Dance Connected is set to celebrate its launch as Staffordshire’s dance development network and unveil its high-energy county-wide Dancing for the Games project Get Dancing at a launch event in Newcastle-Under-Lyme on 17 January 2012.
The Get Dancing programme is focused on participation, in which people around Staffordshire get the opportunity to take part in dance classes. Participants will eventually perform to a crowd of thousands as the project culminates in a spectacular live performance in Stafford Castle in July 2012.
Naomi Temple, Programme Manager for Dancing for the Games said:
Get Dancing will give hundreds of people across Staffordshire the opportunity to work with and perform alongside professional artists, connecting with London 2012 in their own community. It is hoped that Get Dancing will have a real impact, not just on the people taking part, but also in developing the dance sector in the county.
Here’s a video of the recent Get Dancing open workshops:
Dance Connected are looking for a number of shadowing dance artists to assist in the delivery of a disability dance project which links the Aiming High programme to Get Dancing, a Dancing for the Games project for Staffordshire.
The projects will take place in five specified locations in Staffordshire, including Tamworth, South Staffordshire, Staffordshire Moorlands, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, and Stafford. Shadowing dance artist will assist the specialist disability dance artist in devising and producing of a series of workshops.
Work will take place over the February half term, Easter half term and during the summer holidays in each of the identified districts and boroughs which enables disabled participants to be involved in a fully inclusive opportunity.
For more information, including how to apply, download the brief. The deadline for applications is Friday 13th January 2012.
Many are on Twitter and Facebook to update people about their events and activity during the Cultural Olympiad in the West Midlands, so they’re definitely worth a follow or a like. See the full list on the Dancing for the Games website.
Big Dance is a biennial celebration of dance and dancing with 9 days of dance events in unusual places throughout the UK and will form part of London Festival 2012 the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad next year.
Big Dance, originated by the Mayor of London in 2006 in partnership with Arts Council England, is the world’s biggest and most influential dance initiative and is delivered through a network of London’s leading dance organisations: East London Dance,English National Ballet, Greenwich Dance, Sadler’s Wells and Siobhan Davies Dance. This Hub network has now developed across the UK.
You can get in touch with your local hub organisation to discuss your ideas and get involved with their plans, and to discuss region-wide plans contact Lucy Kenny, Community Engagement Manager, DanceXchange on westmidlands@bigdance2012.com.
DanceXchange is looking for an Assistant Director to work alongside the Director, Andy Brunskill and the artistic team for Home, and realise the vision for this inventive street performance.
Home is a bold, inventive new participatory production that will animate public spaces across Birmingham city centre during International Dance Festival Birmingham 2012. Home will be an evolving promenade-style performance event, engaging thousands of people as audiences and participants. The production will present a diversity of dance styles and art forms from community participants and professionals.
There will be a cast of 6 professional dancers/actors (and up to 15 apprentices) who will be contracted for six weeks; three weeks creation and three weeks performance. As well as the dancers creating the material, there will be five choreographers appointed to create individual set pieces of work. Working with the Director, the role of the Assistant Director is to catalogue and pull all of the contributions and material into a cohesive evolving promenade-style performance. The whole project will be overseen by Creative Director David Massingham and Project Manager Gemma Thomas.
Skills and Experience:
Previous experience of Assistant Direction, at least two productions
Past experience or good understanding of working as a choreographer or movement director and an interest in working with artists from different disciplines including dance
Past experience of working with a range of community groups and non-professionals
Experience of working in public spaces
Keen intelligence and rigorous approach to dramaturgy
Can demonstrate a commitment to originality and a desire to expand their understanding of theatre practice
Outstanding organisational skills and attention to detail
Ability to work in an ever-changing high-pressure work environment
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and experience of managing people
Have a current CRB or be willing to undertake one
Application Deadline: Wednesday 25 January 2012, 5pm
Interview Dates: w/c 30 January 2012
Research period: Dates tbc (2 weeks)
Creation period: 2-20 April 2012 (3 weeks)
Performance period (and continuing creation) + Finale: 23 April -13 May (3 weeks)
Fee: £3,600 including planning and preparation + 6 weeks residence in Birmingham. Accommodation provided in Birmingham (a self catering apartment).
Motionhouse are looking for dance apprentices to work alongside and be mentored by its dancers.
If you’re in the early stages of your dance career, this is an extraordinary opportunity to work alongside and be mentored by our Motionhouse dancers. You will create and perform material for The Voyage, a major outdoor spectacle we are producing to open the London 2012 Festival in the West Midlands. The London 2012 Festival will span the entire country for 12 weeks, celebrating the Olympics from midsummer’s day 21 June, until 09 September 2012.
We will be collaborating with world-renowned aerialists Legs On The Wall from Australia on The Voyage, a vivid, visual and extraordinary performance that will celebrate the courage and imagination that prompts us to embark on journeys in pursuit of our dreams.
