Earlier in the year, I choreographed in an arts project that looked to find the “Extraordinary” in the “ordinary”. Led by visual artist Corinne Marsh and supported by the Arts Council England, the project “Extraordinarily Ordinary” drew upon a variety of creative disciplines, including Dance, to encourage the participants to develop their own creative voice.
Throughout my sessions, I led the participants through a number of creative tasks and used structured improvisation, linking to the work created in previous sessions with the other art forms, including puppetry, ceramics and poetry. We focused on the hands; the hands movement and what this movement can imply. We used everyday, vernacular body language as well as sign language which developed into bigger, more abstract movement as confidence built. It was important to note that, in this project and in my usual way of working, there is no right answer to tasks set - each response was true to the dancer, how their body felt at that moment and what they did, or did not want to express. The participants came to the sessions with such openness, which humbled me as a dance artist.
The sessions were documented and filmed by Ben Mills, which added a whole new dimension to the movement created. Click here to see our short film.
I’d like to thank Corinne Marsh for her support throughout the project and I look forward to developing our creative ideas in future projects.
For more information on the project, please visit Corinne’s website.
In my work, I aspire to create a safe space for individuals to explore their creativity, which can have a positive effect on their well being. This friendly approach in seen in all our Dance Stables sessions and classes, and encourages freedom of movement and expression, in turn allowing dance language to grow and develop.
Want to collaborate with us for a future project? Please get in touch with me on dancestables.uk@gmail.com
"A fine work of art – music, dance, painting, story – has the power to silence the chatter in the mind and lift us to another place." — Robert McKee