the project both internally and outside the Company, combining this with being a mediator when particular problems arose. BRB‟s Development Director, Communications Director and Finance Director were all key to the progress of the project at different points, in bidding for additional funds, and presenting BB&Me to the outside world. Monitoring the various budgets for different funders and tracking the input from the various partners, both financial and „in kind‟ was a key task (See Appendix 4). The Management Group up-dated its formal risk assessments as the work developed. We were impressed by the Department for Learning‟s attention to detail in monitoring discussions and decisions and recording these in the minutes of meetings. There was an administrative cost to this, but it gave a chance for staff to reflect on progress and to record the decision-making process. The Operations Group was a smaller group of representatives of BYS and bayc alongside Department for Learning staff, which met usually fortnightly, and dealt with more day-to-day issues. Here practical problems could be picked up promptly and often dealt with without delay. Regular Artistic Team meetings took place during 2011 for the development of Cinderella. While youth workers initially felt that they could contribute to this, once a BYS representative had attended some meetings, it was clear that this would not be the best use of people‟s time. Youth workers from participating centres had regular meetings usually without a BRB representative to check how things were developing and address any issues that were emerging. We noted in the 2010 Interim Report that people often spoke in 2009 about the need for „communication‟. Paradoxically, we heard it said that there were „many meetings‟, the implication being „too many‟. When activity increased in 2010, other key people were involved: the artistic director, the choreographic director, and the two people from BYS central team. The project became more complex and the role of the Project Manager more demanding. However the various groups meant that these people were encountering each other frequently so there were opportunities to raise issues as they developed. The Youth Artistic Board became an active component in the management of the project and contributed strongly during 2010, for instance joining in a presentation to a potential funder, speaking about the project to BRB and BYS staff, and coping with external media opportunities. YAB sessions were facilitated by the artistic director, with the director of choreography and a member of BYS central team present. The BB&Me Project Manager sometimes joined the group. 38 Channels between these various groups were kept open by the BRB Project Manager with a direct link with core youth workers and also in 2010 by the two members of BYS central staff. This may seem like a multiplicity of groups, but each served a different purpose and for a complicated long-term project, it is hard to see exactly where one could reduce these. While the role of each group was understood in general terms, there was one point at which a decision (about whether to try to recruit additional male participants) did move between groups. Discussions following this clarified the decision-making structure in a more formal way. In any future project, this might be agreed more clearly at the outset. However this is said with hindsight and we would rather stress the open-ended and risk-taking style in which this project began, which allowed all sorts of possibilities to be explored without being hampered by the blight of delays for committee approval. We said earlier that the longevity of the project and the stability of BRB were strong factors in the project‟s success. When challenges emerged, not only was there sufficient time to address them, there was also an imperative to deal with them. There could be no „fudging‟ a temporary way out for the short term. BRB‟s organisational structure enabled staff to handle particular issues as they arose, without being delayed by submissions to many internal committees. For instance, when the logistics and cost of transport to the city centre proved a difficulty for one youth centre, BRB was able (having made contingency allowances in the project budget) to cover the cost of transport. Decisions about costumes too, required unexpected expenditure: the working assumption had been that the young people would prefer their Cinderella to adopt a modern casual style. In fact they asked for more traditional costumes. This preference was accepted and BRB allocated sufficient funds from the project budget to enable its designers and seamstresses to create a wardrobe of costumes at a standard which reflected the company‟s normal production values. Here too, the production was not delayed by having to persuade colleagues that this was necessary. The aim of combining excellence and inclusion was sustained. There was an inevitable imbalance between the youth services which partnered BRB in this project. At the start of this project, BYS employed many youth workers who had direct contact on a weekly basis with young people in their centres, though these staff were increasingly conscious that there would be severe staff cuts; 33 youth workers were involved in the project (Table 3). Bayc had two staff members working with the voluntary sector and 3 people from bayc were involved in the project (Table 3). These distinctions sharpened during the period of the project: we noted above how staff changes at senior level played a part. BYS was able to bring in two new staff members to directly support youth workers and the Youth Artistic Board, while bayc provided (part-time) office space and one-to-one support for the BB&Me project manager. By late 2010, the situation in the voluntary sector was also difficult. Bayc had already reconfigured the work which it could do but public expectations of „The Big Society‟ did not always take account of the situation for voluntary organisations „on the ground‟ which were under great pressure. BB&Me‟s Management Group was the route through which such situations in partner organisations were recognized and given due attention. Among the various groups with their particular responsibilities, the project manager post was central to the success of the project. This was a demanding role which required the ability to 39 communicate with young