“In a climate where statutory support systems are being systematically weakened, third sector organisations are playing a more significant role in supporting vulnerable women.” (1)
This ‘third sector’ organisation happens to be the Bradford-based charity Dance United Yorkshire (DUY), which uses contemporary dance and performance to tackle social injustice. DUY’s Women’s Company was established in 2015 and reaches women with multiple and complex needs across the district.
It was Bradford Council’s Families First manager, Paul O’Hara, who presented me with the challenge of establishing a women’s performance group. In his previous role as Youth Offending Manager, he had witnessed the powerful impact of The Academy: a 12-week intensive contemporary dance and performance programme targeting young offenders and children excluded from mainstream education. He posed the question: “Can you do the same with adult women?”.
Having been significantly involved in the delivery and development of Dance United’s Academy model, I was keen to explore how the methods and principles adopted during an intensive project working with so-called ‘hard-to-reach’ adolescents could transfer to a weekly provision for vulnerable women – specifically those with experience of domestic abuse.
Eight women were recruited from domestic abuse charity Staying Put and the Enough is Enough initiative run by Bradford Council. In just six weeks, the group created a new piece: It Starts Right Now, which they performed at the Alhambra Studio Theatre to an audience of 200 people.
Since then, women from diverse backgrounds and all ages have engaged in the group. Most have been referred from statutory and third-sector organisations e.g. Together Women, Bradford Probation Service, Social Services, BIASAN (Bradford Immigration and Asylum Support and Advice Network) and Age UK – whilst others have stumbled upon us through our more expansive work with children, young people, and communities.
To define these women as having multiple and complex needs is an understatement. Many of their lives have been filled with unimaginable trauma and abuse, which has led to severe issues with mental and physical health, substance misuse, estrangement from families, social isolation, experience of the criminal justice system, financial crisis and poverty. With significant funding cuts and reduced specialist resources, it is no surprise that the statutory services designed to help these women have often failed, and the voluntary sector is picking up the pieces.
So, what makes the Bradford Women’s Dance Company so special and unique?
Years of discussion, observation and qualitative evaluation have reinforced the benefits and impact of this female-only provision:
- Women and their individual needs are placed at the heart of the work
- Women are valued and treated as equals, irrespective of socio-economic background, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, employment status and nationality
- Women experience a dedicated and professional space to meet for rehearsals
- Women feel physically and emotionally safe within the group and build trust with one another
- Women gain tremendous improvement in self-esteem and confidence through performances
- Women are empowered to contribute to the learning and creating process
- Women can explore, play, and feel a sense of freedom.
“For years, I felt I was going around in circles, but within two months of attending the company, I’ve healed a lifetime's worth of pain and trauma. The women’s dance company does magnificent things as it has great power to heal and empower women.” (Participant)
When comparing our approach to facilitating an Academy project (now five weeks) with the weekly delivery of Bradford Women’s Company, the main difference is the frequency and intensity. Our fundamental ethos remains the same: the art form leads and the artistic standards remain high, but at the same time, we place equal importance on pastoral ‘wraparound’ care. We respond appropriately and sensitively to individual needs and circumstances, acknowledging the impact of adverse life circumstances.
With the women, we ask: do they work? Are they mothers with family responsibilities? Where are they travelling from? What medication are they taking? What health conditions do they have? Do they have neurodiverse conditions? Are they in abusive relationships? Is English their second language? The list goes on.
Our proactive and responsive strategies may vary between adolescents and adult women but, essentially, we adopt a trauma-informed approach with all our participants: an understanding of how traumatic childhood and life experiences can negatively affect behaviour, personal development, and well-being. All our work incorporates the Office for Health Improvements and Disparities’ six basic principles of trauma-informed practice: “safety, trust, choice, collaboration, empowerment and cultural consideration”.
DUY’s unique two-pronged approach to working with vulnerable and marginalised women, focusing on high-quality and ambitious contemporary dance delivered within a framework of care and empathy, is why so many women engage over a long period of time and describe their experience as transformational.
“Before I started the women’s company, I had no confidence or self-esteem and was really struggling with mental illness. Since performing, I have become more confident in my body and myself, and I love dancing. I use dancing for emotional catharsis and always feel much better after dancing.” (Participant)
Info
References
- Cross, R. and Warwick-Booth, L (2020) ‘Changing Lives, Saving Lives: Women Centre working – An Evidence-Based Model from the UK’ in Critical Studies. An International and Interdisciplinary Journal. Vol.15, Issue 1, August 2020.
Image credits
- All images: Bradford Women's Dance Company. Photo: Brian Slater.