Covering letter from Hayley Arthur
18th May 2008
Dear LUTSF,
Lisa Ullmann Travelling
Scholarship Fund
Please find
enclosed a report for the following project:
Title of Project: Professional
Development and Research
Touch
Compass Dance Trust
Description: Research and experience working practices of Touch
Compass Dance Trust and establish new relationships.
Location:
Dates: 17th March - 7th
April 2008
What
was achieved?
During my visit I was fully involved in the day to day
running of Touch Compass and delivery of its work. I spent time participating
in classes in various contexts, observing rehearsals and also had the
opportunity to team teach and deliver some school workshops with the company.
The project achieved my main aim of enriching my
professional development. I have refreshed and renewed existing skills through
time to reflect and share good practice, as well as deepening my understanding
of integrated dance. I have experienced new approaches to dance and disability
and these experiences will impact on the way I work in the future.
Highlights:
- Meeting and working closely with the
hugely inspirational Catherine Chappell, Artistic Director and founder of
Touch Compass.
- Taking part in Flying Dance
Workshops, with Linda Parker.
- Visiting several schools around the
- Meeting the Prime Minister of New
Zealand, Helen Clark as she visited one of the schools during our
workshop.
- Taking part in a series of Touch
Compass Community Workshops where I met the most amazing people and shared
some incredible work.
Suggestions to help future awardees:
It is important to fully research all aspects of your
project before embarking on your trip. Research and have good communication
with the company you intend to visit. The information I received prior to going
was invaluable it terms of where to stay, public transport and places to visit.
I had to alter the date and length of my initial
project due to funding issues that Touch Compass were experiencing. At first I
was disappointed but I then approached the project with an open mind and
consequently this encouraged me to pre-plan my schedule in detail so as to make
the most of my time in
Accept that things will happen that are out of your
control but try to approach things with an open mind and a willingness to adapt
to whatever situation arises.
Sharing information about the project:
I will be sharing the information and the new found
skills I have acquired during my project with students that I regularly teach
on the Yorkshire Young Dancers Advanced Training Scheme. I have also been asked
to deliver a presentation to the BA Dance students on the Education and
Community Module at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. This presentation
will include approaches to integrated dance practice and my experiences of
working with Touch Compass in
I am also due to lead an INSET day for teachers and
care workers looking at dance and disability. I will be sharing with them some
of the experiences from my project.
My LUTSF project has also been reported on the news
pages of The Northern School of Contemporary Dance website.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the
Lisa Ullmann Travelling Scholarship Fund for supporting my project. It was a
wonderful experience that exceeded my expectations.
Best wishes,
Hayley Arthur
PROJECT REPORT
Professional Development: A
Journey to
Description of the Project
The aim was to
experience the working practices of Touch Compass Dance Trust and by doing so
increase my understanding and awareness of approaches to integrated dance. The
visit involved participation in company work, community dance workshops and a
series of school workshops with the Flying Dance team. The project took place
in March/April 2008 in
About Touch Compass Dance Trust
Touch Compass Dance Trust is a professional
Touch Compass strives to create innovative dance
performances that entertain, challenge perceptions and communicate the passion
of dance. Although all members of the company have differing levels of ability,
their levels of skill and attitude are all of a high professional standard.
Touch Compass has attracted many performers over the years, some have come and
gone others including three original members have remained and continue to develop
and grow with the Company.
In 1995 there was no one working in Integrated Dance
in
The inclusion of aerial work is something that sets Touch
Compass apart from other integrated dance companies. Having involved aerial work in many of their
pieces, the company thought it was time to inspire young people around
“I was stunned to see my daughter hauled up and made
a central part of a unique performance which elevated her above the
restrictions of her wheelchair-bound existence, to soar above her disability,
to surprise and delight herself, to fulfil a function and purpose she had never
imagined, let alone entertained as a possibility”.
John Callen – Touch Compass Celebrating Integrated
Dance. Michelle Powles.
It was these
types of responses that inspired some company members to take things even
further. Linda Parker developed her own successful Flying Dance work in schools
alongside her work with Touch Compass.
I was attracted to Touch Compass Dance Trust by its
core principles; to promote access to dance for people of all abilities with an
uncompromising professional approach to dance performance.
What were my aims?
- Increase
my awareness and understanding of mixed ability dance and then use this
knowledge to raise society’s awareness.
- Experience
the potentials of integrated dance practice in a different environment.
- Undertake
practical involvement with Touch Compass, to gain a wider knowledge of
integrated dance.
- Analyse
and evaluate how approaches differ from a cultural perspective.
- To
share my knowledge and practical experience of mixed ability dance. I
would also aim to build upon my philosophy of recognising individuality
and difference whilst embracing the continued encouragement of artistic
and technical high standards within dance.
- Establish
strong links and contacts in other countries that will hopefully enable
ongoing networking and sharing of ideas and practice.
Outcomes
During my visit I was involved in many aspects of
company life. I participated in company class, choreographic workshops, shared
my own approach through practical dance workshops and shadowed the work of
Artist Director Catherine Chappell and dancer Linda Parker.
Below is a summary of experiences during my time with
Touch Compass, that are both memorable and advantageous to my professional
development.
- Participation in Flying Dance workshops,
with Linda Parker.
- Visiting several schools around the
- Taking part in a series of Touch
Compass community workshops, run by Artistic Director Catherine Chappell.
- Meeting company members and observing
their work.
- Observing company repertoire and DVD
material.
- Engaging in rich and inspirational
dialogue with Artist Director, Catherine Chappell.
The project
allowed me to gain access to high quality arts activity in a different country,
with a company that produces innovative and challenging work. The visit helped
to reinforce my existing skills and verify my approach to dance, as well as
introducing me to new techniques.