people, youth workers, artists, dancers and other colleagues at BRB as well as senior managers in all the partnership organisations and external contacts. In a perfect world, where the ultimate scale of BB&Me could have been foreseen, it would have made sense to appoint the project manager at a higher level and to allow separately, possibly on a part-time basis, for additional administrative support. C 5 The style, quality and rigour of workshops and youth work Workshops We signalled in the Interim Report (Galloway and Neelands, 2010, p.12) instances of first class workshops and the caution which we had about some others. By the end of this project, young people had experienced sessions led by BRB dancers, Department for Learning staff, freelance instructors, self-employed artists, and BYS staff. The „Exploration‟ phase was well planned in offering a „lab‟ session for both freelance artists and youth workers, and in scheduling a feedback session after this sequence of workshops. These were very well organised and generated many good ideas from the young people‟s sessions with the artists which helped shape the Cinderella synopsis. One youth worker accustomed to organising workshops for young people was pleased with the way in which the freelance artists had been prepared: Some come in and say: “This is what I expect...”. In the past I‟ve had to negotiate. Not on the ballet project. With the Exploration sessions, that wasn‟t a problem. All the workers have been clear about their brief and that‟s really important. Youth worker May 2010 A bonus here was that working with a variety of artists meant that the list of contacts available to the youth centre had been extended: „If I want to do a photographic project I will ring Jo‟. However having just two workshops with each freelance artist working in different art forms meant that this could be a rather kaleidoscopic experience rather than a sequence offering links and progression. There were inspiring sessions but some lacklustre ones. Some youth workers were fully involved throughout, others took a more passive role as observers, or left the artist largely in control of the group. This was of course an „Exploration‟ so no-one would want to be over-prescriptive: it might however be wise on another project to think about some of these issues. A flavour of the range observed in early summer 2010 includes: Expert facilitation and real patience and determination to get outcomes, but very slow to get attention and get on with it. [Artist] finds it very difficult to focus young people and get any outcomes. Accepts whatever is given by young people.... Young people come and go as they please, take a long time to settle and get on with work.... Youth worker joins in and has excellent rapport. 40 No real sense of progression in the artist workshop or across workshops. Every session starts at the beginning and not enough building on prior work. (Fieldwork notes May 2010) We heard earlier how in the August intensives dancers developed their own ways of exploring ideas with the young people rather than imposing a set sequence. There were some frustrations because of the fact that these sessions were actually part of the auditioning process so the choreographers were working with young people who would not necessarily take those parts in the production. Other choreographers valued the more open-ended opportunities. The following comments illustrate the range of opinion about these days: Dancer E: All credit to them because they were committed to doing it, to being part of the experiment when there‟s no structure. Dancer A: Yeh, it‟s pointless if you‟re not in that scene to learn that stuff, keep that stuff in your head. Dancer F: There wasn‟t really a set goal for what we wanted to achieve in these past few days. It‟s another opportunity to familiarise ourselves with them because we haven‟t had much to do with them. And that‟s kind of nice, because if we‟d never met them, if the casting was done and we came in „cold‟ , there‟s less to draw upon, in terms of your interaction with people. Youth work The key youth workers kept close to the action throughout and were themselves helped by part-time workers or volunteers. Each youth centre had its own character and they did not operate in a standard way. They work with the knowledge of particular issues in the lives of the young people to establish rapport and support when it is needed, and this was essential to the success of the project. There were points at which the youth workers‟ intervention either explained particular difficulties, articulated the unease of young people, or smoothed the way for the project, avoiding pitfalls. One example concerned the requirement for some dance sessions that the young people should work barefoot, which provoked a negative response from some participants (discussed earlier). Another example concerned the casting announcements: BRB usual practice would have been to announce to everyone at Thorp Street, perhaps using this as an opportunity to film responses. BYS staff felt that the announcements should be made locally in the youth centres, where young people would have time to take in their role and if needed, would have the chance to talk with someone about it. We said in a progress update to the Management Group (October 2010) that the resulting process was exemplary. Each participant received a personal letter on BRB notepaper (not a list of names posted on a notice board or read out or sent by email). The letter signed by the BB&Me artistic director and the choreographic director explained why, after the August intensive sessions, the recipient had been chosen for this part, what the potential was in the role and how the directors felt that this person could make the most of this opportunity. Some letters mentioned technical skills, others a talent for strong characterisation, others highlighted the ability to work hard in a team and pick up what was needed. These called for meticulous and thoughtful drafting from the directors. 41 Some youth work is almost invisible but this project gave many opportunities to engage with young people. This could be through the endless planning and arranging and supervising of sessions, or it could be, as one youth worker explained, in overseeing the process of taking measurements (August 2010). Here youth workers had the chance to talk with those waiting to be measured one at a time and commented that this was a good opportunity. By this stage, each youth worker had become known to young people from other youth centres and there was no longer the demarcation which had been there at the start of the project. Outside the scheduled workshops, classes and rehearsals, BB&Me stimulated other opportunities to work with young people. This was sometimes project-related in a general sense eg displaying photographs in the youth centre, booking an extra (nonBRB) dance instructor, preparing a piece for a community event, or arranging a trip to see a musical in London. Sometimes however it was part of their more ‟invisible‟ work as in encouraging someone through a difficult patch: such crises are not project-related but resolving them can have a knock-on effect which will boost the young person‟s commitment to continue in this project and presumably in future commitments. It was impressive too, to see how youth service staff and BRB staff co-operated very speedily by email interchanges and/or meetings to resolve specific concerns as they arose in the final months of the project. In their January 2011 post-production de-briefing, youth workers said that if they had been involved from the outset, they could have foreseen and prevented certain practical difficulties (eg those relating to transport). However at the planning stage in 2008, the project had been in its infancy. The core youth workers were brought in from early 2009 and extra support from the central team came from late 2009. C 6 The effectiveness of arrangements to fully involve young people and young dancers in the management and development of the project The Youth Artistic Board (YAB) of 17 young people first met in April 2010 and continued working until December 2010, representing the five youth centres and all participants. In 2009, a young people‟s focus group had met on occasion but this format then had not proved successful. In the early stages, these young people did not have the confidence to address the Management Group – and did not have a focus to talk about. We noted in our Interim Report (p.14) that from the first meeting of the Youth Artistic Board, there was a „noticeable confidence and readiness to respond to the issues being suggested and to put forward their own ideas‟. The YAB had a focus on the forthcoming production and was facilitated by the newly appointed BB&Me‟s artistic director and director of choreography. A BYS representative attended each meeting. The development of the young people who formed the YAB is one of the real successes of this project. By August 2010 they were able to give a coherent presentation to members of the Company, and to give interviews to BBC regional TV and radio news. Their role was to provide a two-way channel and we also observed them feeding back to youth centres. BRB is now considering how to develop further the potential of young people in similar fashion. Initially, there was a suggestion that some members of the young people‟s focus group would attend BB&Me Management Group meetings. This did not happen. By mid 2010, the Youth Artistic Board was working very effectively in a different way, clearly providing leadership, both in rehearsals and publicly. The 42 artistic director felt that it took about three months for this group to gel and to work in a really productive way (Documentary DVD, 2011). Our observations during the August intensives reflect how this group was nurtured and how it developed: Really expert facilitation ...adult to adult relationships with young people. Young people expertly prepared for presentations, prepped and given really useful advice on how to present themselves to an audience – how to „do the sweep‟ to get attention. This is really careful work. This is real authentic youth voice engagement. Presentation by young people excellent, very empowering, very confident. I‟m so impressed again by what has been achieved in terms of personal development for these young people. (Fieldwork notes August 2010) C 7 The effectiveness of the provision of accredited learning opportunities for young people We described in Section B2 the way in which the Arts Awards were delivered. Most youth workers have experience of seeing young people through various accreditation systems and it may be that closer consultation and planning early on would have been useful. The messages here are that in planning accreditation, organisations will want to assess carefully the choice of award, the degree of prescription, the location and timing of sessions, the style of support, taking account of the scale of the project. Despite difficulties, the achievement of the young people with the support they had was very significant: the bayc Youth Arts Development Officer, who had much experience of such awards, was sure that bringing in the advisor had helped raise the quality of what was produced. Supporting around 40 young people is a major undertaking when a group of ten is the largest normally working as a cohort. The Arts Award Advisor felt that BRB had „always been proactive and supportive‟ and also „very flexible, very organised, very structured. They seemed to understand the process‟. Both her reflections (November 2010) and the comments from some youth workers during the project indicated that there might have been a clearer approach to the offer of accreditation on the project. An early discussion with youth workers (not senior managers only) about the choice of this qualification and what it offered could have been useful. C 8 Monitoring the development of the project and ongoing formative assessment From the start it was clear that this would be a „slow burn‟ project. The evaluation therefore sought to keep in touch with developments in 2009 mainly in the five youth centres and in 2010 both in youth centres and at BRB‟s Thorp Street studios and the Hippodrome as this became an extremely complex project. We provided progress up-dates with emerging issues to the Management Group and met with the Director for Learning and Project Manager at key points in the project. These allowed different ways to reflect on experience so far. Attending some Management Group meetings enabled us to talk through various observations. Appendix 1 comments more fully on the evaluation processes and Appendix 2 summarises the fieldwork and other contacts as the project progressed. 