Youth dance report 2006
Appendices
Arts Council England, West Midlands
Old Court
Winforton
Hereford
HR3 6EA
Tel: 01544 327877
Fax: 01544 327772
email:artserv@kc3.co.uk
www.artservice.org.uk
Appendix 1
Consultation list
Katie Banks, Education Officer, SAMPAD
Louise Bardgett, Creative Programmer, Creative Partnerships, Coventry
Mel Bateman, Arts Development Officer, Herefordshire Council
Rose Beeston, Director, Dancefest
Pauline Bennett, All That Attitude Youth Dance Company, Wolverhampton
Emma-Jane Benning, Education Officer ACE Dance/Malvern Theatres
Jo Blagg, Education Officer, Stoke on Trent Theatres
Maria Blundell, DAiR Artist, Dudley
Glen Bluegrass, Creative Developments Team Manager, Walsall Metropolitan
Borough Council
Sharad Bolar, Administrator, Chitraleka Bolar Dance Company
Michele Bould, Leaps and Bounds Project, Sandwell
Louise Bremner, Director, Border Dance
Christine Bridgwood, Director, Creative Partnerships, Stoke on Trent
Jennifer Burke, Earl’s High School, Halesowen
Jane Chidlow, Jane Chidlow School of Dance
Jacqueline Contré, Director, artSites
Sue
Cook,
Education
Development
Officer,
PE
and
school
sport,
Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council
Liz Crosswell, Youth Dance Leader and Dance Artist, Dancefest
Mary Crump, Birmingham Youth Dance
Louisa Davies, Performances and Projects Programmer, mac
Dee de Wet, Freelance Dance Artist
Julie Edwards, Recreation Supervisor, Castle Vale Leisure Centre
Tamsin Fitzgerald, 2 Faced Dance Company
Rachel Freeman, Director, Blue Eyed Soul
Sheila Fulford, Inspector for PE and Dance, Staffordshire County Council
Emma Goodwin, DAIR Artist, Shropshire
Sue Goodwin, Senior Arts Development Officer, Shropshire County Council
Rose Gordon, DAIR Artist, Birmingham
Mark Hamblett, Class Manager, DanceXchange
Leslie Hampson, Creative Partnerships Support Director
Pepita Hannah, Arts Education Officer, Birmingham City Council
Jenny Henrywood, Assistant Dance Officer, Arts Council England, West
Midlands
Paul Herbert, Performances and Projects Manager, mac
Michele Holder, Attitude/Herefordshire Dance Co-ordinator, Dancefest
Vicky Holroyd, Arts Zone, Warwickshire
Sarah Jackson, Coventry Performing Arts Service
Ray Jacobs, Director Mosai Arts/ Outreach Officer Blue Eyed Soul
Linda Jasper, Director, Youth Dance England
Feiyon Johnson, Street Boyz Dance Company
Julie Jones, Facilitator, Telford Cultural Hub
Lindsey Kelly, Administrator, Border Dance
Frances Land, Co Director, Black Country Touring
Clare Lewis, General Manager, DanceXchange
Clare Lidbury, Head of Dance, University of Wolverhampton
Rachel Lines, Dance Coordinator, Frontline Dance/Breakthrough Youth
Dance
David Massingham, Director, DanceXchange
Claudette McDonald, Youth & Education Officer, Kajans
Sarah Miles, Dance Coordinator, Dancescape
Claire Mitchell, Deputy Director, artSites
Clare Mitchell, Warwickshire Youth Arts Network
Sue Moffat, Director, New Vic Borderlines
Beth Nabbs, Bare Bones Dance Company/Two’s Company
Melanie Nix, Coordinator, London Youth Dance Network
Penny Perrett, Advisory Teach for Performing Arts, Worcestershire Arts
Education Service
Clare Palethorpe, Dance Artist/Reflex Youth Dance
Gail Parnell, Director, ACE Dance
Rex Pogson, Director, The Arts Zone (Warwickshire)
Barbara Pritchard, Dance@8
Emma Quickfall, Education Officer, Arts Council England, West Midlands
Jane Ralls, Director of Development, DanceXchange
Neil Rathmell, Director, Belmont Arts Centre
Sue Rhew, Chairperson, Border Dance
Louise Richards, Executive Director, Motionhouse
Fred Richings, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
Hayley Rose, DAiR Artist, Stoke on Trent
Sonia Sabri, Sonia Sabri Company
Mr Sarcar, Surdhwani
Laura Simmons, Dance Coordinator, Dudley Community Dance
Nigel Singh, County Arts Officer, Staffordshire County Council
Lisa Spink, Project Manager, Telford Cultural Hub, DanceXchange
Sonia Sabri, Sonia Sabri Dance Company
Helen Smith, Tutor, New College, Wellington
Lawrence Smith, Manager Solihull Arts Complex
Louise Sutton, Arts Officer, Birmingham City Council
Reena Taylor, Bollywood Dreams Dance Company,
Birmingham/Wolverhampton
Sally Taylor, Arts Council England, West Midlands
Reena Taylor, Bollywood Dreams Dance Company
Ian Thomas, Assistant Officer, Learning and Participation, ACEWM
Joel Tolhurst, Youth Dance Leader, Shropshire
Penny Wells, Youth Arts Manager, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Lisa Wetton, Dance Leader, Stoke on Trent
Dr Sarah Whatley, Head of Performing Arts, Coventry University
Jeanne Wilson, National Children’s Services Coordinator, Foster Care
Associates
Ginnie Wollaston, Head of Education, Birmingham Royal Ballet
Mark Worth, Highly Sprung Dance Company
Meetings/Visits
Border Dance Showcase, Oakengates Theatre
Raw Energy, Regional Dance Showcase
Specialist Arts Colleges Forum
Worcestershire County Arts Officers Forum
Worcestershire Dance Promoters Forum
Youth Group Visits
(These involved discussion with the directors/senior officers of the
organisations, youth dance leaders running groups and young people
participating.)
