The show
It is a beautiful spring morning. The sun is shining, and the journey to the school is through stunning countryside. Gladestry Primary, on the border between Powys and Herefordshire, is one of the smallest in the county. Only two teachers handling an infant and a junior class.
When Rosie and I arrive at 9.30am, having loaded the car at 8.00, we are practically treated like film-stars. The school does not have a hall, so we are directed to the village hall a half-mile down the road. The sprung wooden floor is a lovely surprise. And it is warm! We have been asked not to lay our dance floor as they have recently had it resurfaced at considerable expense. Okay.
A red velvet curtain at one end of the hall makes a suitable backdrop. Out of the car comes the toy box, the pole and Teddy. He has to sit on the passenger side with seat-belt on, due to his height and rotundity. He is getting a little bit saggy in the middle these days. It is all the birthday parties he has had - 55 of 'em, and yet he is not even a year old. Enough to make anyone droop just a little. He does throw himself into his 'rock 'n' role' with great gusto and an individual style, shaking his stuffing down to his soles. He used to be called Bear, but the children who helped us make the show pointed out that he was definitely Teddy. He is the undisputed star of our production, and is certainly the most hugged teddy in Powys. He is also quite sticky due to all the post-cupcake affection that's come his way. He takes his place on the floor, leaning against the toybox. Bird, Caterpillar and Monkey are climbing the pole, peeping through the dressing-gowns.
All set up. Half an hour to warm up and get into our pyjamas. The juniors come in. They have made a Pencil Case dance and please, please can they show it to us? They would love to know what we think. Oh, and can they come and see the show too? That way the whole school gets to see it. We put out some more mats and explain that is was made with 2-5 year old children in mind, but of course they are invited. Now, only fifteen minutes to warm up. In comes head teacher Hilary Southcote. Passionate about dance, she's incredibly supportive but she will be critical and slightly nervous even though this is our 56th performance. Yet, of course, every setting is different. She has some important jobs to do to make the performance happen. We tour without stage management (or much of anything else), so someone from each setting has to press 'play', deliver the titular present and light the birthday candle. This usually works well, especially when staff have attended the INSET, but we have had one or two interesting situations - like the time the show was started before half the audience was in.
Pyjamas are on. I'm pink today, as is Rosy. We must remember which characters we are playing. This changes from performance to performance depending who we are paired with. There are four of us touring the show. Good job there is plenty of space for improvisation. We're not too precious about sticking to the original choreography.
Ten minutes to warm up. And gone all too soon. Here they come. We drop down into our sleeping positions and close our eyes. Michael Harvey's honey-toned voice fills the space: 'Once there were two friends, and one night they had a sleepover. They played and played until they were tired and it was time to go to bed. And as they slept they had a dream. And in their dream they could see a monkey, and a boat, and a caterpillar, and rollerskates, and a beautiful butterfly, and a bird.'
English today. I prefer performing the Welsh version, as it forces me to concentrate much harder as I listen for the cues. Time to wake up! This is my favourite moment of all - genuine surprise as we open our eyes to see who has come today. We've heard them during the sleep dance so we have an idea of how vocal they are, but to actually see them is the real moment of revelation. It sets the tone for the rest of the performance and usually the workshop, too. Lots of response today. They join in 'peek-a-boo', gasp when the present arrives, and laugh and laugh as we play under the big coat. They especially like the foot tickling and the mythical beast we create with the coat.
The tone changes. Monkey tells us off for opening a present, which is not ours. What are we going to do? Who does the present belong to? We decide to find out. We jump on our bicycle, present balanced precariously on Rosie's back. The bell rings and we're off. Nick Dickman's accompanying 'squeaky wheelbarrow' and travelling melody makes the children laugh. What a funny noise! Our vehicle needs oiling badly. Oh dear, we have fallen off! The friends are not much good at travel. We get lost on the boat and can not quite manage the roller-skates which Monkey gives us. Still, some interesting creatures help along - Bird flies high above the forest, Monkey swings through the trees and helps the children rid themselves of fleas, Caterpillar changes into a butterfly and leads us right back home where she lands on Teddy's head. Of course, it must be... 'Teddy, is it your birthday?' 'As a matter of fact it is!' 'Then this present must be for you!'
Mystery solved, we all have a party. We sing 'Happy Birthday/Penblwydd Happus' and help Teddy blow out his candle. (He tends to be rather out of breath after all that dancing). Then it's time for the children to dance for Teddy. They choose their favourite character from the story (often Monkey) and together we prepare a dance to share. After their performance we sit down and eat cake (which the children have baked) and off they go to make birthday cards to send to Teddy. There are also a number of follow-up activities in the Teachers pack, which they can do over the coming weeks.
