People Dancing

Deb Ashby and Sian Warusynski of Dance Initiative Greater Manchester (DiGM) reveal three years' grassroots activity involving disabled people dancing

On the 8 of February 2002, 150 disabled and non-disabled performers from across the ten districts of Greater Manchester launched the 'Dancing Differently?' Conference in amazing style. Using movement, film and music 'The Living Room' was a multi-media performance installation, which celebrated individuality and rejoiced in equality. Co-ordinated by Dance Initiative Greater Manchester and directed by Salamanda Tandem 'The Living Room' is the culmination of over three years of work to bring a high profile to grassroots activity involving disabled people in dance, thus promoting and encouraging inclusive dance practise across communities, the county and nationally.

One of the key issues, so fervently discussed at the Dancing Differently? conference was the continuing lack of equality for disabled performers both publicly and within the dance world. Whilst it was equally demonstrated that much of community dance practice and practitioners are working to redress this, we are not there yet. The Living Room both in its planning, implementation and its legacy was striving to actively address this issue.

Firstly it provided opportunities for dance workers previously unfamiliar with working with disabled people to develop new skills, it gave community groups who are sometimes isolated from public eye the chance to participate in a project with local and national exposure and it offered non-disabled people of all ages the opportunity to work with people of varying abilities, hence helping to remove stereotypes.

The project engaged many of DiGM's community contacts often uniting for the life of the project, groups which hadn't worked together before. The make up of these groups was very different from district to district, but some had an opportunity to meet at the Zion Arts Centre during the filming and music-making week. Dance to some non-disabled participants was all leaps and high kicks - surely this process led improvisational approach, utilising everyday objects as starting points could not be dance! On meeting members of Dodeka Dance, a company of people with learning disabilities, whose ability to respond creatively to the objects given, shook the foundations of this view of dance and began to challenge stereotypes for these young participants. Finally and perhaps most importantly, the Living Room gave the general public the opportunity to see a project that stood out for its artistic merit rather than for its unique nature.

Indeed, since February DiGM has been overwhelmed by the response to 'The Living Room'. Post-performance evaluation has highlighted how beneficial the project was for the participants. Many comments reveal how the project has helped to eliminate stereotypes and remove the 'us' and 'them' ideology. For example Mary Littlefield a lecturer at Tameside College responded that, 'it raised the profile of the abilities and skills of the students who we work with, either with low academic achievement or learning difficulties amongst our colleges and fellow students'. In addition DiGM has received a number of letters from participants and audience members thanking the organisation for co-ordinating the event and asking for more and calls from students wanting information or opportunities to observe similar work. Most significantly, DiGM has recently awarded funding through its community grants scheme to three groups from the 'Living Room' who were enthused by the project and want to continue with dance.

The agency has also consolidated networks formed through previous projects in its 'Enabling Dance' Programme. In doing so, the dance skills and appreciation of many people who have been involved in more than one project have been developed: the Royal School for the Deaf participated in a Sensory Environment project with DiGM, then in the 'Beautiful Day' residency and performance project with CandoCo Dance Company, again in 'The Living Room' and now Ros Hawley the school's musician in residence, is returning to work with DiGM, CandoCo and Australian integrated performance group 'Independent Movement' and other Greater Manchester performers in a choreographic residency for the Commonwealth Games Cultural programme 'Cultureshock'. Entitled, 'Boomerang' this project will see Ros and other community based disabled and non-disabled performers participate not as the students to the professionals, but on an equal footing as choreographic collaborators. Thus marking a progression from participant to choreographer for the performers and the first international collaboration for DiGM.

In terms of genuine equality for disabled performers in dance there is still much ground to cover. At a community level disabled participants in dance, often find their first opportunity for a voice and for some independence. To continue to develop equality it is important that the opportunities for involvement with dance do not disappear as the result of the end of a particular project or funding source. Boomerang is one more step in providing progression for people involved in dance at a community level in Greater Manchester but as the conference highlighted formal progression routes are still needed. Community dance has a role to play in demonstrating the demand for equality at all levels within dance. 'The Living Room' proves how valuable grass roots dance activity is. It may, start small, but the impact can be resounding.

Background to the Living Room

The Living Room was the culmination of the three-year Enabling Dance programme commissioned by Dance Initiative Greater Manchester and primarily funded by the National Lottery Arts for Everyone scheme. The programme aims to create opportunities for disabled people in Greater Manchester to participate in dance.

In early November 2001, Salamanda Tandem, held a weekend training session with dance workers from across Greater Manchester, who were enthusiastic about developing their skills in working with disabled people. Over the course of the weekend the dance workers learned practical body based approaches, based on working with people with varying disabilities and how to apply these approaches in different spaces with different media (music, film, movement). Demonstrating these skills, Salamanda Tandem held introductory workshops with residents, both disabled and non-disabled in each of Greater Manchester's ten boroughs. These 10 groups continued to meet weekly with their dance worker, collaboratively developing dance material for 'The Living Room'. A special session was also held at the Zion Arts Centre where Salamanda Tandem introduced film as a performance medium and offered an opportunity for each of the groups to make their own soundtrack for the performance.

The importance of Nottingham based company Salamanda Tandem in the project is undeniable. This company are forerunners in working across art-forms and working in a user-led manner. The artistic choice to bring film and music into the project, allowing each participant to be filmed and to contribute personally to a 'soundtrack;' heightened the personal involvement of each performer and increased the artistic innovation. Salamanda Tandem described the performance as 'Animated spaces, which capture and expand our experience of the everyday, allowing the performers to be themselves and present their personal explorations...' Although the 'Living Room' involved a lot of people, it was this strong sense of the personal amongst a larger collective, which made it so special.

Dance Initiative Greater Manchester (DiGM). Email: digm@easynet.co.uk

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Animated: Summer 2002