Attitude Youth Dance, Hereford
Breakthrough Youth Dance, Stoke on Trent
Blue-Eyed Soul, Shrewsbury
2 Faced Dance, Herefordshire
Jigsaw Youth Dance - Dudley Dance Consortium
Coventry Performing Arts Service
ACE Youth Dance, Birmingham
Border Dance Showcase (four youth dance groups involved)
Dancefest Youth Dance, Worcestershire
Worcestershire Youth Dance
Appendix 2
Report on youth dance company visits
Dancefest Youth Dance, Worcestershire and Herefordshire
Dancefest is a dance development agency for Worcestershire and
Herefordshire and operates with a small team of a director, three part-time
staff supplemented by freelance tutors. Two are part-time designated dance
worker posts for Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Youth dance is a core part
of its community work and it runs regular dance workshops for young people
around the two counties, locations include Hereford, Malvern, Leominster and
Pershore, and its Worcester City base where it has access to a flexible open
space. In total it runs about eight youth dance performance groups in
contemporary and creative dance with other groups specialising in break and
street dance.
The focus of the youth dance work is on creativity and choreography, with a
strong emphasis on performance. Young people aged between 13 and 21
attend and there is no selection or auditioning process. There are a number of
opportunities for groups to perform in the two counties, there is a sharing of
work each term, there are annual showcases, the groups occasionally perform
in the arts education service’s annual Youth Moves event at the Swan Theatre
in Worcester; and there is an annual arts festival, Skills on Show. Two of the
youth dance groups also performed in a large-scale open air performance
event at Whitley Court involving Motionhouse.
Dancefest freelance tutors are largely county-based, the majority being
trained to degree level with some specialists in community dance. It is more
difficult to find tutors in Herefordshire than Worcestershire. It is relatively easy
to bring people to the county from Birmingham, though not on a weekly basis.
All the tutors undertake other work in education, with some work supported
through the PESSCL initiative.
One of the challenges for Dancefest is the lack of available dedicated studio
space for dance outside the private sector. The space at Dancefest’s
administrative base is an open shared area and not ideal. As a result the
majority of activity is based in schools and there is less central focus. Another
challenge is accessing professional development and training opportunities for
dance leaders in view of the heavy demands on their time.
The director of Dancefest has been working in the county for over 15 years
and set up the organisation as an independent body in 2000. She therefore
has excellent knowledge of the area and good links with other dance
specialists. Links are particularly strong with regard to Worcestershire
education authority’s arts education service and the two work together
regularly. In recent years a dance promoter’s forum has also been
established, bringing together the two agencies above with the county’s key
dance venues. This forum is now working to set up its own dance artist
residency programme.
One of Dancefest’s Worcestershire dance workers (the post is a job share)
trained on the community dance degree course at Bretton Hall College. She
runs several Dancefest youth dance groups and also works at the local further
education college and in schools. She has attended courses at
DanceXchange and at another national dance agency in the eastern region
and attends classes at DanceXchange from time to time.
She finds it difficult to allocate time for training as she is teaching six days a
week in term time. Dance company residencies have however provided a
valuable means of professional training refreshment and of providing access
to new experiences. She values the opportunity to network via
DanceXchange, at the National Youth Dance Festival and through the work of
the county dance adviser and feels part of a regional and county network.
We interviewed some of the young people involved, aged 14 to 17. Most had
been dancing with private dance schools since their early childhood, though
one boy had begun when 11 (he was aged 14) and had been introduced to
dance via Dancefest. Two of the older girls danced several times a week,
including at college and at private dance schools. It was evident that the
majority of these young people took a range of opportunities to engage in
dance and almost all wanted more opportunities to dance.
There was considerable support for performance work and a wish to do more
performances. Most of their performance experience had been through
Dancefest events and projects, including the Whitley Court Motionhouse
project. They also appreciated the opportunities they had had to experience
other dance tutors and work with professional dance companies. They were
very open to other dance experiences and wanted to try everything,
specifically mentioning salsa, Latin, ballroom, street dance and
African/Caribbean dance. While the majority wanted to develop careers in
dance, only one stated that she wanted to be a professional dancer.
The young people enjoyed Dancefest sessions and work because it offered a
variety of opportunities and experiences, more than regular classes and they
felt it was relaxed, open and socially enjoyable. They also found the teachers
less rigid than in some other contexts. Their concerns or suggestions for
developments included introducing more opportunities for young people of
similar levels of ability to work together and dance opportunities for young
children. The barriers to involvement in dance were lack of time due to the
demands of school and college work and travel.
2 Faced Dance Company, Herefordshire
2 Faced Dance Company grew out of regular youth dance classes in break
dance set up by local college dance teacher, Tamsin Fitzgerald in Hereford in
2003. Originally run in a local community centre, the groups now meet at the
Courtyard centre for the arts with between 80 and 100 young people attending
weekly sessions, split into three classes. The all male performance group, 2
Faced Dance, consists of the most experienced dancers - eight young men
aged between 16 and 23.
The majority of young people attending the sessions have worked with
Tamsin at school or college; or they found out about the sessions through
friends who have worked with her. Many of the students come from Hereford
Sixth Form College and Herefordshire College of Art and Design, which has a
performing arts course, or from secondary schools which include break and
contemporary dance in their work.
Tamsin’s groups have operated without funding with all the young people
paying a fee of £45 per term, towards her costs and the hire of the venue. 2
Faced Dance has grown into a highly successful group (now on a semiprofessional basis) which has danced all over the UK and beyond, including
performing at the Edinburgh Festival, MTV Awards and at last year’s National
Youth Dance Festival. Membership of the group is by selection with three
apprentices being trained as potential full group members. The group
members manage themselves and also run classes in their own right. They
also take work out to schools and other venues.
Over the past two and a half years Tamsin has built up an extensive company
of young dancers of varying ages and abilities and developed a progressive
system of training and support which includes mentoring of young dancers by
more experienced dancers, mixed group performances and opportunities for
dancers to develop their skills and progress through to the main performance
company. Though the work is firmly routed in break dance techniques, it fuses
with contemporary and creative dance and provides opportunities for the
groups to choreograph their own work. Through the group’s activities young
people are gaining experience in live performance and are, when possible,
exposed to other forms of dance, including for instance ballet as part of the
National Youth Dance Festival.
