Memorandum submitted by ArtsNK
EVALUATION OF
DANCE COMMISSION
FOR CHILDREN
A great deal of dance workshop activity takes
place throughout North Kesteven especially in primary schools,
but a gap in contemporary dance performances specifically for
children was the reason that this project was undertaken. Dance
NK wished to commission a company to produce a performance specifically
for the 8-11 age range which was suitable for small scale touring
to complement the work that was already taking place.
ADVERTISING
The commission was advertised nationally through
a mail out to companies listed in the Arts Council's green list
and information was also mailed to all national dance agencies
and regional arts boards. Following this we received applications
from six companies, three of which were invited to interview.
INTERVIEW
The interview took the form of a workshop by
a member of the company who would be teaching on the tour if the
company was successful. This was followed by 45 minute interview.
This interview involved a presentation from the company to give
an outline and idea of the company's style of work and the nature
of the performance they would produce for the commission. The
workshops were watched by representatives from Arts Council England,
Dance NK, North Kesteven District Council, local primary and secondary
schools and Lincolnshire's Education co-ordinator. These people
formed the steering group for the commission. The three companies
invited to audition were Assault Event Company, JazzCotech Dancers
and Mavin Khoo Dance. All three companies taught good workshops
which showed the nature of the company's work and workshop style.
From the interviews, however, it became clear that JazzCotech
had not fully understood the nature of the commission and were
not going to create a professional performance with their dancers
but were going to teach dances to children in each school. The
ideas presented by Mavin Khoo were felt to be unsuitable for the
8-11 age range and he did not appear to have fully understood
the implications of rural touring. Assault Events proved they
understood the nature of the commission and rural touring and
also presented ideas that would include local children in the
creative process making them the ideal candidates for this project.
Assault commented that the application process
had proved good for them as the specific nature of the commission
meant that they could clearly define their project and therefore
their application.
CREATION PROCESS
Within their interview Assault presented the
idea of having a children's research group in the three partner
primary schools to assist with the development and creation of
the piece to ensure that the work was relevant, suitable and interesting
for the target age range. The first step of this was a story development
workshop with the company's writer and two artistic directors.
During this workshop children gave ideas on story and plot development,
gave feedback on music and were asked to create character names.
These ideas were then used in the development of the story. These
groups continued to be involved in the process through costume,
prop and poster design projects, they also gave feedback on publicity
and were all invited to see a work in progress sharing. All schools
that bought a performance also received a pack devised by the
company which had classroom based activities which could take
place prior to the show. These initiatives from the company have
been praised by all involved, particularly the schools. The steering
group also commended the company on their use of the three research
groups and it is felt that this input from children from the beginning
has really enriched the development of the project.
The company also worked with a dramaturg for
the first time on this project and found this very beneficial
to assist in character development and also to ensure that the
story structure was clear. This was reflected in the final show.
TOUR
The Show
The show produced, "The Quest", told
the tale of two intrepid friends, Bitty Wicket and Shark Shoes.
It showed the fantastic journey they took, facing challenges,
hidden dangers and many surprises, after receiving a mysterious
text message offering to make all their dreams come true. The
show combined dance, live music and storytelling and was performed
within a specially designed, self contained set.
Feedback from audience questionnaires showed
the following:
— 98.2% thought that the performance
was relevant to the age group it was created for;
— 90.7% scored the show four or five
in terms of effectiveness of the set (one being the lowest, five
the highest)
— 95.7% scored the show four or five
in terms of overall enjoyment of the performance;
— 41.9% had seen a contemporary dance
performance before;
— 100% said they would be interested
in seeing another dance performance;
— 78.6% of the audiences were aged
11 or under;
— 75% of the audience had heard about
the performance via the school; and
— 37% had participated in a workshop.
Everyone complimented the company on the show,
its effectiveness and the way in which it had been received by
audiences. The range of music was excellent although there had
been a sound quality issue at a couple of venues but this had
been resolved. The lights and set really added to the overall
performance quality bringing it alive, adding different height
levels as well as the "wow" factor. Some adults felt
that the characterisation could have been more defined and the
relationship between the characters clearer but it was generally
felt it didn't matter if the audience interpreted things in different
ways and children did not seem to have any problem with this.
The structure of the show was strong, with some sections being
obvious as to their intent with others being more open to individual
interpretation. It had many different layers to it which meant
that people of all ages could benefit from it. The company were
again complimented on their relationship with the children both
within the workshop situation and in the after show discussion.
The after show discussion was meaningful and worthwhile as opposed
to being general and non specific.
The show had initially proved difficult to sell
and though it is not clear why this was the case, some schools
responded saying "it was too time consuming" or they
had "too much on". However 16 performances were booked
in total and many schools were extremely keen to become involved
in the project.
Workshops
Feed back re the workshops was very positive,
many liking the link between the workshop and the performance
and that some of the material taught in the workshop was then
performed by the company. The workshops engaged the children and
provided teachers with stimuli for future work. The Company were
praised for their approach to working with children and the time
they spent with them after the performance. Workshops in dance,
song writing and music and dance were offered.