43 Throughout this project, the Department for Learning provided detailed minutes of the Management Group meetings. This required significant office time. It was valuable to the evaluation team but the minutes also served as a way for the Department to reflect on progress during the project. 44 Section D Other issues emerging from the evaluation D1 A meeting of pedagogical paradigms From the outset the decision to work at professional levels to realise a series of performance projects with young people served by youth services was a challenge. Professional dance and youth work have very different pedagogic expectations and it was a major success of the BB&Me project that it gained the mutual respect of both sides of this equation. Many of the young people and those that work with them came to appreciate, understand and be proud of the discipline associated with classical dance and how it gave them confidence and enhanced levels of self-esteem to be inducted into this tradition. Conversely, many of the ballet professionals involved came to understand the worlds of the young people they were working with and the patient dedication and commitment of youth workers. Key to this was the emphasis from the beginning on building relationships and establishing rigorous dialogue which encouraged the surfacing of issues and the negotiation of different needs and expectations. BRB‟s Director for Learning and staff in that department, along with the Operations Group, including the teacher dancers and the project manager, were significant in achieving this by actively seeking out opportunities to meet with youth workers both formally and informally. Classical dance: culture and pedagogy Perhaps of all the arts, classical dance is most associated with rigorous discipline. The professional dancer is committed to a life of discipline in order to ensure their bodies are maintained as „instruments‟. This will mean taking health, fitness and gruelling daily training sessions extremely seriously, for instance. As with other performers the discipline of punctuality, mental and physical preparedness, and the willingness to accept direction are also vital. The culture of the dance class and of the rehearsal room tends to be dominated by the director and teacher who expect complete commitment and deference to their authority. Taken together there is a tradition of discipline in dance, which has become part of its pedagogic and well as its performance identity. In the BB&Me project young people worked with a range of artists, including the visual arts, photographers, and drama educators as well as dancers and choreographers. But the work with those most closely associated with classical dance was always characterised by a commitment to encourage, even demand, that young people would accept and embrace the „discipline‟ of the art form. Indeed on occasions, the work would be halted and participants reprimanded if the professionals did not feel that the levels of discipline were appropriate. Discipline in dance is of course important not least because of the risks of injury. It is also important in any performance project which requires rehearsal periods and training that the discipline of time management, attendance and preparedness are adhered to. Absences, lateness and inattention seriously affect the quality of the performance outcome for all involved not just the individual. Youth service work: culture and pedagogy The culture of youth services‟ engagement with young people is different. Young people choose to go to youth centres; they are not required to attend as they are in school. Many young people are seeking an experience distinctively different from 45 that offered in school and youth services are also keen to encourage young people who are disaffected by formal schooling to engage with other kinds of youth oriented activities that do not have the feel of institutional learning. Amongst the target groups for youth work provision will be young people who have a difficult relationship to any form of authority be it school, family or the police. Whilst some youth centre activities do require discipline from young people particularly for Health and Safety reasons, in general youth centres tend to be more informal, relaxed and leisurely than in schools and certainly more than a dance class or rehearsal. Whilst young people are encouraged to keep to commitments there is greater flexibility about punctuality, patterns of attendance and behaviour. The focus is on the individual young person and their needs rather than on fulfilling the demands of the project or working towards high stakes public performances. As one youth worker put it: „Our relationship with young people is voluntary and sometimes they don‟t turn up. They‟re going through life facing difficulties at times‟. Addressing areas of dissonance Within these broad pedagogic differences in the BB&Me project there were of course diverse pedagogic practices and expectations on both sides. Some professional dancers and instructors may have been more willing than others to listen to young people, seek their ideas and take an interest in their lives. They recognised themselves as potential positive role models for the young people and as ambassadors for classical dance. Some others who led sessions tended to drill and instruct without leaving much space for reflection and response. They tended to see the work with young people as being peripheral to their work for BRB rather than central to the organisation‟s ambition to be socially and culturally inclusive. There were points of conflict where dancers or choreographers appeared to put their own needs and professional esteem before those of the young people; particularly when the individual parts of Cinderella were brought together which required some editing and re-arrangement of choreographed work. Each pair of choreographers worked with particular groups so they obviously wanted them to show themselves at their best. Some engaged with the bigger picture of what the project was trying to achieve in terms of making a positive difference to young people‟s lives. Others were more concerned with the imperative of achieving high standards of performance on their own terms and irrespective of the longer term impact on young people. Amongst the youth workers there were some who found the emphasis on discipline, punctuality, silence in rehearsal and commitment difficult to accept. There was always