Tamsin teaches four days per week at college and runs youth dance sessions
on three or four days a week, including weekends, leaving little spare time to
attend courses, at DanceXchange for example. She would welcome the
opportunity to attend more courses, in choreography for example, and would
find block week or holiday courses easier to attend than courses requiring
regular weekly attendance.
2 Faced Dance Company performs regularly, including performing at the
annual Herefordshire Showcase at the Courtyard (it is the dance company in
residence at the Courtyard, and receives some assistance with marketing and
administration and studio hire). It would welcome other opportunities to
perform around the region, but the main boys group has not been short of
performance opportunities due to its success and popularity. Performing at the
National Youth Dance Festival was a great experience for the group, but there
is concern about the cost involved in attending.
2 Faced Dance Company and the associated youth dance groups have
excellent contacts with Worcestershire Performing Arts Service, with its local
Herefordshire Education Authority and with Dancefest and DanceXchange.
The support it receives from the Courtyard is valuable, but essentially the
group operates independently with the support of its management committee.
Tamsin has now secured a Grants for the arts award which will assist the
company with its production, teaching and travel costs.
Interviews were held with two groups of young people, about 10 in total. Five
of those taking part were doing a National Diploma in performing arts at
Hereford college. It was evident that they had tremendous respect for Tamsin
and her work and that for many of the group members, there were few other
opportunities to engage in dance in the area outside of school and college.
They were open to a variety of dance experiences and had enjoyed trying
ballet (good for building muscle strength) and other forms of dance (some of
which were experienced at the National Youth Dance Festival). As many
worked with Tamsin within formal education contexts, they have had
opportunities to experience contemporary and other forms of dance.
Some of the young people had danced since an early age, others began in
their teens, in some instances discovering dance through drama and other
arts experiences. There was a keen interest in all forms of dance, hip hop,
jazz, tap, street jazz, and a strong enthusiasm for performance. They would
welcome the opportunity to travel and perform more elsewhere in the region
and beyond and to dance with young people from other parts of the region,
both in showcases and workshops. Younger and newer members of the group
admired the main boys group and aspired to dance at that level.
Tamsin’s work, like that of many other dance artists/leaders working with
young people, spans work within a formal education setting and in informal
and community settings. There are strong links between her work at college
and in schools and the young people she works with at the Courtyard. This
enables her to support the progression and development of the young people
and to offer a variety of dance experiences. Live performance is a critical part
of the work.
Coventry Performing Arts Service youth dance groups
Coventry Performing Arts Service (PAS) maintains a youth dance programme
and is an active provider of opportunities for young people to dance. The
service has a deputy head responsible for dance and drama who coordinates
two youth dance companies with around 60 young people aged between 14
and 18. The girls company, OMEGA has 41 members and is run by a PAS
dance artist. The boys company, ALPHA, has 20 members and is run by a
PAS artist and Dave Mckenna, Artistic Director of Beingfrank Physical
Theatre. The whole company train together and then work in smaller groups
during choreographic work with dance artists from PAS and further afield.
Young people pay £37 a term for the sessions with some additional benefits,
such as the opportunity to take part in performances and associated travel.
The school currently runs at a local further education college, using a variety
of spaces including a purpose-built dance studio. There is however a shortage
of available dance studio space in the city.
The service has a partnership with Beingfrank Physical Theatre to continue to
run ALPHA alongside its boys dance projects in schools, which have been
operating since September 2004. The two organisations wanted to challenge
perceptions about boys and dance and provide opportunities for boys to
benefit from the range of projects on offer. The work is demanding,
incorporating Capoeira, the Brazilian martial arts that form the basis of the
theatre company’s training. The performance work has provided particularly
successful with parents who have remarked on its impact on the boys and on
their own views of dance.
The youth dance companies operate on the normal education service model,
with a set evening every week during term time. Membership to OMEGA is by
audition and the ALPHA has emerged from the joint PAS/Beingfrank school
based boys projects. All the young people interviewed were taking dance at
GCSE level and most had learned about the group through recommendation
or via a friend. Around 50% also participated in dance at private dance
schools, studying tap, ballet and modern/jazz dance. Around 70% wished to
pursue a career in dance. The groups give about four public performances a
year – one attended Raw Energy in 2005. The young people are very keen to
have opportunities to perform and to travel to other parts of the region to meet
other groups.
There is a strong emphasis on creative dance, an educational approach
based on encouraging young people to think and be imaginative. The deputy
manager for dance has reservations about what she considers the competitive
dimension to the National Youth Dance Festival. The groups work with a
range of choreographers and styles of dance, (eg ballet, African, street) but
have a focus on contemporary.
The service uses a number of part-time and freelance dance artists who work
with the companies on a regular basis. The five interviewed had various
backgrounds: the first was a dance graduate from Coventry University who
worked 30 hours per week for the service and also worked with two local
dance groups; the second balanced 15 to 20 hours per week for the service
with 14 hours in private dance schools; a third had danced professionally and
taught at a further education college in addition to her 22 hours for the service.
The fourth trained in the USA, worked with a dance company and mixed
private dance school work with her work for the service. The remaining leader
had a theatre degree from Coventry University and worked with a dance
company and on dance and theatre projects.
The service is keen that staff have opportunities to train and refresh their
practice and there is an interaction between teaching and performance,
projects and regular classes. This cross-fertilisation was good for individuals,
good for the work and good for the young people. Links between the dance
sector are good in the city. In recent years Coventry University has adopted a
more outward looking approach to the community and this has helped to
create links between dance graduates, the city’s performing companies and
youth dance. The Children’s Olympics held in the city had brought together
the performing arts service, Creative Partnerships, Belgrade Theatre projects,
schools and private dance schools and there was a lot of crossover in dance
activity.
