Company

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.