Some children who probably wouldn't have normally
come to the performance came once they had participated in the
workshops. Some schools offered the performance free of charge
to encourage those attending the workshop to return for the full
experience.
Most workshops took place during school time
with an evening performance which was then open to parents and
families as well as children. This helped to ensure that it did
not become a school performance but was opened up to the wider
community and friends and family.
Summary
There were a total of 16 performances reaching
an audience of over 1,200 and the accompanying workshop programme
had over 1,000 participants. The project has met the new works
and commissions assessment criteria as follows.
Innovation
The commission has produced a brand new performance
piece for the 8-11 age range in the area and has given Assault
Events Company the chance to make their first work for that age
group. They have developed an approach which works extremely well.
Empowerment
The use of three research groups gave the children
involved a true voice in all aspects of the creative process.
They saw the development of their ideas from the beginning of
the project and could see the fruition of their work in a professional
setting, which is rare.
As the show was specifically for the 8-11 age
range, children who came to see any show saw a show specifically
created for them, using ideas relevant to their age and interests.
This engaged them, and gave them the opportunity to explain what
was happening to older members of the audience, which is again
rare.
The partnership allowed Assault Events to retain
artistic control but the guidelines of the brief ensured Dance
NK received the show that they wanted for the region. So the partnership
was positive for both partners.
Schools also took responsibility for marketing
their own show but were supported by Dance NK at all stages meaning
the schools felt confident in selling the performance.
Impact on the Region
The tour provided valuable performance back
up for the education work Dance NK have been undertaking in the
area, something which until now has been lacking. As the piece
toured to 16 venues we have made contact with new schools that
are now keen to undertake further dance activity in school.
Pushing the boundaries
The tour provided the opportunity for people
in rural areas to access professional performance without having
to travel and reached a total audience of approximately 1,200.
It also provided a social evening out to meet others from the
village and a chance for families to attend an event together.
Although dance is available through the Rural and Community Touring
Scheme there is very little that is aimed at the 8-11 age range
so the tour provided a rare opportunity for children of that age
to watch professional contemporary dance.
Management
The communication between the project managers
and the company directors worked well on the day to day organisation
of the project, ensuring that all relevant information reached
the company in plenty of time and led to the project running smoothly.
Having a cross section of people on the steering group worked
well as each person had their own specialism which could add to
the project. The company were especially grateful for the thoughts
and recommendations of those who worked in the school environment
as they could assess the suitability and practicalities of the
project. Feedback from the work in progress was also valuable
proving that the project was suitable and entertaining for the
age range and feedback from adults who attended also proved positive
and complimentary. All workshop leaders and audience members were
asked to complete a questionnaire and the results from these are
attached.
Overall the project extended participation in
and audience for dance through the workshops and performances
with new participants and audiences. It accessed those audiences
usually unable to attend arts performances by taking the work
into their town/village. It furthered the relationships between
Dance NK and schools in their region as well as developing the
existing relationship between Dance NK and Assault Events.
THE ARTS
IN NORTH
KESTEVEN
North Kesteven is a predominately rural district
based in the heart of Lincolnshire and is renowned for its arts
development programme. artsNK is a team of nine specialist workers
and officers who deliver a comprehensive performing and visual
arts programme to the residents of North Kesteven. Within North
Kesteven there is the Terry O'Toole Theatre, a 268 seater theatre,
Whisby Natural World and The Hub, a centre for craft design and
making. To protect the work of artsNK and ensure future development
North Kesteven District Council have recently entered into a 10
year partnership agreement with Leisure Connection Ltd who now
manage the day-to-day delivery of the arts team as well as the
Council's other leisure services.
ARTSNK DANCE
PROGRAMME
The dance projects and activities within the
artsNK programme are decided upon in line with the District Council's
objectives, the County Council's arts strategy and Arts Council
England, East Midlands aims.
Our work includes work with young people, adults
and the elderly, particularly those who no longer live independently
or who have disabilities.
YOUTH DANCE
We currently run nine youth dance groups in
the district based in the towns of North Hykeham and Sleaford
and the village of Welbourn:
These can be broken down into the following
groups:
Boys groups:
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| Groups for young people aged 11-14: | 4
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| Groups for young people aged 14-18: | 3
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The groups meet on a weekly basis and during the week we
currently work with around 105 young people through these groups.
We have the capacity to work with a maximum of 130, with this
restriction being due to the space/facilities available and funding
available to support any more sustainable groups.
The regular groups are financed by the artsNK budget (which
is funded by North Kesteven District Council, Lincolnshire County
Council and Arts Council England, East Midlands) as well as a
participant contribution of £1.30 per session. Some of the
sessions are run after school and the school provides the space
free of charge.
As the young people come from different schools and many
live in rural villages the groups provide an important point of
social contact with peers. We also aim to bring groups from different
areas together at least once a year to share the work they have
been doing.
These groups provide a sustainable environment in which to:
— Increase confidence and self esteem.
— Form important group relationships.
— Promote an active life style.
