Dance & Learning Disability

Dance & Mental Health

Visual Arts & Learning Disability

Film & Learning Disability

Performance & Workshop

Walking & Talking

Yoga & Holiday

 

Adults Children Performance & Workshop

 

Our dance for wellbeing sessions are for participants diagnosed with or at risk of mental ill health for example socially excluded and emotionally vulnerable children with a variety of mental health problems arising from lack of consistent support and emotional attention, as well as poverty.

We use the process of learning dance, techniques for training actors, creative exercises and, where appropriate competitive activities to create an open and inviting atmosphere into which each participant can input whatever they bring on the day: movement, stories, or stillness.

We focus on developing emotional awareness in the participants, giving them the confidence to speak and show people who they are, learn to trust themselves and each other, develop confidence and assertiveness in place of aggression, learn how to sit, stand and shake hands assertively, learn to collaborate and compete, develop an understanding of power structures and have an outlet for energy through intense physical exercise.

We use an iterative approach: we take note of what each participant does, anticipate what they can do next, create an incremental step to get there, monitor how they take that step, refine the step as many times as it takes while thinking about the next. We do this in each moment of class and from one class to the next. Individual session-by-session reports are written on each participant and their performance marked against pre-set criteria decided either with them, where appropriate their guardians or the person referring them. Reports are shared with participants/guardians/referrers at the end of each term. Longer session-by-session reports can be shared with referrers by arrangement.

In addition to our training programmes we offer touring performances accompanied by workshops to introduce new participants to our work.