a concern that the expectations of the production should take into account the difficulties in some young people‟s lives. All were keen to help and support young people to engage and commit with what they recognised to be a precious opportunity and some made remarkable personal sacrifices to keep young people on board. A difficult impasse arose around the structuring of evening activities for young people called to the Patrick Centre when not rehearsing. Rather than calling small groups, the strategy was to call the whole group so as to meet the objective of encouraging young people from across the city to establish relationships beyond their own youth centre. The Operations Group suggested there should be structured activities to keep the young people active and busy but there was reluctance from youth workers to try and impose structure rather than to allow relationships to grow organically through activities initiated by young people themselves. A varied approach was taken with the Operations Group being the conduit through which this happened. The Arts Award was introduced to the Tuesday sessions, in part to bring structure to the sessions, which the Operations Group considered important to keep young 46 people involved and busy with each other. The Arts Award is a more substantial challenge to young people and to youth workers than the accreditation system used and favoured by youth services; for this reason perhaps it was very difficult for BRB to get strong support from the youth workers in particular. There were also problems with the apparent mismatch of pedagogies between the Arts Award teaching and the pedagogical model established for the project as a whole. Young people, supported by the observations of the Operations Group, felt that the Arts Award was imposed on them rather than owned by them. The pedagogic expectation that young people should develop a strong sense of ownership of the project does not seem to have been true of the Arts Award element of training. However 40 young people gained the Bronze Arts Award and will have that as a formal recognition of their involvement in BB&Me. One achieved a Silver award. About 30 young people gained an ASDAN Bronze award during the project. A further pedagogic tension emerged because of the staging of the project, which meant that different groups of professionals and youth workers were involved at different stages and at times the continuity of what had been learnt by both sides was compromised. For various reasons most of the dancers who led early sessions with young people were not involved in the final stages of the project and some professionals who joined in the later stages had not been a part of the early dialogues about expectations and mission. So lessons learnt over the prior stages of the project were not always passed on. Ironically, it was sometimes the young people themselves who were the stable core of the project and in some cases we observed they took responsibility for negotiating to keep the strengths of the project alive. The overall pedagogic emphasis on listening to and acting on the voices of the young people encouraged this. For similar reasons, in this final stage the core group of youth workers was essential to the successful outcome because they understood what was needed to keep the young people on track and focused on the final performance. Releasing positive energy The project was primarily delivered through outreach at a number of youth centres in the early stages. This was challenging in terms of monitoring the off-site progress and standards of delivery across the project as a whole. There were also a large number of youth workers, dance professionals and other artists involved in delivery sequentially and simultaneously. This posed a considerable management problem in ensuring quality and that different groups would be ready for performance and for bringing their work together with that of other groups. Again the good and robust relationships that the project manager and Operations Group established were crucial in reporting on and tackling local problems. In some cases we observed, particularly in the Cyrano drama work and the devising period for Cinderella, there were marked variations in the quality of the pedagogic inputs and in some cases no sense of progression from session to session where these were led by different artists. In our observations we were struck by the patience of young people on those few occasions when they were obviously treading water and not being challenged sufficiently, or where they were being asked to repeat work and ideas. With hindsight and given the core importance of the impact of different pedagogies on the longer term impacts of the project for young people, some early opportunity for all involved to have conferred and established an agreed set of pedagogic principles and expectations might have been valuable. It would also be useful to have a clearer sense of what progression in dance might look like for this population, and what the 47 appropriate criteria might be for judging „accessible excellence‟ in this most physically demanding of art forms. In our view, the tensions between the pedagogies of classical dance and youth work were effectively and productively managed to produce a positive dynamic rather than being obstacles to the success of the project. By this we mean that the tensions produced a positive energy that gave BB&Me its dynamic to move forward. There were of course moments right up to the final stages of Cinderella rehearsals where these tensions would boil over. But this can happen in any creative process and by then the trust was in place between partners to cope. Amongst the core staff there was an impressive tenacity to develop flexible and responsive strategies for working effectively with young people in youth service settings whilst insisting on the values of discipline and commitment required to achieve the highest standards of performance. D2 Key roles and strategies involved in making a success of the project from a pedagogic perspective The BRB Department for Learning team were the glue that held the pedagogic integrity of the project together at all stages. They were particularly important in establishing an interface and dialogue between BRB and the youth service and with different professionals and departments of BRB as an organisation committed to the project. The