Questions & Dancers: Making new work for young people

Questions & Dancers: Making new work for young people

By Tim Wood

SUMMARY

The Questions & Dancers project offered emerging choreographers the chance to work with young people in the making of new work whilst engaging dance experience to young audiences. The project was created for eight to eleven year-old children and their families and presented by The Place, Sadler’s Wells and Company of Angels. This case study describes the process of how the connection between the artists and children was maintained during the creative process, and how the young audiences were asked to share their thoughts on the final performances. 

Process

  • Over six weeks Levantes Dance Theatre and Imogen Knight worked with London Contemporary Dance School third-year students to create two new pieces for 8-11 year old audiences.
  • 90 children from three Camden primary schools were involved as co-creators with the choreographers, contributing both story and movement ideas, and creating artwork that was used to make an animation in one of the works.
  • The children had workshops with the artists at the beginning of the process, and were kept up-to-date with further sessions and video diaries.
  • Four video diaries were created during the rehearsal process which formed the basis for further creative play among the school children facilitated by their teachers and supported by education staff from The Place and Company of Angels. 
  • After the performances at all venues, question and answer sessions with the choreographers, dancers and audience maintained the interactivity of the experience and contributed to evaluation of the process.
Resource type: Case studies | Published: 2013