Commissions
Round One - Projects Overview
Bluecoat:
Collaborating with a UK dance artist (Priya Mistry) to research a framework for dance residencies which work through reflective time, peer involvement and public engagement.
Project Stage: Complete. See outcomes here.
Company Carpi: When You Light A Candle, You Also Cast A Shadow
Investigating how independent companies can evolve and tour work through further development of When You Light A Candle, You Also Cast A Shadow (originally commissioned by DCNW in 2019).
Project Stage: Complete. See outcomes here.
Dr Sara Giddens: Life Class
Exploring the value of social dance through gathering choreographic and spoken evidence from two older adult community groups in Preston and Blackpool during multi-generational research project, Life Class.
Project Stage: Complete. See outcomes here.
Labelled? Dance Theatre
A personal work from this autism-specific integrated dance company for 3 dancers about entanglement and rectification, choreographing conflict resolution for positive social change.
Project Stage: Complete. See outcomes here.
LPM Dance: New Voices
Exploring the impact of creative ownership for dancers living with Parkinson’s involved in a choreographic process with live music and considering how participants can become creators, co-curators and choreographers themselves.
Project Stage: Complete. See outcomes here.
Sole Rebel
Delivering an outreach programme by presenting tap workshops and performances that celebrate rhythm as a universal language in schools, youth centres and organisations in the under-served communities of Liverpool.
Project Stage: Complete. See outcomes here.
UCLan Dance: Movement Matters
Developing and facilitating somatic dance workshops in the community in the first 1001 days of life with a sharing of information and discussions on embodied creative practices within early years,
Project Stage: Complete. See outcomes here.
To see Outcomes from Round Two, please click here
Bluecoat: Priya Mistry in Residence
A framework for dance artist residencies
In April and July 2022, Priya Mistry (whatsthebigmistry) participated in a pilot residency programme to support the Bluecoat to establish a framework for dance artist residencies for the DCNW Research Programme.
Bluecoat has since shared its learnings of this experience and highlights its continued vision to create a worksite which nurtures artists whilst also enabling audiences to experience, engage with and better understand creative processes. Read more here.
Company Carpi
Company Carpi set out to explore how independent companies can evolve and tour work through further development of their piece, “When You Light A Candle You Also Cast A Shadow”. Originally commissioned by DCNW in partnership with Lancaster Arts & Culture Warrington in 2019, ‘When You Light A Candle...’ is a hybrid dance theatre performance with live music, created by choreographer Bettina Carpi and composer Gary Lloyd. It first premiered in 2021 at Peter Scott Gallery and Warrington Museum & Art Gallery.
Following a tour of 14 performances to 5 northwest venues, Company Carpi shares what they have learnt and highlights some of the successes and challenges the company has encountered in the process. Read more here.
Adam Roberts: Labelled? Dance Theatre
A framework for dance artist residencies
Founder and creative performing artist of Labelled? Dance Theatre, Adam Roberts has been exploring how to best develop and extend new dance work as a neurodivergent artist whilst undertaking R&D for a new piece that would explore his experience of being in special needs education.
From taking part in professional development workshops with Access All Areas and Yewande 103 and bespoke mentoring with Yael Flexer, to visiting ‘Aerowaves: Spring Forward 2023’ festival in Dublin, the DCNW Research Programme has given Adam the space and time to consider his practise as a neurodiverse artist and early career producer and has opened up a vast array of networking opportunities. Read more here.
Sole Rebel
Through the Research Programme, Liverpool based Community Interest Company Sole Rebel has been exploring how it can best reach, educate, promote and perpetuate tap dance as a flourishing contemporary art form in the North West. Sole Rebel has been delivering an running an outreach programme, presenting tap workshops and performances celebrating rhythm as a universal language, for schools, youth centres and organisations in the under-served communities of Liverpool.
The project has run alongside its new pilot Training & Performance Company project for recent graduates/emerging artists in the North-West. Discover more here.
Movement Matters
Somatic Practice in the First 1001 Days of Life
An Artist Collective from UCLanDance, has worked with emerging UCLan BA students and established practitioners to explore developing and facilitating somatic dance provision in the community to uncover best practice for social prescribing.
The Research project titled 'Movement Matters' encompassed 2 masterclasses, a workshop led by Miranda Tufnell, a practitioner workshop with Anna Daly and Anna O’Connor, a symposium to share process, findings and research enquiries, and a public exhibition.
This DCNW Research Programme project not only identified the need and desire for collaborative community building through dance practice, but brought together practitioners in the North-West for peer learning, sharing, mentoring and CPD opportunities. Read more here or download the presentation/findings below.