As an extension to these we also deliver one-off projects
which are generally intensive and aim to develop more specific
dance and performance skills and increase the young people's understanding
of the opportunities available both in and through dance. Past
projects include a dance exchange project between young dancers
in North Kesteven and young dancers in London. Evaluation forms
and interviews with participants made during the documentation
of the project highlighted the importance of both the new dance
skills they learnt and getting to meet new people/experiencing
new places and cultures.
The evaluation of this project is to be used to develop a
project in 2005 which uses dance to create a cultural exchange
between North Kesteven and Arhus, Denmark. We are currently applying
for funding from arts funders and European partnership funding
for the NK/Arhus exchange.
Being able to use both the weekly groups and provide one
off intensive projects allows young people in the area to progress
their dance skills continually. Once they are over 16 years old
they can progress to our Adult dance class, which again meets
weekly and covers contemporary technique as well as occasional
choreographic work.
OLDER PEOPLE/PEOPLE
WITH DISABILITIES
Currently we have two dance groups set within sheltered housing
schemes:
The groups meet on a weekly basis and during the week we
currently work with around 16 older people. We could work with
a maximum of 18 people with this restriction being due to the
space /facilities available and trained practitioners available
to support any more sessions.
The regular groups are financed by the artsNK budget (which
is funded by North Kesteven District Council, Lincolnshire County
Council and Arts Council England, East Midlands) as well as a
participant contribution of £1 per session and the use of
the space, free of charge, which is financed by North Kesteven
District Council. Additional support has been given by Lincs South
West PCT in providing equipment to develop these creative sessions.
These groups provide a sustainable environment in which to:
— Learn and develop creative skills.
— Provide mental stimulation.
— Increase confidence and self esteem.
— Meet new people and create opportunities for social
contact.
— Form important group relationships.
— Promote an active life style.
— Improve co-ordination, efficiency of cardio-vascular
system, stamina, flexibility and strength.
We are currently working in partnership with other local
councils and Primary Care Trusts in order to train people on a
nationally recognised course which develops their skills and safety
working with this client group. This qualification (Extend) is
recognised by many of those working with older people and gives
them greater confidence in allowing us to deliver sessions within
their care structures.
On completion of the training we intend to provide sessions
through the local area (including Gainsborough, North Hykeham,
Sleaford, Grantham, Stamford, Spalding and the surrounding rural
villages) in sheltered housing schemes, nursing homes and community
centres/village halls. It is intended that we set up a network
which meets annually to develop creative and artistic practices
as well as share new information which will help us deliver the
work effectively to promote active life styles in these settings.
As well as PCT and Local Government funding we are also applying
for lottery bids in order to keep these groups sustainable over
the long term. The promotion of active life styles and maintaining
independence has helped us work in partnership with local PCTs.
These groups also provide a basis for us to develop other
cross art form projects with this client group. In September dance,
drama, music and video artists will be collaborating on a cross-generational
project. This has been supported by Youth centres, local schools
and the police as it aims to combat rural isolation, anti social
behaviour and fear of crime.
DANCE EDUCATION—DANCE
NK
Mission statement:
To provide the opportunity for high quality dance to be enjoyed
by the residents of North Kesteven either as a participant or
as an audience member.
Our aims:
— To raise the profile, level and range of dance
in North Kesteven.
— Offer a rewarding experience for those participating
in dance.
— Support and assist teachers with the practical
aspect of teaching dance.
— Increase the number of young people participating
in dance outside of school.
— Provide employment opportunities for local dance
practitioners.
— Increase and develop dance audiences.
We undertake a large amount of dance education work in the
region and this takes several forms.
Two of the high schools in our region which have specialist
college status have asked us to undertake dance programmes on
their behalf. North Kesteven School is a Specialist Arts College
and we undertake a six week block of work with four of their feeder
primary schools. These sessions are mainly used to create performance
based pieces. We also work with North Kesteven School to deliver
a performance based residency for year nine pupils as part of
its arts week. This involves 20 pupils who have elected to take
dance at GCSE level working intensively over five days to create
a piece for performance to other pupils and some general public
on the final day.
Carres Grammar School has Specialist Sports College Status
and run a dance programme for their family of schools and their
pupils. This provides a half term of dance activity for six feeder
primary schools and project specific workshops for Sleaford and
Kesteven High School. In addition we deliver a six week block
of dance session in PE curriculum time for every pupil in years
7 and 8. This is four weekly sessions over an 18 week period.
We have an ongoing relationship with many other schools in
the district who buy in dance activity and many of these schools
are developing this work so it becomes an annual event.
We also offer special projects to support this ongoing work.
Last year we commissioned a children's show for 8-11 year olds.
This filled the gap in the provision of professional dance performance
suitable for this age group and toured to 18 venues in the district.
All this work aims to:
— Provide access to creative experience.
— Develop practical dance skills.
— Provide performance opportunity.
— Increase experience as audience member.
— Increase confidence and self esteem.
— Learn skills for group working.
The work is often linked to other areas of the curriculum
and therefore provide access to cross subject learning.
We also deliver Teacher Training sessions and are looking
to develop this with a new project in 2005 which will give teacher
a three day training session and then they will be mentored in
school while delivering a dance programme.
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