Monday 18th April 2010

WelcomeBackground

London Metropolitan University

Mission Statement:

London Metropolitan University is committed to providing excellent educational and knowledge transfer services, engaging with real-world issues, transforming individuals and society, and enabling

students to achieve their potential and London to succeed as a world city.

Our Department

• BA Performing Arts• The Missing Piece• The Facility• DigiLAB• Foundation Degree with City & Islington College and Irie! Danc

Company• MA Creative and Cultural Industries• MA Performing Arts

• WHO IS “Performance Innovations” FOR?

Performance-makers

Performing arts practitioners

Creative entrepreneurs

• The Performance Innovations Post-grad certificate course is being developed to offer a flexible vocational programme offering new skills and understandings for starter and mid-career practitioners of the performing arts.

• The project is in part inspired by the government directed social entrepreneurship movement whereby creative and vocational career paths are recognised as important enterprises that contribute to cultural and social (re)generation.

The project will embrace the themes of

EnterpriseDiversity

andTechnology

across the provision. 

Technologicaly orientated• Reflects where culture is at now.• Expands communication in the world.• Provides more interaction and scope for marketing your product.• Integrate technology in all areas from e-learning, performance

technologies, build your own website etc. • Allows for communication with people who cannot always be

physically present (illness, family responsibilities, distance or physical issues.)

• KEY SKILL: internet-focussed, understanding networks

Skills

• What is a PAP? Do we know what we want? What can we offer? Are we ready to do it?

• Ability to articulate and define what you want to do given the realities of the market place: self-reflection- self-knowledge-research - market knowledge.

• Articulate your vision to fulfil policy.• Facing fear - of losing integrity, ideas, creative juices want to

follow creative journey rather than fulfil policy, be businesslike.• How to effect policy• KEY SKILL: multiple uses of your knowledge in different

contexts • How you place yourself in the world – putting it out there• How do you cope with knock backs – develop resilience

The Industry• Different models of organisation (business): partnerships, collectives, hierarchies, sole trader.• Exposing people to different models of creative process• The website - an online community• Knowing what you enjoy: what motivates?• Moving forward, always about learning. Self-knowledge, self-reflection• Ability to wear different hats to survive financially.• Creating opportunities to collaborate• KEY SKILL: Break the perception that there is only public funding… leads to enterprise and

entrepreneurial approach. Look to seeking a MIXED INCOME and explore ways to generate it

Diversity• a greater pool of different experiences for the group organism to

draw from provides more opportunities.• not just about colour, but also about class, disability, beliefs• it brings a socio-political dimension to the work• Reaching out to people of other cultures, physicalities,

ethnicities, understandings.• sharing diverse backgrounds enriches the cultural offer• reaching out to clients from diverse backgrounds• taking control of your work (business) – meeting a wide range of

clients, adapting to the marketplace and new client base

CourseDesign

• Block teaching.• Independent projects.• Peer mentoring, group

learning and building teams• Placement opportunities –

test your practice.• Create teams.• Research, contextualisation• Students to help design

course: their ideas and plans will influence course content: placement structures; expert consultations.

3 modules:Practice,

Placement, Business

www.performance innovations.org

On this module participants will:- identify through exploratory practices their core performative and creative skills base and primary creative entrepreneurial focus.- understand and evaluate the possibilities for individual practices and products to evolve as part of a diverse contemporary cultural industries environment.- explore these practices in collaboration with other practitioners, skills, and ideas.- develop their creative practice in a diverse and digitally sophisticated context.

• Practice Module• Participants will be led through a series of self-reflective

tasks and challenges in group and individual learning environments towards the identification of their creative ideas, practical skills and particular strengths towards developing and refining their performance practice. This may be as a tutor(in a dance style for example) or leader/director (of commercial or community projects/productions), or creator (choreographer, director, composer) of new performance innovations.

• These processes will be contextualised in a culture where digital networking practices are commonplace in a diverse globalised culture. We will examine a number of innovative artists towards identifying the core components of a successful creative practitioner and use mentoring as a developmental activity. Students will explore aspects of their practice in a supportive, collaborative environment developing ideas towards a final presentation of a performance innovation project relevant to their entrpreneurial intentions, for example, the presentation of a short performance or interactive event that utilises a range of performance strategies that may integrate digital audio-visual systems.

• Assessment: cwk Presentation (80%) + Written Portfolio (20%)

On this module participants will: - identify and evaluate opportunities for working with public sector, private sector and third sector clients in creative activity.- understand the needs of diverse participants in arts projects.- explore their potential as an arts entrepreneur for a range of clients and participants.- develop their project planning and management skills.- use technologies that support and enhance their creative practice.

• Placement Module

• The placement module will involve working in a team of peers in the delivery of a performing arts project for a particular client. Clients will include organisations working with diverse groups and will come from across London. Clients will set projects and student teams will present a proposal to that client. If successful that team will then deliver that project. Teams will be able to bid for more than one project. Through the self reflexive work undertaken in the practice module teams will be formed of students with complementary skills. The work will be client led to reflect the reality of the contemporary arts scene. An example would be running an outreach programme for a well known venue or creating a community performance for a London Borough. Students will be encouraged to bring their skills as artists to a project and the module will focus on developing them as applied practitioners.

• Student teams will be supported to create project websites where participants can blog, evaluate and contribute to the project.There will be a focus on how to obtain work and how to sustain relationships with clients/partners.

• The module will examine how an arts company develops streams of earnt income to make it sustainable outside of funding structures. They will explore the entrepreneurial possibilities of working with diverse participants and with a range of clients. An example would be creating an arts participation package for the probation service.

• The module aims to give a sound training in working with diverse groups and using diverse arts practices to do so. Students will be supported to feel comfortable in a number of environments. They will also work directly with high profile partners across London delivering cutting edge projects that reflect the very best of applied practice..

• Assessment: cwk Placement (60%) + Written/online Portfolio (40%)

This module will provide an introduction to the business side of the performing arts and aims to:

equip the students with the practical skills and knowledge needed to set up and run a performing arts enterprise, whether as a solo practitioner or company.

encourage peer and collaborative learning and support.

explore and engage with a diverse range of business models, practices, products and audiences within the contemporary cultural industries environment.

develop awareness of, and encourage informed engagement with, technology and digital media.

• The Business Module

• This module providing an introduction to the business side of the performing arts aims to:

• equip the students with the practical skills and knowledge needed to set up and run a performing arts enterprise, whether as a solo practitioner or company.

• encourage peer and collaborative learning and support.

• explore and engage with a diverse range of business models, practices, products and audiences within the contemporary cultural industries environment.

• In The Business module we will consider all the components of an entrepreneurial performing arts enterprise in the 21st century including researching the market for our ideas, building a business model and planning a business strategy for an increasingly competitive marketplace. Students will learn the basics of financial planning and management and explore ways of generating income and funding for their work. The importance of digital technology for marketing and building audiences and diseminating our products will be emphasised.

• Assessment: cwk Presentation (20%) + Business Plan (80%)

Holistic approach

• Interconnectedness• Practice-Theory• Creative-Commercial• A global view

Playing with possibilities &

seeking feedback…..

Performance Innovations

Let me introduce…..

Whose Area of Practice is…..

Who interestingly….:

And intends to develop a project that…: