People Dancing

What do YOU call it?

Outreach work? Engagement? Workshops? Education work? Recreational dance classes? Participation? Teaching? Leading? Facilitating?

There have always been - and still are - many words used for the type of dance we have led on here at People Dancing for over 30 years - as we call it - community and participatory dance.

But what exactly is that? Simply the collective term for the list above? Or are the activities on the list not the same thing at all? Is there more to it? How does it show up in or alongside your studies now and why might an understanding of it be considered crucial to your career in future - not just as a teacher but also as a performer, choreographer or academic?

Come meet us and find out!

You are warmly invited to an online session about just WTH community and participatory dance are from your People Dancing Higher Education Membership team. You'll learn about what we offer within and beyond your studies. You can ask questions and get guidance on anything from your first job to your whole career path. 

You will also learn how specialist community practice can be and how it can merge with performance from two guest speakers with wide-ranging, international careers: independent dancer-choreographer Takeshi Matsumoto and Claire Summerfield, Executive Producer of Second Hand Dance.

Takeshi and the company recently collaborated on The Sticky Dance, a highly successful, interactive show aimed at very young children with and without neurodivergence, following his own national and international hit for young audiences, Club Origami.

“There is no such thing as a career untouched by community dance” - Vicki Ibokwe, Uchenna Dance.

Cost

This event is FREE TO ALL.

Access 

If you have access requirements then we encourage you to book at least 2 weeks in advance. Any bookings after 16 October with access requirements, may not be fulfilled.

Book your place here

About Takeshi Matsumoto

Takeshi is a dance artist specializing in making dance performances for young audiences. He is also a qualified dance movement psychotherapist, having experience in working with children with autism and learning disabilities both in the UK and Japan. Growing up in Japan, his practice both in life and performing art is influenced by ?-Wa, harmony, peacefulness, quiet and contentment ways of living and balancing with others and environment.

As a dance performer Takeshi has worked with Christian Duarte, Henri Oguike, Darren Johnston, Beatrice Allegranti, Paul-Andre Fortier, SLiDE, Anthea Hamilton, 2nd Hand Dance and Hagit Yakira.

On a local level, he has been engaged with dance projects for and with children and adults with learning disabilities (SLiDE, Icandance, RADiate) and people living with dementia (Beatrice Allegranti) in the UK. On a global level, he has led dance projects for families who survived nuclear disaster in northern Japan (2013) and stateless refugee children in Thailand collaborating with other artists(2016 onwards).

He continues to explore possibilities of dance and performance as a way of acknowledging differences and creating mutual understanding with particular emphasis on empathy, communication, empowerment and body mind integration. 

sevencircles.co.uk/takeshi-matsumoto

About Claire Summerfield 

Award winning Independent Producer, Claire Summerfield operates under the company name Tandem Works. Tandem Works support companies/artists developing and presenting performance-based work; from one person shows to site specific multi-disciplinary productions to and international tours.

Each partnership responds to the needs of the artist/company and may include artistic and organisational strategy development, project design, partnership development and mentoring. Portfolio includes: Mars.tarrab ROLLER (The Barbican), Tom Dale Company (I Infinite, Cabin Fever, Refugees of the Septic Heart, Digitopia), 30 Bird (JUNCTURES, Plastic, Poland 3 Iran 2, Majnoun) and Michael Pinchbeck (The Beginning),

In 2017 Claire secured Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation status for Tom Dale Company. Tandem Works has acted as Executive Producer for Second Hand Dance since 2015.

www.secondhanddance.co.uk/about-us/people

Save this date for the next session - further information available soon:

• Ready to Launch! Tue 12 Nov 2024 (For second-year, third-year and post-grad students). A friendly chat with People Dancing’s Higher Education team and Ellie Trow and Pagan Hunt, Pelican Theatre here to offer advice and answer your questions about setting yourself up to succeed in making the shift from study into employment, self-employment (or a mix of both) in dance.