Stage 1 Training: How to deliver dance in social inclusion settings

We are pleased to announce that our Stage 1 training course has now been accredited by Open College Network (OCN). This means that course participants will now be able to achieve recognition at level 3 in Social Inclusion Practice in Dance.

Course Content
Dance United runs four-day training courses each year which look at how to deliver high quality dance when working with challenging groups in the community.

First there are the strategies that can be embedded within the dance method itself to work pro-actively to overcome resistance, non-engagement, and potential conflict. We share our dance methodology and unpick how and why it works for us.

But prevention isn’t always enough. Second, every teacher also needs a ‘tool-bag’ of strategies/interventions to deal with provocations and challenges to their authority in the dance space. The more tools they have, the more confident they are, and the more confident they are, the better able to respond rather than react when provoked.

And then, what makes it possible to find stillness in the heat of the moment. Another part of the facilitation equation is managing our fear of what might happen, understanding what triggers our own vulnerability and volatility and understanding how we are part of the group dynamic.

The key questions revolve around:

• What is the relationship between ‘soft’ group management and ‘hard’ dance skills embedded within dance?
• What can you do when faced with challenge, confrontation and conflict?
• What lies beneath participants’ presenting behaviours?
• How can you decide whether behaviour is mildly, moderately or severely inappropriate and act accordingly?
• What makes challenging behaviour difficult to manage?
• How and why do particular strategies work?

We also deliver bespoke training events. These take place all over the country and recently included individual training programmes at Gloucester Dance, North East Wales Dance, Leeds University and Laban.

‘I have learnt such an incredible amount of valuable skills that will be applied to my teaching practice’ Participant September 2011

Click to apply for our next Stage 1 Training course.

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