People Dancing

This was the 12th People Dancing Summer School. There were 13 webinars and video recordings available to People Dancing members plus One-to-One Support Surgeries available offering practice development advice on a range of topics including fundraising, business continuity, teaching and leading and safeguarding.

Programme

1. Small Dances: leading dance with individuals and small groups with Diane Amans and participant John Worsley. Diane shares the practice of Small Dances, offering ideas for leading dance with individuals or very small groups of people. Diane talks about how she has used Small Dances in her own practice, gives example activities, and offers ideas for how the practice can be adapted by those currently leading dance via online delivery
2. Working with children and young people practice sharing facilitated by Mel Knott. Mel, (Lecturer in Community Dance Practice at De Montfort University and Associate Dance Artist at Curve, Leicester) explores a range of issues including safeguarding for online dance sessions when working with children and young people; setting creative online tasks during lockdown; teaching styles and strategies suited for online delivery and using online feedback and evaluation mechanisms
3. Early Years Dance Network (EYDN) practice sharing facilitated by Liz Clark. This filmed session explores how dance artists can use everyday household objects to create dance and movement environments to stimulate children’s creativity and imagination. It includes lots of practical starting points and how to create movement invitations online to help children under 4 to explore, discover and dance with the help of their parent or carer
4. Safer dance practice for remote online delivery (in association with Safe in Dance International) with Charlotte Tomlinson (Independent Artist, co-author of Safe Dance Practice: an Applied Dance Science Perspective and Associate of Safe in Dance International). Charlotte explores safe delivery for dance practitioners providing online classes, with a particular focus on class structure, warm up and cool down, as well as time for questions.
5. Developing your Income with Ruth Lee. Ruth developed ideas around income generation including budget setting, creating a financial model appropriate for practitioners and understanding and engaging with the ‘market’. As an introduction to the webinar participants were encouraged to look at People Dancing’s ‘Developing income streams for participatory arts practice’ online learning programme – Part A
6. Early Years Dance Network (EYDN) practice sharing and Q & A session facilitated by Liz Clark and Oksana Tyminska. Liz and Oksana followed-up on a Q&A opportunity where viewers were invited to submit questions about artistic practice and issues arising from the content of the Early Years Dance Network (EYDN) practice sharing video that explores how dance artists can use everyday household objects to create dance and movement environments to stimulate children’s creativity and imagination
7. Leading dance with older people practice sharing facilitated by Diane Amans. Diane highlighted safeguarding issues, explored examples and ideas for working creatively via remote delivery, and facilitated discussion around key considerations for working with this group remotely. There was also time to reflect and to consider ways of working post-lockdown
8. Developing a communications plan to support income generation with Ruth Lee. Ruth supported participants to generate ideas, utilise networks and create a communications plan to support developing income streams. The session was supported by the Arts Fundraising and Philanthropy Innovation Fund and participants were also able to access an online toolkit to support communications campaigns
9. Using video / online presentation in your dance practice with Michael Joseph. Michael gave participants the tools needed to present dance, live and recorded, in front of a camera for their dance practice. Using different methods to capture live dance material as well as using editing software; this online course is ideal for those new to using video with dance in their teaching or creative practice.
10. Developing creativity with older participants facilitated by Clint Lutes. Clint introduces techniques for encouraging and supporting creative development amongst older participants in a range of participatory dance contexts. Whether you're new to working with older people or want to expand an existing practice, this practical session will discuss perceived barriers to developing creative approaches to dance; deliver tools for developing others’ creative practice and encourage you to explore and expand your own creative practice.
11. Improving teaching skills for best practice in community dance facilitated by Geraldine Hurl. Geraldine aims to refresh your teaching skills and/or introduce you to concepts and principles which will help your knowledge and understanding of the relationship between learning and teaching – dance pedagogy. Whilst COVID-19 is currently at the forefront of our concerns for developing practice, this session will not address teaching on-line directly but by understanding the principles of dance pedagogy, you may be able to draw on more resources to improve and adapt your teaching in any context and situation.
12. Collaboration with Louise Katerega. Including guest perspectives on working with community dance from Chris Benstead (music), Kwesi Johnson (digital) and Cat (Catherine) Harmer (staging and lighting). What are the ingredients of a successful collaboration? A blend of sharing, coaching, moving, thinking, anecdote, instruction, listening, imagining and yes…collaboration (!) for those contemplating their first and seeking confidence in communication and organisation, those keen to advance into new collaborative territory or those with their own long experiences to process and share
13. Invitation to be Curious film made with Cecilia Macfarlane and Kirstie Richardson. In this film, Cecilia and Kirstie, in collaboration with other artists and makers, share how they have been able to be creative and survive these changing times. There is no teaching, no performance, but instead an evolving journey with no map! This has become an adventure that has nurtured them and inspired their making, each step leading to another question and importantly, they realise, with no end product, except perhaps another adventure.