Opportunities for professional artists

Making Space 2010 Application deadline 28th March

The application deadline for the Making Space artist residency is approaching, for a chance to be involved in the residency and investigate and develop your ideas visit www.summerdancing.co.uk or email makingspace@summerdancing.co.uk

Making Space is a process-led residency that takes place alongside the Summer Dancing festival 2010. The residency offers time and space to support artists to further develop and investigate a particular area of interest.

Making Space takes place in the three weeks prior to Summer Dancing (4-26 June) and full participation at the festival (June 25-3 July) is included in the package. The residency provides space, materials, accommodation and where appropriate other dancers to support the artists' enquiry. The emphasis of the programme is on process although there will be performance opportunities or studio based sharings where appropriate. There is the possibility for mentoring from a Summer Dancing 2010 artist.

Applications are welcomed from artists working with movement as their primary practice, but acknowledge that this may manifest in a variety of forms such as new media, performance and live art. Making Space welcomes applications from artists based in the West Midlands, UK and internationally.

Submissions should express an interest in two or more of the following:
Somatic informed work.
Process-led practices.
Work that is informed by site or environment.
An openess to collaborations and/or interdisciplinary performance.
An interest in developing a discourse about own working process and aesthetic.

Deadline for submission of completed applications Sunday 28 March 2010

To apply for a place at Making Space, please send a proposal including:
Current research area/interests
Statement of intent for Making Space
CV

Submissions will be assessed by an experienced panel.
Please send your application to makingspace@summerdancing.co.uk
or by post to:
Summer DancingInstitute for Creative Enterprise (ICE)Coventry Technology ParkPuma WayCV1 2TT

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Postgraduate Certificate in Physical Theatre for Dancers and Actors

This postgraduate certificate is a Continuing Professional Development course for postgraduate experienced dancers and actors moving into a new area of work namely dance theatre, introducing new techniques that combine vocal, kinaesthetic and visual skills and responses. The focus of the course will be to understand and explore Vardimon’s method and approach of creating physical theatre work and will be taught by Jasmin Vardimon and the collaborators of the Jasmin Vardimon Company.Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells, award-winning director/choreographer Jasmin Vardimon is one of this country’s leading pioneers of dance theatre. Combining physical theatre, dance, text, music and innovative technologies, Vardimon is renowned for her acute observations of human behaviour, distinguished by her beautifully detailed movement, insightful humour and social relevance.The aim of the course is to engage students in practical methods and skills in the creation of physical theatre practice.You will experiment with a variety of aspects of the physical theatre work to include movement, dynamic speech, object integration, media usage and sound. Teaching will primarily be through experiential workshops with students given tasks for improvisation and exploration. The workshop will promote dynamic activity; with time to both experiment practically and to respond with detailed feedback.The dramaturgy of physical theatre will be built upon throughout the course so that aspects of developing narrative, working with text and voice, set, props or multi-media will be incorporated.Towards the end of the training period you will work to create studio-based compositions which reflect the physical and vocal skills that have been developed.The course will consist of 8 intensive weekend workshops and a full-time week in June.Audition Date:Thursday 8th April 2010. The audition is by invitation only. Registration will take place at 9.30 and the audition will begin promptly at 10:00Location: the Boilerhouse, Royal Holloway University of London. (Maps)To be considered please apply online and include 2 references and a copy of your degree certificate (if you have it already). You do not need to include samples of your academic writing at this stage. If you have any queries please contact drama@rhul.ac.uk.

For more information contact:
Jasmin Vardimon Company@ South East Dance, 28 Kensington Street, Brighton, Sussex, BN1 4AJ.
Tel: 01273 645266

Youth Dance News

In this month’s Dancescape youth dance e-news…….

Free choreolab at DanceXchange
Dance Links Application Information
National Youth Dance Conference 2010
Workshop Opportunities with Rosie Kay Dance Company

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Free choreography sessions for young people

DanceXchange in partnership with Youth Dance England (YDE) are running FREE choreolab sessions for young dance artists aged 15– 19 (up to 24 years if disabled).

Ideal for young people looking to develop their choreography skills, especially those studying for GCSE, A Level or BTEC in Dance, the three sessions are being led by experienced choreographer and Contemporary Dance teacher Clare Palethorpe.

26 March 5pm - 9pm
27 March 10am - 6pm
28 March 10am - 6pm

DanceXchange studios, Birmingham

All participants will also have an opportunity to apply for YDE Young Creatives 2011, a national initiative that focuses on developing the skills of young choreographers through mentoring, residential workshops and seminars and performance opportunities.

