WE HAVE MOVED!

The artsNK Dance Team have moved! You can now find out all about the team and the wider work of artsNK on our new website www.artsnk.org

Dont forget you can also:
Follow us on Twitter: @artsNKDance

Like us on Facebook: artsNK Dance Team

SUPPORT DANCE FACTOR LINCOLNSHIRE

Voting Day is this coming Monday, on 24/11/14.

Photo by Electric Egg

This FREE streetdance project for young people aged 11-19 years needs your vote in order to take place across the county. The project wants to get in excess of 750 young people involved and so let's make it happen!

Voting starts at 9am on 24th Nov, and the project will be featured on ITV's Calendar Evening News at 6pm. Tune in.

The voting number will be released on the day and so please keep your eyes peeled for it!

You can vote for the project up to 10 times from any number (landline or mobile) and each vote costs 15p.

A vote for Dance Factor is a vote for the young people of 

Lincolnshire! 


The project isn't just about dancing, it gives young people a 

voice, more confidence, access to a positive activity and a

chance to make new friends! 

 

Performing on stage is a once in a lifetime opportunity and

something that you'll never, ever forget whether you want to 

be a dancer or not. Get involved!


Check out more about the project in this little video:-

http://vimeo.com/111993243

Community group 

launches campaign 

to 

bring £50,000 dance

project to 

Lincolnshire

Dance Factor Lincolnshire is one of only six groups in the ITV South Yorkshire Region which have been shortlisted to battle for the public vote and £50,000 worth of lottery funding from ITV’s The People’s Millions TV Competition. 

The project, which is a partnership project led by community group InspireDance, will make a bid for viewers support to win the cash prize with the public voting by phone to decide who wins the funding.  On Monday 24^th November Dance Factor Lincolnshire will be profiled on the ITV South Yorkshire evening news (Calendar) and will compete head to head against another regional project, with the project with most votes winning the £50,000.

The Peoples Millions funding would enable Dance Factor to span across seven districts of Lincolnshire and engage in excess of 750 young people in dance. The project takes dance into local communities, providing 11-18 years olds with free evening street dance sessions which culminate in a Grand Final showcase event.

Project partners are artsNK, Transported, City of Lincoln Council, Boston Borough Council, South Holland District Council, North Kesteven District Council, North Hykeham Town Council, Positive Futures, Sportivate, Leisure in the Community, and 1Life.

Alice Carter, committee member of Inspire Dance said ‘Dance Factor gives young people the opportunity to access dance on their doorstep. Sessions are held in locations where young people may live in deprivation, with high instances of anti-social behaviour; or where young people face isolation and potential loneliness. The funding will therefore enable young people to engage in a positive activity, get active, make new friends, and take pride in representing their local area.’

InspireDance have from now until Monday 24^th November to raise public awareness of the campaign and encourage people to vote for the Dance Factor project.

PLEASE VOTE FOR US ON 24/11/14.... WATCH THIS SPACE FOR THE TEXT & PHONE NUMBER!

To support Dance Factor Lincolnshire visit: http://dancefactorlincolnshire.weebly.com/

Join our social media campaign with your own #DFselfie take a photo of yourself dancing and tweet us the image @Dance_Factor, the best selfie before 24/11/14 wins a prize!

Contact Details
Alice Carter- Project Manager
alice.carter@litc.org.uk
07851810950

InspireDance is back!

 By Holly Arnold – Community Dance Artist, artsNK and Lead Practitioner for InspireDance

 

Well what a busy start back to InspireDance! It’s only the end of week one in term one and we are busier than ever! Lots of new topics to explore and young people to meet!

 

I began my week on Monday at Redwood Primary School teaching 3 classes looking at the Romans for Years 4, 5, 6 and then looking at Princes, Peasants and Pestilence. All groups worked extremely hard on their topics and started to develop their skills in dance.

 

Onto Wednesday and I travelled to Grantham to teach at Ropsley Primary schoolintroducing them to the topic of World War 2. The year 5/6 children knew a lot about the war (even though they had only been doing it for a day!) and use this information to help influence their movements.

 

On Thursday I went back to The Meadows Primary School (having taught their Key Stage 1 classes before the summer) and had very enjoyable time of teaching 3 Key Stage 2 classes with the topic of the Vikings! Lots of strong freeze frames were created to demonstrate different parts of the Viking history.

 

It’s Friday! Last day for InspireDance this week and I've spent the whole day at South Hykeham Primary School teaching every year group in the school! Working with Years 3/4/5 & 6 on their topic of Egypt, Year 1/2's exploring magical mysteries and looking at 'Ourselves' with Reception! A fantastic day with lovely young people working extremely hard! A great end to the week!

James and Emma from the team have also been to some schools for InspireDance such as; Redwood, Ropsley, Welbourn and Gonerby Hill Foot Primary! 

