About our programme

The power of early years dance activity and the positive benefits on children and their families are being increasingly evidenced. The early years are some of the most important and creative years of a child's life, with movement and dance fundamental in the development of children.

This area offers support, learning, training and resources for those educators, teachers, parents and families, and anyone, who works within early years and with young children, to develop their dance and movement practice. This includes:

More information on The Early Years Dance Network (EYDN) and a link to join the network
An Introduction to Leading Dance for Early Years online learning programme
Articles, blogs and videos to inform and inspire you.

We are constantly developing new ideas for the sharing of early years dance practice. Do get in touch if you'd like to contribute or tell us about your work.

Louise Wildish

Head of Inclusion People Dancing

louise@communitydance.org.uk

In this section:

Early Years Dance Network

Early Years Dance Network map

Online learning programme

Read / Watch / Listen / Do

Playlist for Early Years dance

Next EYDN (Early Years Dance Network) event: In-person gathering in partnership with Déda, Derby

Tuesday 12 December 2023: 10:00 - 13:00 UTC in-person

Join us for our next Early Years Dance Network event held in partnership with Deda, Derby. This three-hour in person event led by Louise Wildish - Head of Inclusion, Liz Clark - Associate Artist for Early Years and Kath Kimber-McTiffen from Sonrisa Arts and includes a two hour practical workshop.

This event is for early years dance artists and creative practitioners and will bring together new and existing early years dance artists as part of the EYDN network for the first time in-person since the pandemic.

It includes a two hour practical workshop delivering a morning of movement, play and creative exploration based on Sonrisa Arts new participatory performance work for early years, Dance in the Dark.

The workshop will explore playful, embodied movement and co-creation of community dance performance work for early years and families. It also includes the exclusive showing of the R&D (Research and Development) film by InfuseDANCE showing the making of the work.

Attendees will also get to discover updates from People Dancing and Deda regarding their early years programmes, as well as having the opportunity to network and share practice with other artists.

Please note: this session includes a two hour practical workshop so you will need to wear comfortable clothing and take a water bottle with you.

Cost

People Dancing Members: £10.00
EYDN members: £15.00
Non-members: £20.00.

Venue

Déda, 19 Chapel St, Derby DE1 3GU
+44 (0)1332 370 911.

Booking deadline: Midday Thursday 7 December.

If you have access requirements then we encourage you to book at least 2 weeks in advance. Any bookings after 28 November with access requirements, may not be fulfilled.

Book your place here

About Kath Kimber-McTiffen

Kath is a Midlands based dance artist, performer, choreographer and musician, with a portfolio career spanning 25 years working with all ages and abilities across the community and in schools, as well as touring nationally. Currently Director of Sonrisa Arts CIC, which has a focus on producing cross arts professional performances for young children and older adults, co-created with and for the community.

Kath has a specialism in creating dance with and for early years and families using a child-led approach. She also sings, plays flute and co-songwrites with latin jazz band, Sonrisa.

Kath was formally co-founder and co-director of touring company, Wriggle Dance Theatre. In January, she was chosen as one of the 12 international dance artists to be a part of the Little Big Dance Artists Lab at South East Dance, where she undertook a period of research into developing her practice in creating participatory performance work for early years

Photo credits: Top: Photographer - Keiko Ikeuchi. Bottom: Kath Kimber-McTiffen.

This event is in partnership with:

A word from People Dancing Associate Artist for Early Years Liz Clark

Dance is a child’s first language, from the moment they are born they are seeking connection to, and communication with, the people around them through their bodies. They are learning about their world and their place in it, using movement as a tool. All around us children are dancing; at home, in nurseries and in schools. They are creating and taking part in miniature dances through the rhythms of life; explorations that may go unseen, or witness by only a few people; a movement exploration of an outdoor space for example, or of an empty cardboard box, or a fascinating feather. They are dancing en masse, foot stomping, body flipping, finger wiggling type dances that make our hearts soar with joy.

Our early years children are biologically programmed to move for healthy growth of their body-brain systems. Neural networks form in the brain through physical experiences, and this process is literally how thought connections are made. This is one aspect that’s entirely unique about early years - it spans such a large and distinctive period of development in our children, in both their brains and bodies. The growth that a child undergoes in the first four years of life is incredible and to be able to input into a childs life at this time is a gift we must never take lightly.

Very young children are masters of movement, innovation and creativity. For us as dancers and people who value what the body does and shows us, this offers such a rich and exciting opportunity and endless material for ideas. If you already work in early years, you’ll know the how many times you (or the practitioners you work with) have been surprised by the capabilities of very young children as creators, choreographers, directors and dancers.

If you work in dance already you’ll know that dance can also surprise in the way it transforms peoples experience of daily life and their relationships. For our early years children, dance can have a particularly profound impact on those who have had a difficult start in life. The non-verbal nature of our art form creates opportunities for connection, creation and creativity. Dance can and should lead the way in early years innovation and it’s our role, as adults, to support and encourage each child to explore their world to their full potential and to encourage each dance as it emerges, to burst forth into life in all it’s glory.

This is not youth dance ‘lite’. This is an extraordinary area of work that you need to go into with an open heart, an open mind and ready to be surprised and delighted in equal measure. Liz Clark.

To learn more about Liz Clark please visit www.ourcreativeadventure.com/aboutliz