The dance leaders felt that there was a very supportive environment in the
city, which is being strengthened by the work of Dancescape. However, there
was a feeling that communication and support at regional level was less
effective, despite the valuable and much appreciated work of DanceXchange
in running the regional festival, supporting the DAIR programme and running
and supporting projects. A regional newsletter was suggested. It was also felt
that there was a need for a regional non-competitive festival of youth dance
and that opportunities for groups from around the region to work together (in
creating a dance piece for instance) could be developed.
Other suggestions included: weekend coaching courses; more regular gettogethers; skill sharing between youth dance leaders; exchanges and visits,
including swapping videos and DVDs of work; and opportunities to work
creatively in a workshop setting. While the National Youth Dance Festival had
provided opportunities for workshops and experiencing a variety of dance, it
was felt that the sessions had been too rushed due to the condensing of the
programme into a single day and there was a need for this kind of opportunity
more frequently and, ideally for more opportunities for contemporary dance
classes in Coventry. The service provides some training support for its
teachers and provides INSET-based training programmes (in service training
for teachers). It has some ability to fund attendance at external training
courses.
Border Dance showcase evening
The event was held at Oakengates Theatre in early December 2005, bringing
together four youth dance groups from Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin for
a sharing of work in front of a public audience. The event had been arranged
and coordinated by Border Dance, the dance development agency for
Shropshire now based at Wrockwardine Wood Arts College. Border has a
DAIR post and part of the evening showcase was a performance of the dance
piece created by the four regional DAIR artists.
The four youth dance groups taking part were from Wrockwardine Wood Arts
College (dance students); New College, Wellington (BTEC and Diploma
students); Abraham Darby Arts College Boys Dance Group; and Blessed
Robert Johnson (BRJ) College (year 12 and 13 A-level students). There was a
wide variety of styles, with the young boys group from Abraham Darby using
street dance and creative techniques arising out of their work with RU Being
Frank Dance Company and more traditional contemporary Graham technique
dance from the BRJ girls group.
Issues for youth dance identified by Border Dance and the dance leaders
were: the need for more support for dance leaders and teachers; training and
support for young dancers aged 18 plus, some of whom had returned to the
area after college and wished to develop careers in dance; and consistent and
regular funding for projects and activity, rather than inconsistent funding. It
was stated that there was nowhere providing good dance training in the
county (though clearly there are private dance schools so we assume that this
comment related to contemporary and creative dance). Dance teachers had to
make the most of the opportunities, which did exist, private ballet lessons for
instance.
A group of New College students took part in a discussion. While some had
been dancing for many years since early childhood, several had only started
dancing within the past three years and some had only commenced dancing
at college. Only one had been taught dance at school, though several
attended private dance schools and other dance classes, at Belmont Arts
Centre in Shrewsbury for instance. Around 75% of the students wanted to
pursue a career in dance. For some students there were limited opportunities
to dance but it was felt that the situation was improving with the work of
Border Dance, and particularly in Telford.
Another group of young students talked about opportunities to experience
dance within PE in schools and after schools clubs. The boys from Abraham
Darby aged 11 to 12 had been attracted in the first instance by street dance,
and had progressed from that to contemporary dance. This had been their first
opportunity to perform in public and they had found it an exhilarating
experience.
There was a general lack of awareness both among teachers and the young
people of youth dance activity in other parts of the region and of Raw Energy,
the regional dance showcase. There were also few dance studios and few, if
any, opportunities to experience a variety of dance forms in the county. This
group felt that the profile of dance should be raised and the range of
opportunities extended.
The showcase event had provided a much-needed opportunity to dance on a
good stage in an equipped venue and to experience the work of other youth
dance groups. It had brought together groups from four different educational
institutions and provided an opportunity to see the DAIR artists perform. The
lack of a county youth dance group is to be addressed by Border Dance in
2006 with the creation of a new group.
ACE Youth Dance
ACE dance and music was set up in 1988 and meets at the company’s
rehearsal base in Lozells, Birmingham under the directorship of ACE Dance’s
two directors. The aim of ACE is to encourage and inspire young people to
have freedom of expression through dance. ACE has worked with a variety of
choreographers and companies creating new performance work, which has
toured widely.
The group has now established a reputation for itself, appearing at the
National Youth Dance Festival in 2005 and through its performances at other
events, including occasionally performing alongside the main ACE Dance
company and annual performances at Birmingham’s Artfest. The group is run
by the directors of ACE Dance on a voluntary basis, with additional support
from the company dancers and, when funds permit, from freelance teachers.
It has not received regular funding. The group has around 20 members aged
between seven and 24 and meets once a week.
ACE Dance uses traditional African dance creatively, fusing a variety of
contemporary and other dance forms. It works in a fully integrated way, with
all members of the group working together, though it is considering the
possibility of creating a junior and senior group. The rehearsal session
demonstrated the strong commitment of group members, with all leading on
part of the warm-up session. A particular feature was the way in which
younger group members (one participant brought her daughter aged about 18
months who danced like an expert) adopted the discipline and concentration
of the older group members.
The dance session was accompanied on drums by the music director of ACE
and a parent volunteer. Parents play a big part in supporting the group. The
interplay between the musicians and dancers gave the session an extra life
and vibrancy which cannot be provided by recorded music. The session felt
like a family event; it was joyful, fun and enjoyable, but it still had a technical
rigour about it. The atmosphere was that of a professional dance company,
clearly something which the company brings to the group.
There is no selection or auditioning procedure for ACE youth dance and new
members tend to be recruited by word of mouth, by family connection, or
through contact with ACE dance, from their schools projects for example.
Three young people were attracted to the youth dance group by seeing the
main company perform and now travel to Birmingham weekly from Leicester;
two others travelled from Stratford. Members travel from all over the city and
beyond. The group is over-subscribed and tries to integrate new members
when it can accommodate them.
Some of the needs identified were: more opportunities to perform; better
spaces in which to rehearse and work; more regional touring opportunities for
groups; access to more affordable classes; better funding for youth dance, in
particular to enable groups to pay dance leaders. The young people we spoke
to were eager to have more opportunities to dance in public, something they
clearly enjoyed immensely.