InspireDance is bigger and better than ever! If you want to find out more information about how your Primary or Secondary School can get involved please contact Alice Carter; alice.carter@litc.org.uk  

 

European Aerial Dance Festival 2014 – Brighton Dome/Corn Exchange

Read about James' time at the European Aerial Dance Festival this summer:

 

I was very fortunate enough to be granted the opportunity to attend the EADF this year in Brighton. I arrived on Sunday 3^rd August to the glorious seaside city and checked myself in to the hotel, breathed in the glorious sea air, admired the beautiful views and prepared my mind and body for the very demanding, challenging and thrilling week ahead. I attended the festival from Monday 4^th – Friday 8^th August with a 9:00am start – 7:00pm finish each day – I know… a whole week of aerial classes and training… I must have been mad! Nevertheless it proved to be one of the most enriching, rewarding, and outstanding experiences of both my professional and personal life, such a revelation!

The festival featured an array of classes for which the person attending could choose according to their ability and personal preference/strengths. Classes such as Trapeze, Silks, Counterweight Harness and Vertical Dance etc. were just a handful to choose from. However I decided to opt for Cocoon and Play, Trapeze, Counterweight Harness, Counterbalance and Partnering Work along with a Warm Up which consisted of dance and a cool down of Contact Improvisation. I was in paradise.

Every morning would begin with your chosen warm up, in this case mine was Dance. A very polite, calm French young woman called Magalie delivered dance routines, stretch exercises and allowed us to focus on the flow, execution and freedom of the dance. It was so exhilarating to begin the day with a fresh, innovative dance class and really prepared my body for the day ahead and the days that followed. Moving on to my first class (Cocoon & Play) kindly lead by two aerial artists and performers from the beautifully intrinsic Fidget Feet Aerial Company based in Ireland. I of course learnt new tricks, found interesting ways to get into the cocoon but the thing that really changed my perspective was how driven they were to ensure we were following their instructions and focused on executing the tasks properly, safely and with the right technique. It really did open my eyes to the way I view aerial work and in particular made me find an even bigger passion for aerial dance. They taught us to be creative, explore and most importantly enjoy every second of being in the air, dancing and using the equipment.

And so after a quick break it was on to my next workshop – Counterweight Harness. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this particular piece of aerial equipment it basically consists of one person wearing a harness to which they secure themselves either side of their hips to a solid metal bar above their heads (a flyer) which is kept elevated by another person in a harness on a ladder who acts as their counterweight. More simply if I were the counterweight and were to climb down then the flyer would be lifted up. My first experience of this workshop was truly amazing. Strapped into the harness and slightly elevated in the air meant I could tackle rotations, forward balances and spins. For someone who suffers from motion sickness it wasn’t the greatest of things to be doing, I did however have a very enjoyable but sickly experience. As the week went on I decided to avoid the spinning and instead acted as the counterweight. Full attention, precision and clear communication were all needed by both the flyer and counterweight to ensure no one injured themselves. It was a completely new aerial experience for me and one that I thoroughly enjoyed, I would definitely attend further classes/workshops.

My final aerial workshop was the Trapeze. This was a piece of equipment which I have had experience as well as having the same principle knowledge of the hoop so I wasn’t too apprehensive when using it. Serenity Smith-Fortune who delivered the class was an American born aerial extreme enthusiast who along with her twin sister help found a circus school/university in the States. The one thing I really admired about Serenity’s guidance was her patience, and attention to detail. She would divide her tie equally with participants and ensure everyone was working to a comfortable level. She challenged us with difficult moves and allowed us each day to work towards improving and adding to a sequence. Trapeze I felt combined my experience of the silks and hoop. Having the ropes which could be manipulated, used to climb and slide down etc. as well as having the solid structure and support of the bar made way for interesting and exciting stances, poses and continual movements.
 
Attending the festival and participating in all of the classes was at times very frustrating by not being able to execute a specific move or losing grip, becoming fatigue and wanting to give up but having the encouragement of the artists and participants around you gave you the rush to carry on and try and try again. I learnt a tremendous amount not just about being an aerialist but what it can offer, how much more an aerial piece of work can be viewed if you truly embody the piece of equipment, how you interact with it and respond to unexpected incidents. Taken part in and viewing aerial work is mind-blowing, exciting and complex. It is different and is vastly becoming more and more popular in Britain. I will continue along with the other artsNK Dance Team Members to push and inspire and reveal aerial dance capabilities but please if you haven’t experienced any such thing then I beg you… please do, you won’t be disappointed!

Thank you to artsNK for agreeing to let me go. Hopefully I or the other dance team members will be attending next year. Keep your eyes and ears open.