For further information and to register please contact Toby Norman-Wright at toby.norman-wright@dancexchange.org.uk by Friday 19 March

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Dance Links – Applications Open

Applications are now open for Dance Links 2010, a fantastic programme which aims to increase the amount of dance activity on offer to children and young people.
The programme gives participants working in any dance style the chance to develop their skills and experience in delivering dance in schools, both within and beyond the curriculum. Dance Links is designed for Dance Artists, Practitioners and out-of-school Dance providers who all wish to develop their skills in dance.

Is Dance Links for you? There are Dance Links Activity Plan funds from YDE tied to projects that are due to be developed with West Midlands School Sports Partnerships and one key criteria is that the School Sports Partnerships must identify a Dance Links trained artist to deliver the project – so this training could directly lead to work opportunities and is therefore worth considering!

Details: A two day residential programme to help you develop your skills in delivering dance
Cost: £75.00 including all meals and accommodation
Dates and Venue: 3rd and 4th September 2010, Birmingham
10th and 11th September 2010, Manchester and Winchester

The programme will cover:
Principles of best practise in dance both in and out of schools
High quality learning and teaching
Identification of your strengths and professional development needs
Contexts, practicalities and essentials of working in and out of schools
Management of resources, time and behaviour

Dance Links is managed by Youth Dance England, which has commissioned the National Dance Teachers Association to bring you this series of exceptional two-day residential training events.

Spaces are limited so please apply now to avoid disappointment. Application deadline is 30th April 2010.

To apply please email dancelinks@ndta.org.uk with your name, address and phone number, or phone 01543 308618, and the NDTA will send you full details of the training and an application form.

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National Youth Dance Conference 2010
‘A Shared Vision for the Future’

When: 23-24 September 2010
Where: The Mermaid Conference & Events Centre, London

This Conference marks a very exciting time for Youth Dance England, and its partners, as YDE launches the first National Strategy for Children and Young People’s Dance 2010-2020. The Conference offers you a platform to share and discuss the strategy and its delivery in aiming to deliver a world class dance experience for all children and young people.

With special guests:
Dr Maggie Atkinson, Children’s Commissioner for England
Baroness Sue Campbell, Chair, Youth Sport Trust
Julie Dyson AM, National Director, Australian Dance Council – Ausdance
Lord Tony Hall, Chief Executive, Royal Opera House
Wayne McGregor, Artistic Director, Wayne McGregorRandom Dance, and Youth Dance Champion
Richard Alston Dance Company

The Conference programme has been created in association with our National Youth Dance Network and key partners that promote dance in and out of school settings, and features presentations, debates, seminars, information exchanges and dance performances.

The main theme that the conference will be focusing on is putting strategy into practice through; improving cross sector working, implementing workforce development, ensuring conditions are in place for inclusive engagement, stimulating wider participation through dance in schools and wider community, creating progression routes and ensuring maximum value is made from investment through joining up programmes and networks.

YDE are delighted to welcome special guests from the dance, arts, education, school sports and health sectors, alongside government and Arts Council England representatives speaking about the huge and far-reaching impact of dance on the lives of children and young people.

To find out more, and register, please visit http://www.yde.org.uk/main.cfm?type=CONF

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Education Opportunities with Rosie Kay Dance Company and ‘5 SOLDIERS’

Rosie Kay Dance Company’s new production will premiere at International Dance Festival Birmingham with performances at the Patrick Centre, Birmingham Hippodrome on Friday 23 April followed by a national tour, which includes performances at Warwick Arts Centre on 27 & 28 April.

“It is young soldiers and their bodies that are the ultimate weapon in war – their strength and weaknesses may win or lose a battle, their ability to harm or injure others is key to victory. While war is surrounded with weaponry, uniforms, history and ceremony, the real business is human, dirty, messy, painful and happening right now.” Rosie Kay

5 SOLDIERS – The Body is the Frontline, shows that despite religious and cultural differences, technological advances and historical progressions we still use the threat of violence to settle modern problems. It is still the body that is used as both the weapon and the target in today’s modern warfare. The frontline today is the body - the bodies of soldiers, the bodies of the enemy, the bodies of innocent casualties. War is a physical action that affects our bodies. 5 SOLDIERS- The Body is the Frontline shows that war is human. 5 SOLDIERS is a timely, controversial, thought-provoking and moving exploration of war in modern times. It features Rosie Kay’s trademark intense physicality and athleticism and weaves a story of physical transformation, helping us to understand how soldiers are made and how war affects them.