There is a lack of training and other professional development support for
dancers and leaders; it was stated that there is currently no university or
higher education institution delivering dance training in traditional African
dance. Neither is there any other organisation in the city offering such
opportunities. As a result dancers and dance leaders lack opportunities to
develop their skills and to refresh themselves through classes, workshops and
other experiences. In particular there was a need for training in youth dance
leadership; in the national curriculum and how dance fits into it.
The group’s external connections were limited. It had had some contact with
DanceXchange, but there were no specific initiatives arising from discussions.
Attitude Youth Dance
Attitude is an independent Hereford-based group run by Michele Holder the
Dancefest herefordshire coordinator. Attitude has been in existence for about
eight years and provides opportunities for more experienced young dancers to
develop their skills and perform. Admission is by audition, and most of the
members (eight to 10 in total) have been recruited through Michele’s work for
Dancefest and past teaching work.
Attitude does not receive any regular funding but raises funds for specific
projects. The group rehearses at a secondary school in Hereford. It performed
at the open air performance at Whitley Court with Motionhouse in 2005, and is
about to go on a short tour to three venues with eight other youth dance
groups from the county, coordinated by Michele. The group performs between
six and eight times a year and is looking forward to taking their tour to
Aberystwyth Arts Centre, and two venues in Hereford and Worcester.
Michele also coordinates Dancefest’s Hereford Youth Dance Groups, based
at the Courtyard Centre for the Arts, and Leominster Youth Group, based at
Leominster Leisure Centre, in conjunction with Minster College. She also runs
'Jigsaw', a large scale community project working with all ages which also
caters for young people with special needs and physical disabilities. The
project culminated in two sell-out performances in the main house at The
Courtyard.
Herefordshire is sparsely populated and somewhat isolated from the region’s
major centres. The dance community is therefore relatively small and
opportunities to experience dance are limited. A County Dance Forum meets
three times a year and brings together a small number of key people involved
with youth dance in the county. The Courtyard provides access to professional
touring companies, who normally bring workshops, but Dancefest (and the
work of Tamsin Fitzgerald) is the main provider of opportunities in
contemporary dance and there is very little, if any, support for professional
dance leaders based in the county.
Dancefest’s annual major summer projects involving young people working
with professional companies, Motionhouse in 2005, have therefore been
invaluable in offering new experiences and the chance to work alongside
professional dancers. They have also brought together Dancefest groups from
the two counties (Herefordshire and Worcestershire) and helped to create a
stronger sense of involvement. The group had not entered into the National
Youth Dance Festival as it had clashed with other activities and there was a
low level of awareness about Raw Energy.
We interviewed four young people from Attitude, aged between 14 and 18
(three girls and one boy). Two travelled weekly from Worcester to take part in
the group (one of these was also a member of the Worcestershire County
Youth Dance Group). This involved catching a train immediately after finishing
college and returning to Worcester on a 10pm train. This meant a 13-hour
day, but such was the commitment and enthusiasm (and loyalty to the dance
leader) that they were prepared to do this on a weekly basis. The other two
were from Herefordshire (one of whom lived in the country and had to stay
overnight in Hereford in order to attend).
While the two Worcestershire members had other opportunities to participate
in dance (both were doing dance courses at an further education college), the
two Herefordshire members only danced with Attitude as there was no dance
provided at their schools. None of the young people used private dance
schools. They enjoyed the creative element to Attitude work and also the
atmosphere at sessions and the professional approach. They had
experienced other forms of dance, for example Attitude had used African
dance styles in some of its work and had brought in Anurekha Ghosh, Indian
dance specialist, and would welcome more opportunities to try out other
dance forms.
Young people would welcome more opportunities for groups in Herefordshire
and Worcestershire to perform. It was felt that working towards a performance
gives groups a focus, something to aim for; it helps to strengthen commitment
and provides a structure for regular class and workshop activity. Furthermore,
it offers young people the chance to compare their own development with that
of others. They would welcome more opportunities to attend events around
the region.
The young person who had attended the Birmingham Regional and National
Youth Dance Festival with the Worcestershire County Youth Dance Group
had found the experience very rewarding, but also strained at times due to the
competition with other groups for selection to the national festival event.
Concerns were raised about the difficulties of travel and finding transport and
one young person mentioned the fact that dance in school is often taught by
PE teachers rather than dance teachers and that this was less satisfactory.
W’ire - Worcestershire Youth Dance Group
The group was formed in 2003 to provide an opportunity for talented pupils
from LEA schools to create work for performance and to develop their
contemporary technique through working with professional dance artists on a
regular basis. It is run by the Advisory Teacher for Performing Arts, Penny
Perrett, who has been working in the county, both as a teacher for dance
within a school and within the arts education service for over 10 years. The
group is part of the service’s provision for youth dance delivered through a
number of weekly classes and rehearsals for around 60 young people aged
between nine and 19 from about 30 schools. While there are many girls, a
boys group is being formed to attempt to redress this imbalance.
Funding for youth dance has been secured from several sources, including
county council budgets. It benefits from the support of the county council’s
advisory system, delivered through the arts education service and from the
excellent links, which have been established in the county between
Dancefest, schools and arts venues. The group meets at Bishop Perowne
School in Worcester, which has a good rehearsal space for dance and
provides the facility on a beneficial basis. The senior group, which performed
at the National Youth Dance Festival, takes part in the annual Worcestershire
regional dance platform at the Swan Theatre, Worcester, to which groups
from other parts of the region are invited.
There is a strong network for schools dance, where young people can
experience a variety of dance forms, including African, Bollywood and
classical Indian. There are several other main performance opportunities for
young people. The annual Schools Dance Festival takes place at schools
around the county and involves over 3,000 young people in 13 dance festivals
in all the major towns. There are also three other participatory festivals for Key
Stage 3 and 4 children. Voices and Visions is an annual platform and
celebration of performing arts including dance in the county held at Malvern
Theatres. This schools dance programme provides a training ground for
young dancers to progress to the County Youth Dance Group.
