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WHY DANCE?
What makes contemporary dance distinctive?
It is a performing art in which the human body creates and expresses meaning through movement. It has no other purpose. It needs no other props, tools or materials and it only exists in the time it takes to perform.
All art creates metaphors that are communicated to an audience for them to freely interpret and make sense of. In the contexts in which Dance United works, the communication operates on a number of levels for the participants:
The way I am creating and expressing meaning through the dance demonstrates that I can make some sense of my life and I can be more in control of the choices I make
I am without my normal props, barefoot even, and totally exposed with nowhere to hide; this communicates my self-confidence
The new (and significantly challenging) dance techniques I have learnt demonstrate that I can push myself beyond what I think I am capable of, take some risks and achieve
My moments of stillness and focus within the dance show how far I can feel comfortable with myself and hold on to something inside me when the going gets tough
Dancing as part of a group communicates how well I can work with other people and that I am trusted, supporting or lifting their weight or touching
The highly professional nature of the production in which I perform communicates that I equally value myself
The way you applaud at the end of the performance signals to me that I am visible, acknowledged and appreciated
OUR VISION
that contemporary dance
is widely adopted as a powerful force
for realising the potential of individuals and communities
OUR MISSION
that Dance United will
- through its practice, make the case for the transformative power of dance
- pioneer its approach in new contexts and applications
- train and develop dance artists of calibre committed to the delivery of the work
STRATEGIC AIMS
Programme Delivery and Sustainability
Dance United will deliver its work to the highest standards, establishing sustainable models for the participants and partners involved
Evaluation
Dance United will continue to develop the effective monitoring of its programmes to gather evidence of their impact
Research and Development
Dance United will explore new areas and communities in which to apply its approach
Professional Development and Traning
Dance United will seek to influence the primary training of dance artists to attract dance artists of calibre and prepare them to work in the social inclusion sector
Communications and Advocacy
Dance United will champion its approach by communicating its achievements to existing and potential stakeholders
Governance and Management
Dance United will maintain and develop its resources and infrastructure in order to support its work effectively
* * * *
Dance United was founded
in 2000 on the conviction and evidence that
dance has the power to change lives. Since
then, the organisation has delivered projects
across the UK and around the world, and
has seen hundreds of children, young people,
elderly men and women, street and working
children, prisoners and many more constituent
groups inspired and empowered through dance.
The focus of the work and
the artists who lead it is on dance as an
art form – and the demand that the
art form provides the structure and the
narrative of the work. There is an inherent
commitment to quality an uncompromising
attention to artistic standards - whoever
the project participants may be.
Dance as an art form tacitly
demands commitment, creativity, teamwork,
technical ability, problem-solving, reflection,
emotional experience and trust of participants.
Dancers can discover or learn these skills
without even understanding what the words
mean. For this reason, dance can engage
everyone, even those who have been excluded,
marginalised or written-off by society.
Outside the UK, Dance United
has worked in Germany in partnership with
the Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon
Rattle, delivering a three-year series of
large-scale projects with casts of 250 children,
young people and the elderly from Berlin's
diverse communities.
Dance United also continues
its work with the Adugna Community Dance
Theatre Company in Ethiopia, which began
as an initiative twelve years ago by the
founders of Dance United and its current
directors. Eighteen former street and working
children were trained to become professional
dancers, dance artists and teachers. Today
in Ethiopia, the Adugna artists themselves
deliver pioneering dance training to others,
inspiring individuals from all walks of
life through teaching and performance. Some
of the dancers also have successful international
dancing careers.
Innovation is at the heart
of Dance United's work in the field
of social inclusion. Dance United works
closely with its partners (both funders
and agencies) and these partnerships are
a major influence in the development of
work in both the criminal justice and education
sectors. For the first five years of its
criminal justice programme, Dance United
collaborated intensively with HMPs Holloway,
Styal, Bullwood Hall and HMYOI Wetherby.
These projects demonstrated the marked success
that can be achieved in challenging the
lives of offenders through their engagement
with dance.
This work paved the way
for the company's longer-term work
in the custodial setting exemplified by
an action-research project in HMP&YOI
Holloway, which ended in spring 2007. This
project set out to establish the viability
of a sustainable dance company - embedded
into Holloway's regime - which would
provide dance-led training, education and
rehabilitation.
Dance United's current
work, The Academy, in partnership with Bradford
Yot and Nacro, harnesses the Dance United
approach in a dance-led rehabilitation programme
devised for young offenders serving ISSPs
(Intensive Supervision and Surveillance
Programmes) and similar community orders.
The aim is to create through dance the circumstances
under which young people begin to see themselves
as achievers rather than offenders, and
start to fulfil their real potential.
The Academy is the first
project of its kind successfully to develop
a sustained engagement with participants
through an extended programme of intensive
contemporary dance training work. The Academy
is a tough and demanding process, one that
can lead to great personal and social change
and growth. The company has already seen
significant positive effects on participants:
a number of young Academy 'graduates'
have returned to education programmes, others
have been accepted for further education
on BTEC courses at Bradford College and
one graduate has just been accepted as a
student at the Northern School of Contemporary
Dance.
In 2006 Dance United gained
RFO (Regularly Funded Organisation) status
from Arts Council England, which has been
pivotal in the organisation's development.
The company is in a position to look towards
a bright future – plans are in development
to widen the project base to include large-scale
work in education, building on the models
developed in Berlin, whilst continuing work
in criminal justice, and developing training
opportunities for many more dance artists.
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