What is your connection to Dance? Re-construction or under construction?

Miguel Pereira Portuguese Choreographer has returned back to Dance 4 for his current research and development process in preparation for his new work. I have been given the pleasure to assist Miguel on documenting his research process and help facilitate the two groups.

Initially I found it very interesting for a choreographer to be working with non-dancers or people with no direct link to dance? But it was there response to working with a choreographer. When both groups met individually with Miguel, the general vibe I could sense was excitement with everybody wanting to know “ are we going to be dancing’?

I must say both groups looked very pleased to hear that they wouldn’t be dancing, not the first week or even over the next few sessions. The key act of research now is to get to know everybody individually and unveil what is there connection to dance?

One of the great things for me personally, being a recent graduate and working with Miguel I find it great that an international artist can come to Nottingham and bring all these people together from all different walks of life. The most interesting thing for me was to hear from various people from both groups, talk about their daily work life and discover there direct or indirect or even simply their raw passion to dance.

This idea of our selves being under re -construction was the main theme amongst the first group. With this was the underlying current of needing to work to pay the bills but also wanting to feed yourself and society with your creativity.

There were a number of very different personalities who introduced themselves; one woman who grew up with dance, like a few of the people in the group, doing ballet and modern and then went into choreography, but after sometime fell out of the dance lifestyle as other priorities took over. Currently working with victims of drug abuse and people with HIV, she finds this is feeding her much more on a whole. Now she is trying to regain her love and passion for dance and re-balance her life with work and pleasure.

On Saturday Miguel and I went to see one of the individuals we have been meeting with performing in the “Pink Belly Dancing Multi Cultural Show”. This was a completely new experience for both myself and Miguel and it was such a weird feeling being excited about dance again. The excitement of the unknown was great, as I find most of the time when professional dancers go to watch performances (especially by companies we already know) we arrive pre-planning what we think the piece is going to be like. This performance however was very different, the first noticeable thing was the varieties of different body shapes and personalities - it was great to see everybody happy with that for a change both the dancers and audience.

Within the first 20 minutes I was gripped by the dancers, performance and the use of characters they took on as they performed, we both found it fascinating. The articulation of their bodies was so precise and isolated, with a great sense of rhythm. We both left very pleasantly surprised and shocked at what we have just seen in a small community centre in Strelly.

On my way out I congratulated one of the dancers on her performance and asked her how she got into belly dancing. Her reply was fantastic, having starting her dance life in ballet and finding her height a challenge to get chosen for parts, she took this new dance style up. She feels it is great for helping her to express both who she is and how she feels as a person, finishing with “ I just find belly dance like ballet but with out the bullshit”.

On that note I left with a cheeky smile on my face feeling that the end of my first week, cannot be described as anything more than a creative patch work quilt. All of the wonderful individual people both Miguel and myself have got the chance to meet and hear all of their stories have been really great.

I know Miguel is deep in creative flow now, with lots of his creative juices flowing and he is ready for next week’s adventures and I too shall be looking forward to it.

Dwayne Simms

So it's been a while since I last blogged.

Various things have been happening, like two new additions to the youth team! Hayley - our wonderful new CAT manager- joined us in September and is now underway with our second year of the CAT programme and twice as many students, hoorah! They are excitingly performing soon at Lakeside (don't miss it!). Then Vanessa went on maternity and has had a little lady - we have yet to see her, but sure she is the trendiest baby ever! So while she is away it is our pleasure to have Jenny in the office who is looking after all things youth dance and doing a great job of getting her head around all of our projects!

We recently had our staff away and pondered many a thing dance related walking over some very foggy hills in the Peak District. We also got a guided creative walk where we saw some interesting art pieces along the way. A good day out in the fresh air had by all.

Coming up…our second part to the International Exchange. I am very excited and have been working hard to create a programme where we can provide the young people from Berlin a fantastic experience of Nottingham and the East Midlands. I think we’ll have to share some of the East Midlands lingo with them!

I’ll keep you posted on that one duck.

Kirsten x

Introducing Jeremy Wade.....

We’ve had a crazy September here at Dance4, With a national tour of Hetain Patel’s TEN starting, a new research project, the launch of our new Diploma for dance practitioners and even our associate artists Dog Kennel Hill Project performing on a canal, but really that was nothing compared to the excitement that is October!

There’s mucho excitement happening this month, but what I’m most excited about is the arrival of international artist Jeremy Wade. I’ve seen a DVD of the work he’s presenting at Lakeside Arts Centre on Friday 29 October and it’s really extraordinary. Jeremy is an amazing performer and really captivates the audience with his unique combination of movement, spoken word and live music. It’s a show not too miss.

Jeremy will also be leading a workshop for dance artists on the evening of Monday 1 November, giving an insight to his practice. He’ll also be working with young dancers on our CAT programme – they’re in for a real treat!

Also that weekend Colette Sadler will be performing at Nottingham Contemporary and we’ll be holding an artists talk to give you all an insight into the links between performance and visual arts practice.

Further details of all of this (and a lovely video clip of Jeremy!) visit www.dance4.co.uk/2010/10/the-not-nottdance-weekender/

And I look forward to seeing you all there!!

Helen x