Worcestershire has a number of established contemporary dance teachers,
several of whom work for Dancefest, but there is a need for more training and
professional development support within the county. Training for teachers in
dance is provided through the TOPS programme run by the Youth Sport
Trust. The Worcestershire Dance Teachers Association supports the network
of dance teachers.
The arts education service and Dancefest are also exploring the possibility of
creating a dancer in residence with funding from the PESSCL programme to
increase their capacity. There is a huge demand for dance teachers from
schools in the county and a need for greater accreditation of dance teachers.
The county council also provides bursaries for some young people to develop
their skills, by attending workshops or through placements with BRB for
example.
We interviewed a group of around 10 young people from the 11 to 16 age
group. They came from around the county. Some had been with the group
since its formation, others were relatively new. The majority studied dance at
school, though three stated that they danced only at the youth dance group
sessions. The majority of the group had also used private dance schools with
five continuing to attend private schools on a regular basis. While there was a
strong commitment to contemporary dance, the young people also wished to
experience other dance forms. They were very keen to have more
opportunities to perform in public and enjoyed residencies with professional
companies. The majority of the group wanted to progress to do dance at Alevel.
We also interviewed a group of eight young people from the senior group.
They were all very actively involved with dance and two of the group were
dancing up to six days a week, accessing opportunities at private dance
schools. Several were studying A-level dance. The National Youth Dance
Festival was described as ‘the best thing’. The experience had given the
young people an extra incentive to dance and opened them to new
experiences. They had particularly enjoyed seeing other young people dance,
meeting new people and the opportunity to perform at a prestigious event.
It was commented that schools sometimes lacked real dance teachers as
dance was taught by PE teachers and that there appeared to be more
opportunities in schools than there had been in the past. They identified their
needs and aspirations as: having access to better facilities with sprung floors;
more opportunities to perform; seeing more dance work and having more
opportunities to travel to see work; more opportunities to work with
professional dancers; opportunities to try other forms of dance - Bollywood;
street dance; Latin and ballroom for instance. All of the young people wished
to pursue careers in dance.
The support for youth dance within the education system in Worcestershire is
second to none in the region, and this has supported the development of high
standards and increased opportunities. The links with Dancefest, arts venues
and local authorities have provided additional opportunities and support. The
youth dance group relies heavily on this support and gives young people a
target to aim for. It is the peak of the pyramid of dance activity.
However, changes in the education authority could impact on its ability to
provide the level of support for dance currently given. What is evident is that
the members of the Worcestershire Youth Dance Group have tremendous
enthusiasm and commitment and that they operate in a mixed market of
dance experiences, with dance at school and college intertwined with extra
mural dance activity.
Jigsaw / Dudley Community Dance Consortium (DCDC)
Jigsaw Youth Theatre is a dance and drama organisation that offers tuition on
an open access basis to young people throughout Dudley Borough. There is a
service level funding agreement between Dudley Performing Arts and Jigsaw.
The group is run by Maggie Lewis, Senior Community Arts Officer for Dudley
Borough Council and Laura Simmons, dance artist. Jigsaw runs 10 regular
dance and drama workshops across the Borough, employing six dance artists
and three drama artists to run the regular workshop groups.
Jigsaw has two youth dance theatre groups who rehearse weekly at
Netherton Arts Centre. The first group is for young people aged 14 to 20 and
the second for the 19 to 30 age group, with about 12 members in each group.
The group receives annual financial support from Dudley Performing Arts and
project funding from Jigsaw Charity and from other funding sources. It
charges young people to participate.
Dudley Community Dance Consortium is a dance organisation previously
funded by the Regional Arts Lottery Programme from 2002-2004. At present
DCDC is receiving funding through Dudley Performing Arts for its involvement
in the DAiR To... project, which provides the borough with a dance artist in
residence. Laura Simmons Dudley Performing Arts’ Curriculum Dance Leader
has been seconded to the DAiR To... project as the project manager for
Dudley.
This is a part-time project and is run through a partnership of Stourbridge
Town Hall and Dudley Performing Arts. It is hoped that by basing the project
at Stourbridge Town Hall it will have an impact on dance in this area of the
Borough. Dudley Community Dance Consortium has funding for the DAiR
To... project for September 2005 to Sept 2007. As Dudley Dance Consortium
is funded for three years there is no guaranteed funding beyond that period.
However the borough is hoping for this to become a sustainable project for
Dudley.
The DAiR To... project in Dudley is setting up an elite, advanced performers
group for post 14 students at Stourbridge Town Hall; this group will be the
showcase group for the DAiR To… project across the whole of the West
Midlands.
Dudley Performing Arts has a strategic role in the development of the arts
across the borough. It aims to deliver an accessible and high quality arts
service to unlock and develop the creative potential of the community of
Dudley. Dudley Performing Arts has a key role in dance development across
the borough and runs 18 youth dance groups with ages ranging from four to
20 years, Dudley Performing Arts has about 10 dance artists who undertake
work with the various youth dance groups and in schools. They are regularly
working in schools across the Dudley Borough and Black Country - generating
so much dance work they still feel the need for more dance leaders.
Dudley Performing Arts hosts the Dudley Borough Dance Festival which is a
two-day open air summer event open to all groups in the borough, including
private dance schools. They also host a number of other dance festivals at
town halls in the borough offering dance showcases and dance events for all
schools dance groups, community dance groups, local colleges and
universities to combine and perform at.
The Jigsaw Dance Theatre group one(14 - 20yr olds) have recently been
working towards the 2006 Raw Energy regional youth dance platform at the
Patrick Centre. The group works creatively using a range of dance styles,
including contemporary, physical theatre, hip hop, street dance and other
forms of popular dance. There are a number of opportunities to perform in the
borough and Jigsaw youth dance theatre groups actively take part in all
performance opportunities across Dudley Borough. It has also travelled more
widely, performing in Barcelona and Chicago via exchanges.