Participating in the community and school workshops
has extended my personal dance repertoire as a deliverer, a performer and a choreographer.
It was invigorating to be dancing everyday as a participant, and reminded me of
where my passion lies. It was exciting to absorb new ideas and skills and meet
so many new and interesting people.
The Touch Compass community workshops were open to members
of the community, and both of the 2-day courses had been fully booked for weeks.
I was amazed at the variety of participants the workshops had attracted. There
was a wide range of abilities and ages, the youngest being 4 years old and the
oldest being 65. I wondered how the work was going to engage everyone,
considering the diversity of the group.
The first morning was made up of lots of fun
exercises to help the group learn about each other. Some of the exercises I was
familiar with, others were completely new to me. I loved the vast age range,
and was amazed at how all the exercises were engaging everyone in the room to
some level. It was lovely to see people of different ages interacting with each
other, and everyone being so accepting and willing to take risks with people
they had only just met.
Catherine’s work was challenging and she had a way of
ensuring that everyone was working to realise their full potential. I was
impressed by her techniques, in particular her approach to teaching contact
improvisation. She used soft, football sized balls to allow people to explore
contact work, and learn control skills. I was staggered by the bond the group
had formed by the end of the first day. They all seemed to have connected, and
the quality of work that was being produced was very impressive.
Shadowing the work of Linda Parker was a huge
learning curve for me, and gave me the opportunity to try some new skills.
Having worked and performed with Touch Compass for a few years, Linda decided
to explore the form of aerial dance further, and with the support of Touch
Compass she set up her own company, Splash. She spent many years creating dance
projects and taking them into schools around the
I was lucky enough to visit some of the schools where
she runs regular sessions. The first day we visited Te Kura Arohanui Special
School (Te Kura Arohanui meaning ‘big love’ in Mauri). The school had a
wonderful permanent outside tented space, with a specialist floor, metal
rigging and ropes. Linda explained that she had helped the school put an
application together to fund the space where she runs her flying dance sessions.
The school also uses the space as an assembly and games area. During the day we
had 4 groups of children coming to take part in hour-long workshops. Some of
them had been doing Flying Dance for 4 weeks, some had been doing it for a
year. It was good to see the different stages they were at. They were all
enthusiastic and excited by their session. It was amazing to see how sensibly
they work, they all had an excellent understanding of safety and it was obvious
Linda had spent a great amount of time on this important issue. Many of the
children we worked with at this particular school had Asperger’s Syndrome, a
form of autism; others had emotional or behavioural needs. As well as
opportunities to improvise and play on the ropes the children were lead through
a routine, made up of a combination of rolls, twists, turns and partner work. Even
though some participants were only 4 weeks into the course their agility and
confidence was clearly visible. They were all eager to practice and they were
demonstrating concentration and dedication levels above their normal attention
expectancy.
I also spent a day with Linda in a main stream
school, where she runs an excellent integrated Flying Dance project. The
successful project is centred on a buddy system, one able bodied child works
with one disabled child. The buddies from the main stream school are specially
auditioned by Linda and then spend 6 weeks learning basic flying skills and how
to work in an inclusive way, accepting everyone’s ability. This was an ideal
example of how integration can have a positive effect on people’s attitudes.
Both sets of students were gaining skills and learning how to work with each
other. Working in this environment, they learn to recognise individuality and
work together to help each person in the group reach their potential.
I visited Touch Compass at a fundamental time in the
company’s development. They had recently celebrated their 10th
Anniversary, which had involved a huge scale tour and the publication of a
stunning book. They have been planning to establish their education and
community work more formally but, as with many arts organisations, funding this
has been an issue and has slowed the progress. The company have been looking
for a permanent space to call their own. A space that could be used for
rehearsal and company class and also the run their community programme from.
Even at the time of my visit this space has not yet been found, although
positive talks were underway regarding a space that Catherine believed would “tick
all the right boxes”. Finding the right space for an integrated dance company
that fly’s is no easy task! You have to consider the access for wheel chairs,
the ceiling height and potential for rigging the aerial equipment, plus all the
regular requirements you would expect from a dance space. During my time
working in Hertfordshire I was part of a team that put together an application for
a new space to be built to house our community work. My knowledge in this area came
in useful and I was able to give some advice and suggestions to aid the
progression of this important issue. It was interesting to be involved in part
of this process and to see that issues like this are the same between
countries.
Conclusion
The project achieved the main aim of enriching my
professional development. I have refreshed existing skills through having time
to reflect and share good practice, as well as deepening my understanding of
integrated dance. I have experienced new approaches to dance and disability and
these experiences will impact on the way I work in the future.
I will apply my new skills to my choreographic work,
both in community and education contexts. I feel confident about implementing
projects that will raise society’s awareness of
integrated dance and its benefits.
On a personal level the project exceeded all my
expectations. I learnt a vast amount in a relatively short period of time. It
gave me the opportunity to reflect on my own practice and refresh and renew my
skills in a unique environment.
I deepened my understanding of people, working
closely with individuals from diverse backgrounds. I feel invigorated and
reconnected with what makes me passionate about dance. I have learnt to adapt
and work with limitations that may be presented in a variety of forms. I have
been given an insight into the hard work and persistence that goes into running
and sustaining a dance company - the issue of funding occurs no matter where in
the world you are! It was interesting to see the differences in bureaucracy
between countries.
During my visit I met some amazing people
with whom I will remain in contact. Having established some strong links I hope
to return to
The travel cost
of this project was supported by the Lisa Ullmann Travelling Scholarship Fund.
Photographs
Hayley Arthur:
Splash Flying Dance: March 2008
Hayley Arthur & Ross Flood. Touch
Compass Community Workshops March 2008
Hayley Arthur:
Splash Flying Dance: March 2008