Staffordshire Moorlands Dance Initiative

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In April 2007, FRONTLINEdance began an exciting 10 week dance initiative with 6 schools in the Biddulph area funded by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, in partnership with Staffordshire Moorlands School Sports Partnership. 

 

Due to the success of the initiative, Staffordshire Moorlands School Sports Partnership continued to fund the work and over 1,000 children & young people from 55 primary, special and secondary schools in Staffordshire Moorlands took part in workshops and performances with professional dancers from FRONTLINEdance over the last 2 years.

 

"I would like to say 'thank you' for all your efforts over the last 2 years.  FRONTLINEdance has raised the levels of dance across the partnership through consistently delivering high quality dance sessions, workshops and performances.  At all times FRONTLINEdance have always been totally professional and thoroughly committed to the young people and I would like to thank you for your excellent work - a sentiment shared by the SSCO's that you have linked with during the programme." 

Liz Stonier - Partnership Development Manager

Dance artists have worked with pupils to create a short performance piece based on a theme. Themes have covered a number of issues such as ‘bullying’, ‘changing shape’, ‘inclusion and acceptance’ and 'summer'. Each group discusses options and ideas with the dance artist before the project commences to decide on the focus of each piece. All schools have received 10 x 1 hour sessions to create a short dance piece (classes / ages have been chosen by the school). All groups have then come together to perform at the cluster’s high school in front of each other, family and friends, as well as sharing their work with their teachers and peers in their own schools. The projects aim’s were to: 

• Increase health and fitness
• Develop dance composition, performance and appreciation
• Improve persoanl and social skills, such as team-work, self-confidence and self-worth and problem solving
• Create ownership of work
• Explore issue based work through movement
• Provide an opportunity/experience to work with a professional dance artist

"The dance was fantastic and to have an excellent dance teacher to work with the children enhanced both creative and physiological skills" - Primary School Teacher

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Click on the links below to read more about our other past Educational projects:

Inclusion2 a dance-in-education tour based on the theme of 'Inclusion' (2004)

"Out of Bounds" an integrated site-specific dance film project (2007)