Historically, dance development in Lancashire was underpinned by a range of partnerships with local authorities. But in order to maximise the scope of these it was necessary to adopt a radical approach. We needed to illustrate the impact that dance can have through sustainable objectives and to prove the potential for participant and audience development. In the early stages, encouraging districts to invest in a new approach, as opposed to the familiar 'one-off project' formula was met with cautious interest. However, as tangible evidence emerged the word spread and other districts were more inclined to 'jump on board.' Thus, a partnership framework was born - the Dance Initiative Network (DIN) comprising a three-year investment programme between four local authorities, Lancashire County Council, Ludus Dance Company and The Charter Theatre, Preston. DIN wanted to focus specifically on the development of dance with young people.
We had the beginnings of an effective infrastructure and long-term strategy for dance development. Intrinsic to this was:
- the role-played by Ludus community dance artists in enabling grass roots development throughout Lancashire
- audience development
- cultural diversity and social development
- accessibility
- young people, their needs and aspirations.
Poised to take the next step we wanted to extend the partnership base, whilst continuing to appeal to a broad range of young people in Lancashire. Trust and confidence in the artform had increased through the framework's capacity to access young people. But it was both timely and necessary to consider the impact of the DIN framework in the context of the wider dance ecology in Lancashire and the County Dance Strategy. As background, the Strategy had been written in 1999 by Anne Clayton, the then dance officer for North West Arts Board (NWAB), in consultation with Linda Prue, county arts officer and myself and provided a broad structure for an integrated, holistic approach to dance development across the County and a basis from which to further strategic partnerships. It complements the achievements of DIN to date and affords a means in which to integrate the youth dance element.
But the question remained how to further the achievements of this vital partnership base whilst retaining the stakeholder's commitment to the centrality of young people. I had what I can only describe as a moment of revelation - the 'Ludus sandwich effect' - a metaphor, which would encapsulate the ethos of an approach, which would provide young people with a solid skills base whilst drawing on the experience encompassed within the disparate group of stakeholders ie. local authorities, venues, youth and community sectors, further and higher education, with those specialist skills of Ludus community dance artists.
We wanted, however to redress the balance in terms of the number and types of opportunities available for young people. Since the stakeholders subscribed to policies, which embrace all, this provided a perfect opening to tread new territory in practice and project design. The approach would specifically access youth communities, whilst interacting with the broader county dance ecology of residencies, performances, showcases and projects. The question was how to achieve this in such an extensive County.
But, what if we were to operate in each of the three County defined sub-regions, central, east and south and appoint a youth dance artist (YDA) to them all? Each would undertake grass roots activity, extend existing partnerships and weave together a broad and vibrant network. They would be a part of the Ludus Dance Development Team, and so feed into the wider County Dance Programme. We would also introduce apprenticeship and training schemes for young people, the formation of youth dance companies and showcase opportunities. The growing demand for youth dance was at last being met.
Without doubt, we had gained a clearer understanding of how to engage young people and of what is socially, culturally, morally and creatively relevant to them. We had evaluated our approach, styles of work and choice of artists and identified that dance currently needs to be accessible as well as challenging, offering the right pitch and appeal. As stakeholders it was vital to respond to and respect the important role that street dance plays in young people's lives and to work with this safely without loosing integrity or creativity. We asked young people directly what they wanted and found mechanisms to respond to their needs. And the ethos, intrinsic to Ludus' way of working which encourages 'the thinking dancer' has been wholeheartedly embraced by the stakeholders. In the knowledge that they have choices, young people have a sense of identity and pride in who they are, not only through the acquisition of new skills in learning, making and performing dance, but in decision making, project management and evaluation.
