From baby ballet to youth dance groups, I have sifted and shifted my way through performing, creating, exploring and expressing myself through the art of dance. When I was looking for work experience opportunities, I thought what could be better than marrying my two passions dance and writing? And so I found myself with an opportunity to participate in a multi-faceted work experience placement at People Dancing’s base in Leicester – and beyond in a unique event at Hadrian’s wall.
I started as all good journalists must, with a head buried in paper work!
I consumed media about participatory dance and the People Dancing organisation in a flurry between it’s website and Animated magazine. I researched key practitioners mentioned throughout both, noted language features, and compared the structure of blogs and articles.
When I finally lifted my head from the pile of magazines, pens and papers… it was “Grab that box, that bag, that cup!" The People Dancing in the Summer (PDiTS) intensive professional development event was still in need of some last minute help and organisation.
Containers, props and paperwork were thrust into my arms amid bodies running around De Montfort University Leicester's PACE building with tasks of their own to complete. What struck me was how much everything was planned: accessibility, the specific resources needed and the location of each session was meticulously thought out and had to be exact! My job was scampering from floor to floor, peaking in studios, checking for the right equipment and making sure studios and floors were labelled correctly - ready for the first day.
And from that first day, diversity was the thing that made the deepest impression on me. All spaces were inclusive and accessible, many different people represented and respected. One of the features of People Dancing that I came to admire is its commitment to making dance inclusive - they push to make dance accessible to everyone. This was one of the many reasons I chose it for my placement. My personal values and morals are in line with exactly what this organisation stands for, and are what I would like to implement as I graduate to the real world of work. Their values, I think, should be instilled throughout all dance work.
The second day of PDiTS was the beginning of a new journey for me, creatively and in miles, since my placement involved supporting a Live Well & Dance with Parkinson’s event at Hadrian’s Wall. For this I was allowed to sit in on Live Well & Dance with Parkinson’s: Finding flow... run by Dr Sophia Hulbert, Heidi Wilson and Dr Sara Houston.
"What does flow mean to you?" Heidi asked us as a group.
I jotted down: 'Flow is quiet. It is slow. It is a flurry of movement amongst stillness. It is personal, vulnerable. It is responsive and adaptive, smooth and fluid. To me flow thrives in all living things.'
From here, we explored Laban’s meanings of ‘Free’ and ‘Bound’ flow to explore the extremes of flow when dancing with Parkinson’s. Heidi quoted Steph, a dancer living with Parkinson's: "It feels like running with the wind in my hair." She was free within herself. Flow could be an emotion, an expression, a feeling.
The session then shifted to why dance helps people living with Parkinson's physically. It can improve balance, as it practices weight transfers and shift, movement patterns can expand; it increases the ability to move and connect in everyday life, therefore improving quality of life.
We also discovered that the social aspect of the workshops improves mental health. It is a space where Parkinson's isn't the participants main identity. Nothing is taboo or stigmatised. All aspects of movement are accessible to them, as well as the countless general positive physical and mental effects of dance.
Lastly, we discussed the more abstract concept of grace and how it is connected to flow. Grace - weightless, delicate, movement we struggle to describe - is also associated with moral discourse. Those who can rise and fall with free flow, with grace, are seen as 'closer to the divine' and those with more bound flow are stigmatised. There is a dangerous stereotype that people who cannot 'move efficiently' or have 'irregular' movement patterns are less than or incapable - mostly people disabled by impairments or medical conditions. We related this to people living with Parkinson's and how, like Steph, they feel grace and flow whilst dancing.
My day then continued with the three hour car journey to Northumberland for the performance by Live Well and Dance with Parkinson’s Performance Collective at The Sill, a heritage and tourism centre, next to Hadrian’s Wall.
The afternoon began with rehearsals and a class sharing with participants’ family, friends and the public. The participants themselves giggled nervously and were smiling - enjoying every moment of the movement. I saw in real life what Heidi had proposed, in theory, the day before; saw what they felt on their faces - escapism, expression and, simply... fun! PowerPoint charts and quantitative evidence can’t capture the true meaning of the participants freedom. I had to experience it, right in front of me to truly grasp it.
Then came the show, celebrating the 1900th anniversary of the Wall, choreographed by Molly Grey and Olivia Padison, with performers dressed in green.
The positivity and fun I experienced earlier was carried through, and I recognised the specialist techniques used - movements that get participants more active, improve balance and heighten accessibility for less mobile dancers or those who prefer to dance seated. It was incredible to see the methodology being applied and actively used and to witness the positive effect it had on the participants.
Thinking back, the main lesson that has stuck with me from this work experience is not only about dance, but inclusivity. I learned valuable lessons about language, behaviours and structures used to create spaces that are accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or how they identify.
In the future, I want to create a movement or a platform (such as a blog) with just as much diversity and accessibility as People Dancing promotes and I will be using what I have learnt here to make that happen! From positive mental and physical health benefits, self-expression, political statements and cultural significance to just pure enjoyment I know that community dance practices are powerful. They have a unique power to create friction within society and make positive changes in the dance and the wider world.
Image: Lola-May Owen-McKenna, Brocolitia, the Temple of Mithras, a temple dedicated to the god beloved by Roman soldiers in Northumberland National Park. Photographer: Yaël Owen-McKenna.