dancers working for the Department for Learning were an invaluable and accessible model both for young people and for other professional dancers who were less experienced in working with young people. They were there for the young people giving appropriate levels of challenge and support and when required to translate dance ideas into terms that young people could relate to. There was impressively detailed attention to the design and implementation of processes throughout. The skills and experiences of the Department for Learning team and the freelancers employed as project managers and animateurs were used to anticipate problems and to design interventions to ensure the project progressed smoothly. This was particularly important in terms of the working and operational relationships between BRB, bayc and BYS, within different departments of BRB, and in ensuring that young people‟s expectations were realistic and achievable. There were occasional conflicts between process orientations and product expectations particularly where there were differences of art form experience in designing and implementing creative processes. The final stages of the project were for the most part successfully developed and managed by a partnership between a BRB choreographer with professional experience in motivational work with young people and adults and an experienced drama animateur committed to the quality of the learning process and giving young people ownership of the project. There was from some a perception that the drama emphasis in the devising stages should have given way to dance leadership as the project moved into the final stages before performance. There was some frustration on both sides. Choreographers expressed concerns that too many last minute changes were being made and that the young people were being over protected. The drama animateur felt that the choreographers were not all as well prepared and committed to the work with young people as he might have expected. Any production generates points of tension as pressure increases. In this case the partners had a sound basis of previous collaboration and all were committed to a good outcome for the participants. We are aware that almost everyone involved 48 gave more than was expected to ensure that the show was a success. The project manager and staff in the Department for Learning absorbed and mediated many issues as they arose during rehearsals at Thorp Street. Youth workers kept activities going in their youth centres while managing the logistics of accompanying young people during rehearsals and encouraging them as pressures mounted. The creation of the Youth Arts Board, the offer of Arts Award accredited training and the general respect for the ideas of the young people involved was a major strength of the project which turned it from a performance project into what became for many young people a transformational learning experience. The YAB was central to the generation of creative ideas and as a voice for all the young people involved. They were respected and listened to and they responded with great maturity and became highly effective ambassadors for the project. The model of the YAB encouraged mutual respect between the young people and professionals they worked with. We observed on several occasions how closely young people and professionals really listened to each other and took an interest in their different worlds and life stages. The YAB were also important ambassadors for the youth service and came to represent their aspirations for the young people they work with more generally. The youth workers we spoke with were proud of the young members of the YAB. Whilst there were some concerns with the pedagogical model of the delivery of the Arts Award strand and in particular the disconnect between the young people‟s actual experiences of BB&Me and the reporting and evidence requirements of the Award, the offer of accreditation for these young people had an important “bigger picture” impact. At the time the decision was taken to seek accreditation for young people‟s learning in the project, there was a policy awareness that for some young people a vocational qualification earned by reflective involvement in cultural or sporting activity may be a key to future success. The attention to detail that was a hallmark of the project was particularly evident in the careful development of key dialogues amongst stakeholders. Again there was mutual respect for the different working practices of professionals and respect for the contributions the different agencies and individuals were making to the project and to the lives of young people more generally. We observed sessions between youth workers and BRB professionals and other artists contributing to the scheme that were expertly facilitated and crucial to maintaining the trust and dialogue necessary for the success of such a complex and relatively long term project. The Management Group meeting of May 2010 which discussed excellence and inclusion was a powerful demonstration of partners‟ ability to grasp the nettle of the dissonance between different parties and to reach a solution, however different the ideologies or practice which they naturally favoured. They were not prepared to just close down the issue in the hope that it would go away. The sharing session between freelance artists, project managers, facilitators and youth workers at the end of the exploratory phase of the Cinderella project was a particularly inspiring example of successful multi-agency working. 49 E Final reflections E 1 Institutional learning, legacy and exit strategies At the end of any such project those involved need to de-brief, take stock and look ahead. They also need space to recover from such a major undertaking which stretches individual and departmental resources. In mid 2010, the partners began to consider the legacy of the project, but these discussions paused as the production neared, perhaps also because of the uncertainties surrounding jobs in the youth service. The role of Project Manager ended shortly after the production of Cinderella meaning that the person with – arguably - the closest grasp of how the project functioned on the ground was no longer with the Company. Others in the Department for Learning shared their experience in an evaluation meeting in January 2011. It would have been good to retain some of that very targeted learning by continuing a project manager post for a time at least or on a part-time basis, so as to sustain momentum. Other changes in the youth service, in the Management Group itself and in the funding context mean that since the December performance the Department has been re-thinking the framework for future work in this area. E 2 Factors supporting successful outcomes The „Birmingham model‟ is not a template which is automatically transferable to any similar project. However the success of BB&Me enables us to identify certain factors which could inform planning for future work between arts organisations and agencies akin to Birmingham Youth Service and Birmingham Association of Youth Clubs. Along with the strong commitment from the Company and its partners, the ability to develop over time and to address issues together – avoiding „quick-fix‟ solutions – was a key factor. This depends on not just motivation but also resources. Having the right people in place at the right time and having effective management structures is all-important. On a project of this duration, some professionals will come in at particular points and will have to learn about the project, its aims and the young people with whom they are working. In BB&Me, this was usually managed in a positive way but there were occasions when „later arrivals‟ needed time to understand the aims of the project. A sequence of varied activities, challenges and opportunities, with a flexible and responsive style enabled partners to develop mutual trust and young people to develop skills and personal confidence. The „consolidation‟ phases, though less showy, were very important in preparing for a final showcase performance which undoubtedly had the „wow factor‟. They enabled all parties, young people and adults, to perform at their best, whether it was on stage or in supporting the production in rehearsals and behind the scenes. This groundwork attracted no headlines but was the foundation needed to manage the more pressurised final stages. At every point the original commitment to giving young people a voice in the creative process and the management of the project was sustained, even at the times when it was hard to see how best to achieve that. For the young people themselves BB&Me was as big an opportunity for personal growth as it was a chance to acquire new skills and be part of a major performance. The project was indeed transformational but such success does not come by Cinderella magic: it was created by the vision, 50 commitment, energy, time and resources given by individuals and organisations. Meanwhile the reflexive approach taken by the Department for Learning and the interaction with other Departments during this project mean that the Company has a strong basis from which to plan future projects. References Department for Culture, Media and Sport (2004) Government and the Value of Culture. Paper by the Minister for the Department for Children, Schools and Families, Tessa Jowell. Galloway, S. and Neelands, J. (2010) Interim Report to the Management Group for the Birmingham Royal Ballet and Birmingham Joint Youth Services Project: Ballet, Birmingham and Me (March). McMaster, B. (2008) Supporting Excellence in the Arts 51 Appendix 1 A note on the evaluation process Evaluation takes many forms. From the start it was agreed that this would be a qualitative evaluation so as to capture the professional learning which BB&Me would offer. BRB also wanted to record issues relating to working in a partnership. The evidence therefore is not statistical but comes mainly from the statements of people involved in the project as BB&Me developed. In autumn 2008 the partners were still about to bid for funding which would enable the project to address its specified aims. This required an act of faith (Galloway and Neelands, 2010). It also meant that our evaluation had to be flexible as decisions were made and according to how the project evolved. We welcomed the opportunity to see how the project would develop from that embryonic stage. The contract for the evaluation of the „Birmingham Royal Ballet and Joint Birmingham Youth Services Partnership Project‟ was signed in March 2009. Our interim report (Galloway and Neelands, 2010) recorded the position after the first year‟s activity. In the first year, most activity took place in the five youth centres and it was important to see what this entailed for all those involved, including the musicians and dance instructors who worked with the young people on their home ground. We also saw the very different premises and facilities and approaches of the youth workers. Appendix 2 summarises the contacts made during the project but does not itemise every telephone conversation eg to set up meetings. These less formal telephone contacts can still be instructive about how the project is progressing. It excludes discussions prior to the first young people‟s focus group in spring 2009 and contributions to a proposed survey in mid 2009 by the Department for Learning. Nor does it itemise the more informal conversations with youth workers at events. The nature of youth work meant that it was often as effective to have informal discussions with people as events proceeded, rather than arranging formal interviews which encroached on their time. The resources available to us meant that telephone interviews were also cost-effective, once the project was under way and people were familiar with the evaluation team. Many of the agencies and people involved in BB&Me have told us that they have put into this project more than was at first foreseen or costed. This is true of the evaluation as well. Because BB&Me succeeded in attracting funds from various sponsors, the project team had to meet the monitoring and evaluation requirements of each separate funder. In addition, BYS had its own approach to evaluating the young people‟s experience. Our evaluation has centred on the professional development which the project offered to adults and the ways in which the partnership developed. In the UK, this project has been unusual in the configuration of the partners, the degree of influence and decision-making given to the young people, the amount of flexibility built in. The national economic context within which it took place cannot be disregarded. It has also had unusually powerful outcomes for the young people, adults involved and the organisations and we trust that this report conveys those. 