About Into Dance
Into Dance – Community Cohesion Through Creativity
Project summary
Into Dance (Community Cohesion Through Creativity) was established in November 2009 and is a 2 year project enabling staff, artists and adult learners from a wide range of backgrounds to develop and share practice through creative participatory projects.
A key focus for the project has been around ‘integrating’ a range of disabled and disadvantaged groups from different countries and backgrounds and developing new contemporary dance pieces which have been performed at high profile public platforms and festivals. Participants have been encouraged to take ownership of creating and choregraphing the new work through a series of workshops and residences working with a lead choregrapher and dance artists.
Over 40 adults have taken part in the workshops and mobilities and throughout the project, audiences of over 60,000 have seen the finished work.
Project partners
The Seachange Trust is an arts charity, based in Great Yarmouth in the eastern region of England. Its mission is to increase participation and access to high quality arts and cultural experiences, which will ultimately enrich the lives of local, regional and international communities through enjoying and achieving, celebrating diversity and raising aspirations. Great Yarmouth has a very diverse and international population with over 25% of the town centre population from an international background and 165 languages spoken in the town, which is one of the most deprived areas in the whole of the United Kingdom. SeaChange delivers creative learning projects for people from a range of backgrounds including socially excluded groups, those with low educational attainment, culturally diverse communities including migrants and refugees and intergenerational groups.
Platform K is an artistic, social organization (established in September 2008) but has a long history in running creative artistic projects through its founder organisation: Handicum. Handicum is a non-profit educational organisation dedicated to people with learning disabilities and the people who care for them. Platform-K, is an intergrated organisation profiling artistic work by artists with and without disabilities. Aims of the organization include:
- The focus is on the artistic, regardless of disability.
- The artistic talent is always the starting point and connection.
- We support people in discovering and present a growing artistic talent.
Norfolk Dance is the dance development agency for Norfolk, and are based in Norwich, UK. They operate across Norfolk and deliver a range of learning projects in a variety of different settings. The organisation runs a regular termly class programme in Norwich that incorporates a wide range of dance genres and age groups. Norfolk Dance also runs D4Dance, a dance company of 14 dancers for adults with learning difficulties, who meet regularly and who devise and choreograph original work.
Kultur i Väst is a regional department of arts and cultural development and part of The Region Västra Götaland which is a public organisation based in Western Sweden. Kultur i Väst works with a range of different groups including municipal coordinators, societies, artists, organisations, cultural organisers, schools, universities and individual citizens. It has a wide range of experience of delivering integrated adult learning work including performances by integrated dance companies, residencies and disability projects in dance, music, crafts and art.
Project objectives
The objectives of our partnership are to:
- Work together to explore how creativity can act as a bridge between people with different languages, ages, and abilities
- Improve the skills and knowledge of a wide range of adult learners including disabled and disadvantaged adult groups, staff and artists
- Develop an inclusive cross cultural philosophy of integration which we can then take back to our own work
- Contribute to changing the profile and perceptions of disabled and disadvantaged groups in the eyes of the general public
- Develop our understanding of how to work with mixed groups, by moving beyond projects with narrowly segregated target groups
- Develop the skills of staff, learners and artists so we can all work more effectively with those with support needs
Project activity summary
17 November 2009 to 20 November 2009, Great Yarmouth, UK
Planning meeting for all 4 organisations, agreeing dates for mobilities, discussion on creative products and seeing partner’s work.
26 April 2010 to 30 April 2010, Vänersborg, Sweden
Creative workshops with 42 learners to develop a performance which was showcased on the 29 April at a professional conference for delegates.
14 September 2010 to 18 September 2010, Great Yarmouth, UK
Creative workshops with 32 learners to develop a performance which was showcased at the Out There International Street Arts and Circus Festival on the 18 September.
10 November 2010 to 13 November 2010, Bruges, Belgium
Creative workshops with 30 learners to develop a performance which was showcased at the Enter Festival on the 13 November.
11 April 2011 to 13 April 2011, Gothenburg, Sweden
Evaluation meeting with all partners, discussion on developing good practice toolkit and updating website/facebook pages.