As part of the performances of 5 SOLDIERS at International Dance Festival Birmingham and at Warwick Arts Centre, there are a whole host of education opportunities to take part in.

At International Dance Festival Birmingham 2010 there are several dates available when Rosie Kay is able to deliver half day workshops throughout the West Midlands linked to participants attending the première on Friday 23 April at 8pm. Her work and current show is ideal for young people committed to dance and will be a challenging and physical experience.

For more information about Education opportunities with International Dance Festival Birmingham please email Charlotte Brennan at charlotte@sparkarts.co.uk

Connected to the 5 SOLDIERS performances at Warwick Arts Centre, there are the following learning opportunities:

Contemporary Dance workshop
Led by Rosie Kay
Age: 12+
Tue 27 & Wed 28 Apr
Morning (access to warm room with suitable floor necessary)
£100 (cost subsidised by Warwick Arts Centre Education Department for schools/colleges with tickets for the show)

These practical, in-school dance workshops will explore issues, themes and the processes around the making and staging of 5 SOLDIERS. It looks at the intense physical nature of war and the human impact on the soldiers. The workshop also explores how visual imagery, the media and literature all play a part on how we understand combat.

Rosie Kay has extensive experience as a dance educator having taught at all levels from young children to professional. Her workshops are designed to inspire and offer a heightened glimpse in to the creative process. Rosie Kay is also the course leader for the Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) in the West Midlands.

To book a workshop please contact Carly Mee, Education Officer, on 024 7657 4786 or c.mee@warwick.ac.uk

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Next Youth Dance Network Meeting

Dancescape Youth Dance Network Meeting
plus a free ticket to Boys Dancing ‘Evolutionary Moves’ performance

When: Wednesday 17th March 2010
Where: Warwick Arts Centre (National Grid Room)
Time: 5.30 – 7pm

Dancescape will be hosting a Youth Dance Network meeting at Warwick Arts Centre for teachers, artists and youth dance leaders in Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire prior to the Boys Dancing performance ‘Evolutionary Moves’. The Network meeting will take place on Wednesday 17 March from 5.30 to 7pm and will have a focus on developing boys dance activity, as well as the usual opportunity to catch up on current youth dance opportunities and news. The Evolutionary Moves performance will start at 7.30pm and a free ticket is available to those who attend the network meeting.

The Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire sub region has become well known for its success in getting boys into dance due to various initiatives and projects that have taken place in recent years. Warwick Arts Centre has been running boys dance projects in partnership with Beingfrank Physical Theatre for more than 5 years now, which has helped to develop boys dance in at least 10 schools to the point where it is now an accepted activity for boys to take part in and boys have chosen to study dance at GCSE level and further. The Boys Dancing project is a natural development of past projects whereby Warwick Arts Centre, Beingfrank Physical Theatre and Dancescape are making partnerships across the West Midlands to take boys dance even further!

The network meeting will include further information from teachers and youth workers that have seen the success of boys dance development in their settings as well the opportunity to meet some of the boys and hear first hand why they love dancing so much!

Discussion points will include:
- The challenges of introducing boys dance to your school/setting – how to convince the
‘non-believers’ (kids and colleagues!)
- Setting up a project – buying in an artist, running a club/project and engaging boys
- How to advocate for boys dance within your school/setting
- Why boys dance works - facts and figures to help ‘sell’ your project idea and the
personal/social effects for participants
- Q&A – ask your questions about boys dance to a teacher, a youth worker, a young person, or a
dance project manager

We would also love to hear from those of you who have experience of running boys dance activity, to add to the discussions about what works and what doesn’t.

As most people will be coming straight to the meeting from work/school/college and going straight to the Evolutionary Moves performance afterwards, a buffet will be served as part of the meeting.

To find out more about the Boys Dancing project please visit: http://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/education/current-projects/boysdancing/
Here you will find footage of some of the boys dance projects that have happened so far – it’s a real taster of what can be achieved!

To book your place at the Dancescape Youth Dance Network Meeting, please email Hayley Duffield, Youth Dance Contact, hduffield@solihull.gov.uk or call 0121 704 6309. Booking is required due to the reservation of tickets to the performance and dietary requirements for the refreshments.