Dancing across communities
19 July 2019Following the recent announcement that Company Chameleon has received funding to continue Dance Manchester’s remit of supporting the Greater Manchester dance sector, we’re delighted to share more details of the activity, which is agreed until the end of March 2020.
The main drive of the programme involves touring Company Chameleon’s outdoor performances, Push and Amaranthine, across the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester and delivering associated dance workshops for local communities. Our Co-Artistic Directors, Anthony Missen and Kevin Edward Turner tell us more.
Anthony explains: “The big focus of the programme is getting the work out in Greater Manchester and in doing so, supporting the needs and priorities of each borough. One of the challenges and beauties of Greater Manchester is that each of the communities are very different: they all have individual identities and their own things to celebrate. A one size fits all approach is not going to address local needs, so the programme is about having a conversation with each of the boroughs to find out what they want and need.”
Kevin says: “The great thing about our outdoor work is that it’s adaptable, it’s been created so that it can be performed in all sorts of spaces. Over the years, we’ve performed in plazas, town squares, city streets, promenades, cafes and galleries, so we have the skills and capability of adapting to different contexts and locations. It will be exciting to see what types of spaces present themselves as part of the Greater Manchester programme and what new audiences are reached and experience live dance performance as a result.”
In relation to the workshops, participation has always been an integral part of Company Chameleon’s work. As a result, the Company has delivered workshops with a wide variety of people all over the world. This experience will enable the Company to make specific choices in developing a tailored workshop approach for Greater Manchester.
Kevin says:“Our dance style can be described as physical and athletic, which is true, but it’s also fun and super accessible, which means anyone no matter what your age or level of experience can take part in a workshop. We’re looking forward to taking our dance style into Greater Manchester’s communities, getting people dancing and encouraging more people to get up and give dance a go.”
Along with the performance and workshop programme, Company Chameleon will continue to support the commissioned dance artists originally supported by Dance Manchester by providing subsidised rehearsal space, training opportunities and mentoring.
Kevin says: “Anthony and I have worked professionally as dance artists for over fifteen years. This is a great opportunity for us to share our skills, knowledge and experience with local artists and help them push forward their ideas and achieve their aspirations.”
Anthony continues:“Part of the overall vision for this programme of work is for dance to have a stronger presence in Greater Manchester. This involves nurturing a more vibrant and happening dance scene, which acts as a catalyst for creativity and greater engagement in dance. If we are to achieve this and raise the bar for dance in the region, then we need a community of dance artists with different voices, histories and stories. Helping to build this community is part of the plan for this initial programme of work.”
Kevin adds: “For Anthony and I, as two people who were born and grew up here, we’re really excited about embarking on this work. We’re looking forward to further building our relationships with local artists and making dance more visible through taking dance out into the communities and to the Greater Manchester people.”
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Keep an eye on our web-site for further updates about the programme including touring dates and information.