Dudley Community Dance Consortium and Dudley Performing Arts have
developed an accredited community dance practitioners course in partnership
with Stourbridge College through the Open College Network, West
Midlands. The course provides 60 hours of training to post 18 students to
equip them with dance leadership and teaching skills. It attracts a mix of
dance graduates (without leadership or teaching qualifications) dance artists,
university and college students and sports leaders. A mentoring programme
continues on from this through Dudley Performing Arts which supports the
learners beyond the course duration. A key aim is to attract dance graduates
back into the borough to develop careers in dance. At present this is the only
formalised training available to youth dance leaders in the borough, though
most of the leaders attend classes at DanceXchange.
Members of the Jigsaw group participated in a discussion about their dance
experiences. Their ages ranged from 14 to 20, with a mix of boys and girls.
The majority were engaged in dance within further education and some had a
considerable amount of dance experience, including studying dance in a
range of forms at private dance schools. Two members of the group had no
previous experience of dance until they joined Jigsaw. They had joined the
group either as a result of becoming involved with dance through the work of
the dance coordinator, Laura Simmons, or because they had friends who
were involved. The majority wanted to study dance at higher level and two
attended classes at DanceXchange.
The group had performed at the Raw Energy regional dance platform and had
found it interesting and inspiring to see other groups dancing. It was stated
that they had never danced in a competition before and, though they were not
selected for the national festival event, they had really enjoyed performing to
other young people and to a different and more discerning audience. One
young person stated that she felt the workshop leader they had on the Raw
Energy performance day had pushed the group rather too hard. The young
people wanted lots of opportunities to perform, especially outside of the
borough.
Dudley has a well developed support structure for youth dance and good links
between the education, private and independent contemporary dance sector.
However, the borough lacks dedicated quality facilities for dance, facilities
such as more studio dance spaces available at reasonable costs. More
opportunities to showcase work around the region and to meet other groups
would be welcomed. There is a need for improved communication and
networking within the Black Country and the possibility of establishing a Black
Country dance forum was suggested. Other suggestions included: more
advice and information on youth dance and on funding and project
development; more exchanges; more regional youth dance showcases.
Blue Eyed Soul, Shropshire
Blue Eyed Soul is an independent dance organisation based in Shrewsbury,
which exists to create a distinctive and authentic dance repertoire, education
and training programme embracing difference. The organisation has a strong
focus on inclusion and works with integrated groups of young people and
adults to develop dance and movement work. It works with all ages and
abilities, including people and young people with physical and learning
disabilities aiming to provide opportunities for people with disabilities to
participate in dance and movement in an inclusive environment.
Since 1999 Blue Eyed Soul has been a regularly funded organisation of Arts
Council England, West Midlands. The organisation also receives project
funding from Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council, South Shropshire
District Council and (in the past) Telford Borough Council. It secures project
funding from a variety of trusts and foundations. The company has a primary
focus on Shropshire, but also works in other parts of the region. Its work has
three strands: education; training; and performance. The style of work is very
specialist, varied and distinctive, not based in a contemporary technique. It
involves improvisation, aerial work and other non-conventional forms of
movement.
Blue Eyed Soul undertakes a wide range of work in schools often working with
artists with a variety of specialisms on multi-disciplinary projects. For example,
Water, Water Everywhere was a collaboration with visual artist Maria Hayes
with pupils from Severndale Special School and Belvidere School exploring
dance, painting and sculpture. It has also used digital imagery alongside
dance work. The company has ongoing partnerships with a variety of schools
and colleges and links with Coventry and Wolverhampton Universities and
Hereward College.
The company has many other partnerships: with Black Country Touring;
Walsall Community Arts; SAMPAD, social services providers and, nationally,
with other companies and organisations specialising in work with disabled
people. It operates with a small core team, including a training and education
coordinator, using appropriate freelance dance artists and leaders and artists
from other disciplines who understand the company’s work to supplement the
core team.
The company’s training programme addresses the needs of both teachers
and dance artists, providing specialist expertise in working with dance and
integrated groups. Fifty Ways to Run a Workshop is a professional
development course about inclusive practice in dance which has been used
by teachers and dance artists and others involved with young and disabled
people. The company is currently exploring the possible creation of an Open
College Network (OCN) accredited training course linked to the young
people’s Arts Award. It is also working with Arts and Media Training and
TMPL Consultants, providing training packages to arts organisations in the
region.
Blue Eyed Soul tends to work on a time-limited project basis as it finds it
difficult to maintain regular weekly sessions due to transport difficulties and
other logistical problems. As a result it has not in the past run a regular youth
dance group, though many of its projects have resulted in work for
performance. Some groups established through project activities have also
continued independently. However, the nature of the work is such that it is not
always appropriate to be presented in a showcase context with other youth
dance work which might be much more technique and production based. It
does however tour work created and presents work by its groups on a single
programme from time to time.
The group has received invitations to dance at many events outside the region
and in other countries: at the Liverpool International Festival of Dance; Dansehabile, a festival in Geneva; the international Festival of Disability Arts in
Washington DC; and in ArtsFest in Birmingham, where it performed at the
Rep and CBSO Centre.
In 2005/06 Blue Eyed Soul has been working on a major project entitled
Touch. This has involved work with an assortment of groups, including
intergenerational groups, and the creation of a Touchline youth dance
programme, bringing together young people from a selection of schools in
Shrewsbury, Wem and Wolverhampton. The group will perform at the regional
Youth Dance England showcase, Raw Energy in March 2006 and could
develop into an ongoing project.
The company is well established, and while it believes that the profile and
quality of youth dance has increased in recent years, the underlying
challenges of delivering dance opportunities in a large rural area remain.
However, dance work in the county has struggled to progress over the past 10
years and there have been major changes to the arts education service which,
allied with the shift towards project funding and inconsistent nature of
development has hampered progress.
Blue Eyed Soul would like more opportunities for showcasing work; more
professional development opportunities; and more opportunities to work
alongside other youth dance groups. The focus on day-to-day project work
and development leaves little time for the development of strategic initiatives
and partnerships and a regional network, or dating agency service, could be
very useful. There is also a need for a more consistent flow of information
(there used to be a Shropshire dance newsletter). The company finds the
National Foundation for Community Dance a useful source of information and
advice.