For more info on the EADF then please visit: http://www.gravity-levity.net/events/european-aerial-dance-festival-eadf-august-4th-10th-2014/

Amy's Edinburgh Experience

So Amy travelled to Scotland for the third consecutive year this August. She spent three days at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe where she encountered shows ranging from physical theatre, contemporary dance, circus, body percussion and cabaret..... Here is what she thought.....

Friday started off with Pants Down Circus with their ROCK circus show. Presented in the Assembly Palazzo Spiegeltent, which is in essence an intimate space, theatre in the round with no where for the performers to hide. I was impressed by the performers energy, commitment and enjoyment. They all looked comfortable on stage and as if it was just so much fun t be performing tricks and performing for the audience. As far as circus tricks go- the final trapeze act was impressive- a doubles acts which certainly made a few jaws drop! I also liked the more traditional circus arts coming out- it was nice to see juggling and clowning too. Overall an excellent way to start my Fringe experience for 2014! 

Next up was Australian circus ensemble Circa with their show Beyond. Well, what can I say?! This show was unusually mind-blowing, due to its weird subject content. "Beyond" meaning exploring what's its like to go beyond the norm and beyond the body..... They certainly achieved that! Memorable moments were the super strong yet ever-so-bendy straps artist and quick paced and tense chinese pole group section. Madness! I left this show a little perplexed with its obscure nature but nevertheless thoroughly enjoyed it. Lyn Gardner ably reviews the show for The Guardian here:- http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/aug/22/edinburgh-festival-2014-review-circa-beyond  

I went on to see Be-Dom, a Portuguese drumming act, whom much like Stomp, banged lots of things including their own bodies. I particularly enjoyed the body percussion section of the show- which was family fun and entertaining but for me- I would have liked to have seen more movement. At face value, it was enjoyable but the set (various instruments made from pieces of junk) could have done more. See the video above for a short taste.

Onwards, I then saw a show that, by far, was my pick of the Fringe this year. There is only one word to describe it and that it PHENOMENAL. A Simple Space, presented by yet another Australian act, Gravity and Other Myths, well and truly defies any words to sum it up. Here is what their website says about the work:-

Seven acrobats push their physical limits without reserve; this performance is simultaneously raw, frantic and delicate. Supported by driving live percussion and presented so intimately that you can feel the heat, hear every breath, and be immersed in every moment.

“Be prepared to have your breath taken away”

- Three Weeks

A Simple Space evokes real responses in audiences, something visceral rather than cerebral. Instead of fine-tuning the performance with makeup, lighting and contrived theatrical overlay, the cast have deliberately gone the opposite way. The audience is brought in close to surround the stripped back stage. In that space the acrobats are pushed to the physical limit, breaking down their usual guards and introducing the reality of failure and weakness. With nothing left to hide behind personal narratives come through naturally. This honesty is the essence behind A Simple Space.

“Stripped back and raw… an awe-inspiring display of strength, skill and creativity.”

 – The Advertiser

I would agree with this 100%. This is by far and a way, the best piece of circus I have ever seen. Instead of me rambling on about it, here is the video which doesn't really sell the true worth of the piece, have a watch. It was intimate, fun, unnerving and so simple it was beautiful. 

http://vimeo.com/91628782 

From then on, everything was compared to A Simple Space, which to be fair, nothing was going to come close! HOWEVER, I then saw No Fit State Circus in their own Big Top. For the second year in a row, I watched BIANCO. I wasn't disappointed. This year, it was back, better than last year and even more jaw-dropping. 

Watch a clip here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw-_y9Mf5no this show isn't for the faint hearted, with stunning trapeze, cloud swing, corde lisse and straps (loved watching Lincolnshire's very own August Dakteris), it was a real feast!

There were other notable shows, including Bromance presented by Barely Methodical Troupe as well as some hip hop and some contemporary dance. Too many more to review here. I would highly recommend anyone going to the Festival Fringe, it's one of those things everyone MUST do at least once in their life. Until next time.....

Lincoln Dances Festival 2014

Lincoln Dances 2014 – Market Square

Saturday 19^th July 2014 

As part of the Lincoln Dances Festival this year, the Market Square in Lincoln City Centre was brimming with outdoor dancing talent from various dance schools, companies and groups from around Lincolnshire. This included a variety of styles from Bollywood, Breaking, Hip-Hop, Commercial, Contemporary and Zumba!

From the dance team, Holly, James and Amy O brought various groups from the artsNK Youth Dance Programme to perform in the Market Square. Regardless of the weather all groups performed fantastically, including redXco, Jumpstart Break Dance Company and kNacKer’d Youth Dance Company.

Why not take a look at the fabulous photos that were taken throughout the day from the Lincoln Dances 2014 Facebook album J

https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.686017834802990.1073741832.460771150660994&type=1