The Pencil Case dance, by the way, is excellent - especially the zip. The children have lots of questions about the show. The juniors really enjoyed it. 'Even though it was for babies, it was really funny!' They help us pack Teddy back into the car and strap him in. Five minutes to chat with Hilary, who is all smiles and very pleased. Phew! Then it's off to another school for the afternoon. Out comes the map. Whose turn is it to drive? Have we got the yellow pole?...
The background
Powys Dance has been touring The Present/Yr Anrheg to playgroups and infant classes across the county since summer, 2002. The challenge we set ourselves was to create a 20-minute performance suitable for touring to a range of Early Years settings. It needed to be available in both Welsh and English. And it needed to be portable. Jill Rolfe was enlisted to design set and costumes with the overriding concern that it could all fit into the back of a car and tour without any stage management.
We wanted the impact of the project to extend beyond the performance through staff training events, a comprehensive activities pack (including a video of the performance and an original music CD by composer Nick Dickamn) and workshop opportunities for the children. The latter would feature a bi-lingual option. Powys County Council's Early Years development practitioners, Jan Rees and Jen Evans, offered educational support, most notably in the production of the pack.
The piece itself was devised with the support of children from two local schools, one Welsh and one English. They came in on two separate occasions to see work-in-progress and help our storyteller, Michael Harvey, weave a tale around the dance and determine developments in character and plot.
Pricing policy and funding place The Present/Yr Anrheg package well within the reach of our target groups, with different rates for playgroups and schools. Initial INSET prepares staff for the visit, introduces them to the material, clarifies roles and expectations and affords an opportunity to air and discuss any concerns. The piece's technical specifications allow it to tour easily to almost any venue, from classrooms to porta-cabins.
The extremely positive response to the project has exposed a real gap in provision. Answering our questionnaires, most settings said they had never been offered professional touring product designed specifically for this age group. For most children, we were told, live performance was a new experience. Surprise was expressed at how well they reacted to the performance: 'Many were completely enthralled, and talked about it for days afterwards'.
For many, it has been interesting to observe their children working with and responding to other people. The youngsters acquired confidence by engaging with a new experience which regular staff cannot offer them, and through working with professional dancers. The project offered 'value-added' elements of concern to staff, including 'plenty of scope for creativity, thought and language development', 'increased listening skills', 'learning opportunities through play' and 'use of imagination to bolster self-esteem'. On a more mundane note, wrote a respondent, 'It addressed the creative area of Desirable Outcomes for Children's Learning Before Compulsory School Age.'
Plainly it is not just a young audience that has benefited from The Present/Yr Anrheg. The project has boosted teachers' confidence in using dance with children, triggering new ideas and providing fresh frameworks upon which to build. As one respondent admitted, 'It reminded me that we should do more dance and generally have more fun with our children.' Another echoed that notion: 'Dance is an area that is often neglected. Many parents are not aware of it as an option for their children to watch and enjoy.' The opportunity to meet and work with other professionals, both Powys Dance and other Early Years staff, has also been appreciated.
Subject to successful fundraising, The Present/Yr Anhreg is due to tour for a further two terms. This should give most settings a bite of the cherry. But where do we go from here?
A number of events, we hope, will support us in the development of a coherent and sustainable Early Years programme. The National Assembly for Wales has recently launched Giving Every Child a Flying Start, a strategy which contains a far-reaching proposal to suspend Key Stage 1 and implement a Foundation Stage for 3 to 7 year-olds. Jane Davidson, Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning, has outlined the rationale behind it. 'Formal learning is introduced too soon,' she has said, 'before some pupils are ready. Some sessions are too long for young people to maintain their concentration. Estyn has commented that children are given too many tasks to do while sitting at tables, rather than learning through well-structured play, practical activity and investigation.' (Visit www.wales.gov.uk for more information.)
We anticipate that there will be an increased role for creative and physical-based learning, with local authorities being charged with resourcing and steering these changes. In support of Giving Every Child a Flying Start, a number of Integrated Centres will be established with four main objectives: wrap-around care, open access play, training and development. They are expected to provide models of good practice, which can be replicated across Wales. We need to ensure that dance plays a part in these initiatives, and that we're brought on as partners at this early stage.
Maybe the final words, just for now, should go to the children. 'Our favourite bit was when you gave Teddy a piggy back. It was really funny.' 'I think the coat was just a little bit big for Teddy.' 'Hope you're not too tired after dancing!' (comments by Robyn and Bethan)
Heidi Wilson is dance development practitioner - Education of Powys Dance. Contact: powys.dance@powys.gov.uk
References 1 Published 1996 Qualification Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales