Twisting perceptions

Photographers: Anthony Crickmay, Hugo Glendinning, Felix Lammers, Ben Johnson, Pedro Machado, Rachel Cherry

• Pushing the boundaries of contemporary dance

• Expanding perception of what dance is and who can dance.

• Daring, excellent, bold, unexpected

 

A vision of excellence

Inclusion in action

Disabled and non-disabled dancers

Commission professionalchoreographers

Learning in all our work

Training on the job

Art not therapy

History1991 CandoCo founded by Celeste Dandeker and

Adam Benjamin1994 CandoCo’s Dance for Camera film ‘Outside

In’ broadcast on BBC Television1995 CandoCo awarded for revenue funding from

the Arts Council of England1997 UK audience figures topped 16,000 per year

with 46 international performances1999 CandoCo moves into its own studio at

ASPIRE in north London2003 Nominated for the UK Critics’ Circle Best

Modern Repertoire Award2004 CandoCo opens first full-time training course

in Dance for Disabled People2005 CandoCo Wins the Manchester Evening

News Award for Dance2007 Celeste Dandeker awarded an OBE and

retires, new Co-Artistic Directors recruited2008 Candoco presenting first ever disabled

performers part of Olympic Ceremony in Beijing

2012 Candoco performs at Closing Ceremony of London Paralympic Games

Rafael Bonachela’s And Who Shall Go To The Ball (2007)

How do we work now?

Three strands of work:

Creation of excellent and original work that inspires and excites audiences

Delivery of bespoke training

Advocacy for change in the cultural sector

Notturnino, Thomas Hauert, 2014

Notturnino, Thomas Hauert, 2014

Programming

Commissions

Partnerships

Supporting inclusive workby Associate Artists

Candoco Values influencing our commissions

Start with creativity and physicality

Focus on ability

Diversity is a strength,inevitable and exciting part of life

Sameness is limiting

Move away from idea of difference as negative, a problem, a deficit, something to be fixed

Imperfect Storm, Wendy Houstoun, 2010

Looking Back, Rachid Ouramdane, 2011

Partnerships

Tailoring programs

Package of marketing andLearning activity

Notturnino, Thomas Hauert, 2014

Programming inclusive work

What does inclusivity mean and how to develop it with the artists?

Look at the possibilities of the work to reach the audience in various ways

Working with Candoco or other disabled artists means programmers may need to rethink assumptions

Diversity leads to new questions and reaching wider audiences

Fin Walker’s The Journey, 2005

International LAB, Summer 2013

Youth group, Sue Davies Studio, 2008

Choreographic residency in Vietnam, 2013

Supporting Candoco AssociateArtists

Still, Nigel Charnok, 2008

Touring

Commitment to UK Sharing expertise internationally

35 choreographers 50 different countries

Tour to Cuba with British Council, 2012

Tour to Vietnam with British Council, 2013

Context and audiences

Alternative performance spaces

Audience engagement

Digital content

This is It, Matthias Sperling, Duckie, 2013

Wellcome Collection, part of the Superhuman –exhibition, 2012

Two for C, Javier de Frutos, 2013

Miniatures, Lea Anderson, 2013

12, Claire Cunningham, 2012

Parallel Lines, Marc Brew, 2012

How does Candoco values relate to programming inclusive work?

Empowerment through: ChoiceConfidenceCreativitySkills

Work to increase opportunity

Lead by example

Advocate for quality

Campaign for access

Clear messages

Cultural not medical

Learning embedded throughout to create access to the work

Changing attitudes by doing

Turning 20, 2011