1) Do you believe the structure of your organisation helps encourage students to pursue a career in dance? If so how?
I believe we encourage students to engage with us through watching, doing or talking about dance, and in this way allow they to explore the option of a career in dance. The PDSW team are a combination of dance producers, dance programmers, dance technicians and dance teachers, so not only are we able to offer experience in a professional performance career, but also offer opportunity to those current working under the wider dance umbrella. We annually hold a creative careers event, providing opportunity to explore dance at HE/vocational level, and to talk to industry professionals working in the current climate. By virtue of encouraging students to attend, the organisation is offering an experience into pursuing a professional career in dance.
Most recently, PDSW and AUB (Arts University Bournemouth) have embarked on their first year of a BA Hons (Dance). No doubt we will see a proposition of these students pursing professional careers within the dance industry. The students have access to high quality dance performances, and the use of professional facilities daily. The uniqueness of the course lies within the nature of it running within a functioning national dance development organisation.
2) How do you encourage engagement within the subject to children that may have been taken to you not out of their own choice, for example - summer schools etc
Most recently, our annual summer school event explored dance from around the world. Children participated in varying dance styles (African, Irish, Hip Hop) and by virtue of the multiple genres offered, children were engaged throughout. Similarly, our half term activities enable children to take part in dance and work with a visual artist to capture dance through art. Again, I find one captures one may not capture an other, but by offering variety we can maintain a level of engagement.
I encourage students to volunteer themselves to assist back stage/within the technical department during showcase events. Often the back door is a way in for some, and through building a level of trust, students see the organisation as a friendly and familiar space for them to be creative without judgement.
3) What skills and services do you provide to students who want to take Dance further into vocational training that my differ from an academic school?
- programme of over 40 classes weekly
- opportunity to take company class
- youth dance company/dance intensives
- performance platforms
- audition experience
- Arts Award (Gold)
- a wealth of professional advice/guidance from those currently working in the industry (see answer to Q1)
4) How do you open opportunities to the public community? Are there risks to this? If so, what are they?
We have a heavy social media presence, we inform through our detailed mailing lists, newsletters, flyers, word of mouth - the list goes on. We have a huge focus on partnership working, and so work with other organisations/charities/businesses within the south west to spread the dance word!
5) What issues are there with funding within your organisation? How have they improved / not improved over the last year?
In an ever changing financial climate, as an arts organisation, there is always an element of the unknown. We work tirelessly to build new partnerships, to source new funds and to earn through ticketed income to ensure we can continue to do the work we do do, We have understood we cannot afford to work in a silo, but that we must embrace others and work together to afford the future dance ecology.
We are funded by the Arts Council, and through the Bournemouth Borough Council, but these costs go directly into running the building/paying staff. We have to be smart about developing new sources of funding to keep the our programmes going. This continues to be more and more challenging, and this inevitably won't change. One eye is always open to pots of money /funding streams of mutual ambition that we may be able to tap into.
6) What do you think the positives and negatives are of opening up your dance facility to all ages and abilities?
Only positives! We can say with genuine authenticity that we are working towards our mission of 'living more healthy and fulfilled lives through dance'. We pride our selves on working inclusively, breaking down barriers which prevent members of the community engaging in a physical and creative activity.
It is my firm belief that everyone has the right to be physically literate, and I'm proud to be working for an organisation that shares the same ethos.
7) How do you believe you can help people within the community to relate to Dance as an art form?
More specifically in the work I do with young people, Arts Award enables young people to experience, comment and reflect on their experiences in dance and the wider arts. Similarly, I like to work in a way that encourages young people to share their thoughts and opinions about live dance, dance in school, dance in their dance school, dance of film, knowing the value of being able to articulate an opinion, and have some artistic clarity as to how you've come to that opinion.
There's no right or wrong way to relate to dance, what it means to one can be completely different to what it means to another. We have a responsibility to provide engagement opportunities that capture the community, and so our work is constantly shifting and changing. For example, we have acknowledged dance is no longer about sitting and watching in a black box. Instead, dance is being seen in new spaces that were perhaps associated with a completely different use, if having a use at all e.g back alleyways, playgrounds, libraries, offices. We recently had the people of Bournemouth stood in the car park at the top of Richmond Hill watching a folk dance performance whilst the sunset, and the week prior we worked on '5 Soldiers', a piece by Rosie Kay Dance Company performed at the army barracks in Blandford. The boundaries of dance are constantly being pushed, and we have to stay at the forefront of industry advances to provide varied and accessible opportunities for people to jump on the dance bandwagon!
Reflection of these Q & A
On reflection to these answers I found it interesting how different priorities enable different orangisations to succeed. As a way to elaborate, you can clearly see how dance in the community setting is considerably being pushed forward to keep up with the times. In the last paragraph of the last question, all genres of dance being performed in different settings for audiences to enjoy and this shows the diversity of dance and how it doesn't have to always be on a stage in a theatre.
I felt a breathe of fresh air when reading these answers, as I felt they oozed enthusiasm towards dance. I loved how you can see that dance has developed over time and in Bournemouth we are lucky to have this organisation that works with other Arts organisations to keep pushing the boundaries. Prime example being the BA Hons Dance qualification which is being offered at Arts University Bournemouth, having this being only a recent progression, it boosts dance within the community setting.
When focusing on engagement, I found it interesting how students of all ages who join into the summer school programmes can be influences by leading professionals in all different genres of dance and this is a clear way of fulfilling enjoyment and continuing to progress. I remember attending summer schools at my dance school and I loved it so I always wanted to go back, and I grasp this is how PDSW want to continue as those students may then want to further their dance into joining in to the youth dance company once a week. It opened my eyes as to how much opportunity the organisation gives young and inspiring performers. As I am referring to question 3, you can see the list includes a chance to work with professionals in the industry which is a rarity and again a fantastic way of progression within the art. I can see how students would feel comfortable in this setting and working closely with student week by week you get to become part of the furniture and I opening show my enthusiasm towards letting student help out in performances, as quoted in the answers ' it allows them to be creative without judgement'.
She touches on the heathly and fulfilled life that they are promoting, which links into my thoughts on dance in the fitness world. We want to reach out and allow people to understand the importance of keeping active and dance enhances the diversity of fitness and creates more vast clientele to enjoy it, in comparison to running on a treadmill...boring!
As I compare my questions with the education head of dance, I feel more drawn to the community as it has opened my vision into how much drive and foreword thinking proactively happens. In education it feels as if dance is always being pushed aside, students engagement can be lacked due to the PE key stage that involves participation because they have to be there, not because they want to.
Incorporating the two I have opened up an opportunity to develop my inquiry into how dance in education can be enhanced with the help of dance within the community.
I will be forward thinking in this and start to look into possibly literature which can back this up.
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