52 Appendix 2 Summary of data collection Dec 2008 to March 2011 Activity/event Meeting with Director for Learning and Clore Fellow Attended Management Group meeting Location University of Warwick Hippodrome Meeting with Director for Learning and Project Manager Attended BRB Performance Pomp and Circumstance Youth Centre 3 visit BRB Date 2008 12 Dec 2009 6 Feb 6 Feb Hippodrome 6 March Youth Centre 3 Youth Centre 3 visit Youth Centre 2 visit Youth Centre 3 Youth Centre 2 Youth Centre 2 visit Young people‟s focus group Youth workers‟ meeting Youth Centre 4 visit Still Life final rehearsal visit Attended Still Life A Celebration Bayc interview BYS interview Meeting with Director for Learning and Project Manager Attended Management Group Meeting Youth Centre 2 BRB BRB Youth Centre 4 Patrick Centre Patrick Centre Pershore Road Oak Hill Centre BRB 18 March 29 April 31 March 5 May 7 April 2 April 23 May 28 May 29 May 26 May 2 June 29 July Hippodrome 10 Sept Interviews with Director for Learning and Project Manager Youth Centre 2 visit: observed workshop, discussions with youth worker. Youth Centre 3 visit: observed workshop, discussion with youth workers and lead drama practitioner. Telephone interview with BRB Dance Coordinator Telephone interview with freelance dance teacher Attended performance : Sharing of work relating to Cyrano BRB 10 Sept Youth Centre 2 30 Nov Youth Centre 3 2 Dec Patrick Centre 3 Dec 17 Dec 12 Dec Contact during 2009 is separated from 2010 because much was learned during this year without which it would not have been possible to move into a higher gear in 2010. Although there were important staff changes in the project team, almost all the youth workers involved in late 2010 had been there on the project in spring 2009. At the same time, bringing in new professional staff late in 2009 and early 2010 energised the project, so December 2009 proved to be a turning point as noted in our Interim Report of April 2010. 53 Activity/event Meeting with Director for Learning and Project Manager Planned observation of Youth Workers and Artistic Director meeting: BYS cancelled. Instead informal interview with new BB&Me Artistic Director Observed Youth Artistic Board first meeting Observed Youth Service Team Building day Telephone interview with BYS Lead Officer Lab day for artists and youth workers led by Artistic Director Telephone interview Exploration phase Artist Exploration session Exploration session Exploration session Telephone interview youth worker (Youth Centre 1) Exploration session Exploration session Artists & youth workers‟ Exploration feedback session Observe „Intensive‟ day Observe „Intensive‟ day Observe „Intensive‟ day Group interview with dancers/choreographers Telephone interview with artistic director Attended Management Group Meeting („legacy‟ discussion) Attended Youth Arts Board Meeting („legacy‟ discussion) Attended Steering Group meeting Observation of rehearsal Telephone interview BYS Lead Officer BB&Me Telephone interview Arts Award Facilitator Telephone interview with bayc representative Telephone interview with Deputy Head of Youth Service Interview with BTB Finance Director Interview with BRB Development Director Observed classes, rehearsals for performance, met college students doing hair and make-up. Attended young people‟s „Cinderella‟ Attended Management Group meeting Attended part of youth workers de-briefing meeting Follow-up focus group with dancers/choreographers Telephone interview with BB&Me Ballet mistress Telephone interview with BB&Me Director of Choreography 54 Location BRB BRB BRB Digbeth conference centre BRB studio Youth Centre 1 Youth Centre 5 Youth Centre 2 Youth Centre 3 Youth Centre 4 BRB studio BRB studios BRB studios BRB studios BRB studio Date 2010 18 Jan 3 Feb 16 Feb 19 Feb 25 Feb 26 Feb. 27 April 6 May 7 May 10 May 11 May 12 May 15 May 26 May BRB 17 Aug 18 Aug 20 Aug 20 Aug 7 Sept 21 Sept BRB 21 Sept Elmhurst Elmhurst 27 Sept 27 Sept 10 Nov 11 Nov 23 Nov 23 Nov BRB BRB BRB 1 Dec 1 Dec 1 Dec Hippodrome BRB 7 Dec 16 Dec Central Birmingham Youth Centre BRB 2011 12 Jan 12 Jan 15 Jan 8 Feb Activity/event Telephone interview with BB&Me Artistic Director Telephone interview with BB&Me Project Manager Location Meeting with Director for Learning University of Warwick Date 16 Feb 15 March 11 March This list excludes team meetings at the University of Warwick and contact with different parties covering arrangements for meetings or de-briefing, which can often provide important information and comment about the progress of the project. 55 Appendix 3 Example of interview agenda BRB dancers/choreographers group interview 12-01-11 1 Personal motivation (Covered in August 2010 group interview) 2 Professional learning – general What have you gained in general from the project in terms of your own professional learning? 3 Professional learning – specific Learning points – how? From whom? From what? Eg colleagues/dancers, young people, youth workers, others? Projects‟ format/process/location? Hard/soft skills? 4 Organisational development What has the organisation learned for future projects? 5 Young people’s development Eg technical skills, attitudinal etc 6 Experience of working in partnership with BYS and bayc? Explicit roles? Grey areas? Challenges/hurdles faced and how overcome? Pointers for future partnerships? What worked well in the partnership? 7 Disappointments or unforeseen successes? 56 Appendix 4 Project cost summary - Ballet, Birmingham and Me٭ £ Support in Kind Staff Costs Birmingham Royal Ballet Birmingham City Council Youth Service BAYC £ 100,000 119,525 29,500 249,025 Facilities and Premises BRB BCC Youth Centres 20,000 27,500 47,500 296,525 Total Support in Kind Expenditure Project management Training and qualifications Health Programme Work Experience Programme Young people travel and subsistence 75,000 22,500 10,000 5,000 25,000 137,500 Creative Workshop programme 32,000 Artistic Team - director, designer, choreographers etc Production Costs - Sets and Costumes 55,500 55,000 Production Costs - Running (venue hire, labour, orchestra etc) 120,000 Project documentation, PR, marketing etc Evaluation Total Expenditure 262,500 40,000 25,000 465,000 Total Project Cost including support in kind 761,525 Source: BRB Department of Finance March 2011 ٭Work continues in 2011 on healthy lifestyles, work experience and legacy development. 57