Motionhouse are looking for 4 apprentices for this paid position for a period of 15 weeks from March until the end of June 2012. You can get further details or apply for the post by downloading an information pack. The deadline to apply is Friday 27 January 2012 and auditions will be held in Leamington Spa on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 February 2012.
Work experience and placements
Motionhouse also offer work experience and professional development placements to school, college, and university students. In order to be considered for an office or dance based placement, download and complete the form and send it to Motionhouse, Spencer Yard, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV31 3SY.
The company are also happy to hear from anyone who’d like to apply to join our Motionhouse team as an intern or a volunteer. To be considered for a longer term work placement, an internship, or as a volunteer, contact Motionhouse directly by emailing Mezze at mezze@motionhouse.co.uk or calling on +44 (0)1926 887 052.
Motionhouse have shared a video of Traction, their latest Machine Dance piece created for the launch the opening of Bullring Birmingham’s Spiceal Street Restaurant development. You can watch it below.
Justine from Motionhouse explains more about the event here:
Thursday 24 November saw us launch the opening of the Spiceal Street Restaurant development at Bullring Birmingham. Earlier this year we were commissioned by Bullring to create a Machine Dance piece that saw two of our dancers (Junior Cunningham and Olivia Quayle) perform with one digger for the ‘Breaking of the Ground’ ceremony which marked the start of the construction works. Our latest Machine Dance show was commissioned to follow March’s Waiting Game; Traction, was to be a larger spectacle with six dancers and three JCBs and make an aptly dramatic launch for the swanky new dining destination.
Dancescape are looking for a Freelance Project Manager to oversee and manage project commitments between January and July 2012.
Dancescape is the sub regional dance development project working across Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire and is hosted by Solihull MBC. During 2012, Dancescape is working with a number of partner organisations to deliver a range of projects, some of which are connected to London 2012. Projects include Boys Dancing (led by Warwick Arts Centre), Movin’ On Up dance careers event, Rugby Youth Dance Company, the Outdoor Dance Programme (led by DanceXchange) and Moving Earth (led by Sampad).
Responsibilities include co-ordinating groups and artists from across the sub-region to attend or appear at performance events, distributing Dancescape’s e-news, acting as main point of contact for partners and other organisations, liaising with partners to ensure delivery of all projects, and to oversee evaluation and monitoring procedures for each project.
Freelance Project Manager (Dancescape)
Fee available: £4200 plus £500 towards travel costs
Hours and place of work: fee based on average of 2 days per week from January to July 2012, based at Solihull Arts Complex with possibility of home working when appropriate
To express your interest in this contract, please send your CV by email to Sarah Jassal, by 12pm on Tuesday 3rd January 2012. Include two referees who know your work in a professional context within the last 3 years, a statement detailing why you are interested and what skills you possess in order to deliver the work, and details of your preferred ways and days of working.
Interviews will take place on Wednesday 11th January 2012 at Solihull Arts Complex. The successful applicant will need to be available from 23 January 2012 onwards.
For an informal chat about this opportunity please contact Sarah Jassal on 0121 704 6747 until Tuesday 20th December 2011, or Lawrence Smith on 0121 704 6961 from Wednesday 21st to Friday 30th December 2011 (excluding Christmas, bank holidays and 28th December).
Encompassing a range of dance styles and inspiration for work, U.Dance Raw Energy will be a celebration of the youth dance work happening across the West Midlands. We are delighted to now be accepting applications from youth dance companies in the region to perform.
Visit www.u-dance.org for more information. Participants will experience performing as well as skills-boosting workshops and other facilitated sessions – working and interacting with youth companies across the region. Selected groups will be announced shortly.
Now in its ninth year, Breakin’ Convention is bringing companies to Birmingham from around the world and around the corner. This year’s event – which is produced by Sadler’s Wells – is hosted and curated by eminent UK hip hop theatre artist Jonzi D. 329 companies and 2,892 dancers have performed at Breakin’ Convention over the years, and you could have a starring role in 2012.
Breakin’ Convention is looking for companies who strive to break the conventions of Hip Hop dance theatre; whether you are a group of b-boys who break in your bedroom or an established crew with your own rehearsal studio. You don’t need to be a huge company with professional experience. The event is looking for talented crews who have something to say, who are using hip-hop and funk styles in an exciting way and who are able to entertain and excite an audience of up to 1,800 people on the Birmingham Hippodrome main stage.
Applications close Friday 6 January 2012 ahead of a selection day on Monday 16 January. Visit the Breakin’ Convention website for more information and to download an entry form.
Breakin’ Convention, which is part of International Dance Festival Birmingham 2012, runs at Birmingham Hippodrome on Monday 14 & Tuesday 15 May 2011. Foyer events start from 5.30pm, the show begins at 7.30pm. Tickets are £9.50 (plus 50p transaction fee), or £15 on the door (plus 5% transaction fee).