Last December, the DIN framework was to move a step closer to achieving this ambition of Lancashire-wide youth dance provision, when we were awarded a grant of £90,350 from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. Local authorities agreed to provide 'seed' funding - increasing annually over a three-year transitionary period - whilst the core funding provided through the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, would decrease. This is an approach, which we hope will enable longevity - allowing time to attract more statutory and non-statutory partners through dissemination and promotion of the model regionally. Ultimately, ownership rests with the stakeholders, including the young people themselves - they are pivotal in its dissemination, bringing it alive and encouraging local awareness. Through this awareness, the momentum and profile will grow bringing local community recognition. It is hoped that some of the young people will go on to train as artists in their own right, perhaps returning to their communities or operating in the wider county, nationally or internationally.
As an aperitif to this, five districts, three former DIN partners and two new ones, came together under the guise of DIN II. Each made a financial contribution of £1000, which was matched with core NWAB and Lancashire County Council dance funds. This enabled the appointment of a dance artist for a four-month period delivering dance one day a week in each of the districts and facilitating an integrated dance residency as a forerunner.
Concurrently, Karen Gallagher, artistic director of Merseyside Dance Initiative and I were exploring possible links that could be forged between artists and companies visiting the region. Karen had seen Robert Hylton's work at the British Dance Edition and plans were afoot for him and his company, Urban Classicism, to undertake a large-scale residency in the North West. It occurred to me that both his approach and style would complement our aspirations perfectly.
And so, Robert was engaged to deliver a 12-day residency. This proved to be highly effective - young people were absorbed by his style and approach and he managed to hit all the right buttons for the parties concerned. Roberts' fusion and merging of dance styles appealed to young people from a range of backgrounds, sustaining the stakeholder's ethos of access for all.
The strength of dance provision in Lancashire lies in its joined-up thinking and vision, of its responsive approach and the commitment and networking that exists between venues, local authorities, dance artists, dance companies, education and community development. Integral to it is the role of specialist dance artists and the consistency of access and initiatives across every district. Crucially many of the young people involved have few opportunities in life and have had little or no exposure to dance. For some, these experiences will have been life changing. For others, the significance will be understated ... Food for thought and illustrative perhaps of how joined-up thinking can influence the power of dance on peoples lives.
Hannah Curr, head of dance development, Ludus Dance Company, part of Dance Northwest National Dance Agency. Contact +44 (0)1524 35936. Email hannah.curr@ludusdance.co.uk
Street dance is an artform and it is at a pivotal stage in its development' says Robert Hylton, associate artist at The Place. Here he talks about his company's evolving relationship with Ludus Dance Company
Hip Hop or street dance as we know it has lived for 30 years and in that time it has changed and evolved. Its relationship to the theatre has also changed with artists like Jonzi D playing pivotal roles. In Urban Classicism, we use street dance as a form of choreography.
Street dance is often misinterpreted and its original philosophy of creativity can be overshadowed by glamour. Through its philosophy and roles of creativity, street dance offers practitioners an opportunity to learn and develop independence and understanding as artists and in art making.
The current climate - in education and in the community - is feeling that change. To me teaching long popular music video routines is irrelevant and does not offer the practitioner the opportunity to develop a sense of creative potential. Urban Classicism offers individuals the opportunity to learn about the form, to develop within it and to fuse it with contemporary. This is exciting to me as my generation, or previous ones, did not have that opportunity. In a sense, this next generation is in a position to be innovative, as the knowledge being gained will be unique to them.
Ludus has been quick to recognise the change and are ready to help in the pursuit of this in the current climate. The opportunity for Urban Classicism to build the company and its profile in the three-year youth dance development partnership, is testimony to the change necessary for dance within education and the community.
The three-year period will push the development of audiences, giving recognition to what is happening. Street dance offers more community interest, bringing more people into the theatre. The mix of formal and modern dance acts as a bridge to link these audiences together. By recognising street dance it will allow focus on the form. And, by bringing it to the attention of dance organisations and theatre practitioners alike it will increase the cycle of its ever apparent growth and artistic maturity.
Email roberthylton@urbanclassicism.com