Blue Eyed Soul is a highly specialist company whose ways of working are
different to those of most youth dance companies in the region. At any one
time it may or may not be involved with a project and group which might be
termed youth dance and its role in youth dance in the region will therefore
continue to be of great importance, but not necessarily structured in
accordance with other youth dance arrangements. It is however important that
the company has opportunities to link with the youth dance movement
wherever possible.
Breakthrough Youth Dance Company
Breakthrough Youth Dance Company is an integrated group led by Rachel
Lines, who is the director of Frontline Dance Company based in Stoke on
Trent. Frontline tours dance performance work and undertakes a range of
education projects in the city, including after school dance clubs and work in
youth and community settings such as adult day centres. The company also
offers INSET training and provides other teacher support. Frontline is an
integrated company with disabled and non disabled dancers and performs in
non-conventional venues.
The company has to operate on a project basis and generates income from a
variety of sources, including charging schools for its services. The company’s
five dancers who are not all based locally, come together for specific projects
and do other work. The company receives project funding from Awards for All,
Grants for the arts, the local Comic Relief fund (two-year funding) and from
three local authorities (Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire Moorlands and Stafford
Borough). Its work involves children with disabilities and special needs and
children in foster care. The organisation has also received funding from the
Staffordshire Local Network Fund, which is supported by the Children’s Fund.
Breakthrough was set up in partnership with Disability Solutions, a charitable
organisation which supports work with people with disabilities. The group
meets at Stoke on Trent College, which is very supportive of the company’s
work and provides rehearsal and workshop space at no cost; in return
Frontline assists the college with work related to inclusion. The Breakthrough
company includes young adults with special needs and disabilities and has
performed at a variety of venues including Sadlers Wells in London.
The group meets weekly during term time and consists of a mix of young
adults and school-aged disabled young people and provides social and
recreational activity as well as an opportunity to dance. One of the group
members is studying on an HND dance course and operates as a trainee
providing support to the dance leaders. All the work leads to a final
performance. In the past Rachel Lines has choreographed it, but other dance
leaders are now working with the group to provide a wider range of
experiences.
The group normally performs two or three times a year, including performing
at the Stoke on Trent Theatre 06 youth dance event and at community and
voluntary events, such as an event for looked-after-children at Stafford
Gatehouse. The group has good connections through Frontline into other
dance in the region, but would welcome more opportunities to showcase its
work. Frontline has coordinated a dance collective for the city, which has
provided opportunities for dance leaders to come together for classes and
other activities. The group has links with Derby Dance, but dance leaders find
it difficult to find time and meet the cost of travel to major centres, Birmingham
and Manchester, to access more training and development opportunities.
We interviewed the five participants attending the rehearsal session we
attended. They had found out about Breakthrough in different ways: via the
website; through word of mouth; by coming into contact with Rachel’s work in
schools or other settings. They valued the opportunity the group afforded to
meet and work with other young people and the social aspect of the group.
One wheelchair user studied on a BTEC Performing Arts Foundation Course,
but found that she was unable to participate in the dance elements of the
course as they were not appropriate for her. Breakthrough provided her with
an opportunity to dance, which was otherwise not available to her.
The group members enjoyed performance and wanted more performance
opportunities, especially as each performance piece they produced received
limited exposure, just two or three performances. They were particularly keen
to travel to perform and to take part in exchanges, which would offer
opportunities to meet other groups and engage in creative activity outside of
formal education settings.
Dance 06 Showcase, Stoke on Trent Theatres
We have included this short description of the annual youth dance showcase
at Stoke on Trent Theatres as it is the largest such open event in the region
and open to youth dance groups of all sorts, including schools, private dance
schools, and youth groups.
The Dance 06 Showcase is a vital part of the extensive arts programme
delivered by the Regent Theatre’s education and outreach department for
young people in the city and beyond. It has provided a unique platform for
youth dance to be shared with our community, and for gifted and talented
young people to be seen and to have their skills acknowledged. The theatre
believes that the standard of work is enhanced by groups working with the
venue year after year. Each year there is a theme (the elements in 2006),
though this it is not compulsory for all groups to address this.
An incredibly diverse range of work is presented by groups from a wide variety
of backgrounds; all male groups; integrated dance groups; work by special
schools; and degree level dancers from Manchester Metropolitan University
and Derby University. Groups are asked to work with no more than 24 young
dancers, with a maximum time on stage of 10 minutes. There is a dialogue
between groups and the technical crew to ensure a mutually agreed vision is
reached, and a compére introduces each group using their own notes.
A finale marks the end of the evening. This year all shows were recorded onto
DVD for the first time; also for the first time a professional company, BBoys
Attic from Birmingham, was included in the programme - a last minute
innovation as another group had to withdraw at the last minute due to
unforeseen circumstances.
Dance styles included: Irish dance; pure contemporary dance; modern, tap
and ballet (Staffordshire Youth Ballet and Cheshire Youth Ballet); hip hop;
disco; physical and acrobatic dance; and more abstract creative dance by an
integrated dance company. Compagnie Kafig danced one memorable piece to
music; another piece involved a young man with a violin and a unicycle accompanying the dancers who performed to The White Stripes.
The opening night was totally dedicated to the groups working with Hayley
Rose (DAiR artist at the theatres) including groups who work with her purely
on a freelance basis. Kate DeRight compéred the evening. Each evening
there were approximately eight groups each with around 20 dancers. Around
160 young people danced each evening to audiences ranging from 400 to
800.
The event is a tremendous experience for many young people who have
never danced publicly before and remains a positive focus for more
experienced dancers. Participants can see half a show if they and their
teacher wish to do so – seats for dancers are allocated at £2 each. Each
group pays a registration fee of £25 to be part of the show. Dates are already
scheduled for 2007.
The local newspaper (The Sentinel) commented, in its 2006 dance review
headline "Dance Unites the City".
© Artservice and Arts Council England, May 2006