There are times in your life when you wonder if you have taken on a little too much. Sifting through a pile of applications covering the desk in the Retina office we did not wonder, we felt certain.
When Filip Van Huffel, Artistic Director and choreographer of Retina, dreamed up the Gradient concept a year ago it had seemed a fantastic idea. A paid professional development project for graduate dancers which could provide an experience of creating, performing and teaching dance to address the age old catch 22: you need experience to get a job and a job to get experience. After years of requests from young professionals wanting work experience with Retina we decided it was time to create a project specifically for this group of people. One successful application to London Arts Regional Arts Lottery Programme later and here we were buried in portfolio photos and CVs, a crystal clear demonstration of the demand for post-training development.
We approached the University of Surrey Roehampton, Laban Centre London, Lewisham College and The Place as partners, establishing rehearsal residencies and performance dates for Gradient. Then, once we cleared the desk, we held a June audition that would have made A Chorus Line jealous! After the application process 150 people auditioned to be whittled down to the final six chosen for their ability to learn taught material, improvisation skills and teacher potential. An interesting observation was that the six dancers came from a range of dance courses highlighting the value of individual talent irrespective of their chosen training.
It occurred to us that Retina is in a unique position to be able to address teaching methodologies from two different perspectives. Filip has an international reputation for teaching dance in education, inspiring students to achieve beyond their expectations and investing in every project an artistic integrity unique to Retina. In contrast, Natalie teaches at University of Surrey Roehampton and has extensive experience teaching in a range of formal education settings. This combination allowed us to design a project that can address both the formal needs of dance in education as well as the artistic experience from a company perspective.
Initially Filip set the theme of Gradient as the 'senses', 'because of the rich scope for visual, sound and movement exploration as well as its accessibility for ten 18 year olds. 'The programme of training for Gradient was then established through brainstorming the essential skills a dancer needs, from collaborating on an improvisational task to the ability to teach a class of hyperactive ten year olds. Artistically the dancers developed skills through improvisation-based tasks, sharing material and structural devices. Additionally Bartenieff and Laban based workshops led by Natalie (company manager and movement analyst) were incorporated to enhance dance technique and performance skills. Other time was allocated to teaching the dancers how to structure and deliver education sessions in schools. Retina's overarching aim for this programme was to encourage a spectrum of skills in each individual as a member of a dance company.
We created a structure of support that encompassed the collaborators - composer Jules Maxwell, lighting designer Sarah Gilmartin, current Retina dancers - James Flynn, Maho Ihara and Nadia Sellier and administrator Kyla Lucking. The dancers acted as informal mentors for the graduates, working alongside them as equal colleagues but also offering advice and support when it was appropriate. Jules engaged in the whole creative process, and his score proved a great hit with the school audiences who all left the theatre singing his haunting song 'Mr Blank'. The dancers found the insight into the creative collaboration with a composer fascinating and it was also a great chance for them to practise working with an accompanist for classes - a luxurious challenge.
So far this may all sound very academic but it was essential to make the process relate to the real world. The graduates practised teaching one another so that they could prepare for the unexpected disruptions that can happen in a workshop, the determined ten year old that will not leave a teacher's side, the hyperactive canon ball who thinks that dance is all about speed and the self conscious teenager. Indeed James' best memory of the project was 'pratting about as a 14 year old with Filip. I think we both took on the role with aplomb which maybe says a little too much about us!' Having enjoyed playing these roles for one another, the graduates soon discovered that the reality of the situation in some schools was still an unknown entity. Delphine feels that she has 'learnt flexibility, being able to redirect a workshop according to who you have in front of you.'
After the three weeks preparation the group were ready to meet the real world and teach a set workshop, based on the senses, which had been devised collectively. Workshops were delivered in teams of two graduates and one experienced Retina member, with feedback provided to encourage continual growth throughout the project. To consolidate the experience all workshop participants were invited to a performance of Gradient at a local venue. According to one student (overheard on his mobile) 'it was like lots of stories told with the body, a mix of proper contemporary dance, weird bits with fruit in, blind dancing and funky stuff.' The performance was followed by a lively lecture demonstration, a chance for the audience to witness and direct a creative process. A teacher from a Camden primary school confided that her pupils 'were talking about it all morning - the sort of things they would like to ask the dancers to do... and this finished the experience well.' Another felt the audience creation 'broke down 'dance-student' barriers.'
Throughout the project we fostered an atmosphere of equality in which everyone was encouraged to relax, speak truthfully and react naturally. The graduates were forthcoming in their feedback about the full scope of Gradient. Leon said, 'my skills as a teacher have improved about 2000%. I feel now I actually have the skills, confidence and safe practice to take teaching further.' Dan felt his 'perception of what a professional dancer is has changed from a thing to be obtained to a more diverse spectrum of things. It has shifted from a hierarchy to a scale where dancers are professional but do different things and have different strengths.' In considering the whole project, Amalia felt 'the only thing I would change would be the length of the project. I would definitely make it a three - month project. It felt like it was only starting when it finished.' All of which encourages us to believe that Gradient has contributed to a more integrated range of skills increasing the dancers employability and personal satisfaction.
From Retina's perspective it would have been great to make it longer but funding implications affect the length of a project. Extending the project would have allowed time for more skill development, but perhaps a concentrated and succinct project like Gradient can have a greater impact. As it was the performances and workshops were a tremendous success for all involved. One of the biggest challenges was booking workshops in schools. London schools appear saturated with arts opportunities and persuading them that yours is the most beneficial for their students is no mean feat. Still, it makes speaking to an enthusiastic teacher reinvigorating. In a future project we would aim to work with an organisation already in contact with local schools.
Our pride in this project is probably apparent; we feel that Gradient has been successful in giving the graduates a head start in their dance career. When we meet the dancers in twelve months we will know for sure just how effective the project has been. In the meantime we are looking at ways of sharing and developing this model with other organisations. We hope we will be able to run a Gradient-style project again building upon our experiences from this time around, if only to see Filip act like a fourteen year old again!
For further information about Retina or a Gradient CD Rom call
+ 44 (0)20 8858 9558 or visit www.retinadance.com
'My best memory is the sense of self satisfaction after teaching a really good workshop'
Leon Baugh (graduate, Laban Centre London)
'Having never had feedback on teaching before I feel that this has set me up for life'
Claire Benson (graduate, London Studio Centre)
'It was a good way at having a taste of what it is going to be like in the future but still being able to freely ask questions about the unknown'
Delphine Gaborit (graduate, Laban Centre London)
'The audition was one of the most exciting experiences I've ever had'
Amalia Garcia (graduate, DeMontfort University)
'My favourite memory was the first time a class and workshop went well - and I realised how much you get back from people'
Kate Jackson (graduate, Northern Contemporary Dance School and Edge, London Contemporary Dance School)
'I just loved performing, but more than that I just remember laughing so much with everyone'
Dan Watson (graduate, University of Surrey Roehampton)