Teamed up with a friend of mine Beth Roo on an idea she had pitched at an artists networking evening. I got in contact with Beth, said i was interested and before we knew it, we were putting on a workshop at Whitstable Umbrella Centre - with thanks too Whitstable Umbrella Cafe. Beth came and took some fantastic photos (as shown in my blog below) https://bethroophotography.com/ . But also shared her passion and excitement for her project. Beth explained clear information about the Crab And Winkle Line but also allowed openess to take her ideas as we wished - Prefect! Pros: -Great to take inspiration from someone else’s ideas. (I’m used to thinking up my own). -Spiced up my practice by making this opportunity an open invite and met some new wonderful dancers. - >>Cross generation<<, what a beautiful thing to experience... captured beautifully in the photos!! Cons: - We could only offer this as one off workshop, (although we’d like to this again!) and share it at the Umbrella Cafe next time!
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heart full and soul- feltThis is an important post me for me.. my life, my beliefs, my foundation, my and heart and soul. So I’ve had this title written for about 2 months.. I’ve stared at it.. thought about for a while and not got anything written. Doubting if i will be able to justify the importance of dance in a short blog... But once I’m started I’m sure a snowballing effect with start in my writing.. Two small disclaimers: 1: I believe in the importance in all the arts. But I will just focus on my working world. 2: Dance isn't for everybody, some people just don't like it. (Although this post is specific to people in recovery- Addiction and mental health, they actually apply to anyone attending one of these classes.) From my experience, for a specific group of people (addiction and mental health), I have seen, experienced and felt spectacular benefits from this art form. Contemporary dance requires: fitness, discipline, commitment, an ability to be sensitive to others, trust in each other and an openness to embrace human connection. From attending regular classes, Learning and remembering set steps is extremely good for your memory and your cognitive a ability. Allowing yourself to be open and accepting of something you might not know much about/ or be interested in/ or be resistant to (for whatever reason) is always really important to allow us to grow as people. Accepting compliments can be hard for some people, i give a lot of (honest) compliments when i am teaching class, its a important part of teaching dance, allowing peoples confidence to flourish further. Enjoying yourself is important for everyone, not just people in recovery. And if dance works for you then great! TOUCH- from my observations touch is minimal in 2018, we all need it.. all our senses should be used. Dance also allows us to establish learn about appropriate touch. Trust and being trusted- lifting each other, trusting some else to take some or all of your weight. Being trusted to take the weight of some else. Sense of achievement- improving, other people noticing your achievements.. i will enhance this by then offering people chances to get involved in projects and performances.
All of these benefits can come from accepting an offer to dance class while you’re in treatment or recovery..
I hope i have scratched the surface of what dance can provide for people here xx Cold Hands Warm Drum Frustration, Joy, Bagpipes and Progress
Background People Untied opened an application for local artists to develop their practice using the 136 beach hut on Herne Bay beach. I Applied for this and asked if i could practice my Djembe. Which came through successful. Yes i am a dance artist, but I picked up Drumming as a hobby last year. Dance and Drumming go hand in hand. Like in this amazing video https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VmCXkrfm-3Y (8mins in is one of my favourite bits). I wanted to use this opportunity to see if i could join them up in my Addiction and Mental health dance work. I also Drum with a weekly drumming group, this is ran by the fantastic Shelly www.djembejam.co.uk . Shelly organises regular performances for us to do. So the beach hut allowed me to practise the rhythms I learnt there. practise
Some days id pick rhythms up really quickly, other days it would take me HOURS. I remember trying to get one rhythm for so long that my eyes actually started hurting. - this is why it was useful that i started drumming when the weather was cold and wet, because it meant that barely anyone heard me getting very stuck between ‘base’ and ‘tone’ notes. Playing to a metronome is really important for being able to stay in time. It’s sometimes brilliant and sometimes soul destroying. But what i liked about this is that I pushed past the bits that got hard/ frustrating/annoying/boring and came drumming through the other side. (Once your hands know the patterns of the rhythms they feel great to play) public
Project
This has been the biggest performance to date in my addiction and mental health work.
The piece we performed (Take The Seat) would not have been what it was without the initial act of kindness from People United. I also used my time at the beach hut as a stress reliever from a sometimes very challenging job.. Kindness does make a difference So thank you Little Bit of Back groundI work for Mental Health Charity Take Off. http://takeoff.works/ I am responsible for getting people active. Teaching dance classes ect. I am also artist in residence at the Umbrella Café Whitstable www. theumbrellacafe.co.uk This role evolved after my participation in the most 2017 Whitstable Fun palace. I really liked the vibe of the Umbrella Café, I love that community is at the heart of their work. They’re inclusive, support local artists by showing art work on the wall.. and are just fantastic all round. How it came about Mental Health Awareness week 2018 was coming up in my diary. I wanted to get a dance performance happening that week, but unfortunately this time, it didn't work out how I had originally planned. But I was still keen to encourage healthy conversations about mental health. I proposed to the founder of Take Off that we do something to show this fantastic charity. His reply was ‘Yes brilliant, lets do it! Would you like to organise it?’ I decided to grab the bull by the horns and get my teeth stuck in to this mini project. How it went
We were lucky with a beautiful day - We had lots of people (from all over Kent) came along to the Café to paint shells, buy plants, look at our display on the wall and talk to each other about their experiences in mental health. I really enjoyed hearing healthy conversations and advice being shared through peer support. -This is where Take Off has grown from! I was overwhelmed with the support and willingness of other Take Off and Umbrella Café Staff who were very happy to help me and enable these conversations about Mental Health. Even though I wasn't able to make a dance performance happen this time, I was still glad that I could organise this event. It was a pleasure to be part of a day that was created by support, advice and understanding. I look forward to the next the next project ! 😏 REVIEW Dance, Addiction and Mental Health.. spread the word, performance and Q&A’s (We are at the back of this photo) A true ensemble collaboration! The four performers in Sarah Plus Company, exuded confidence and connectivity that is typically seen only in ensembles who have worked together for months, or more. Sam, Ady, Gary and Sarah had only worked on this inspiring production twice, as a full ensemble. The trust and commitment to each piece of movement was evident throughout. Sam’s ability to punctuate moments and provide an atmosphere that was energetic, while at the same time anticipatory, laid the foundation for the audience. Ady’s presence effectively took the audience on a journey through a confident change of pace, stretching blissfully and basking in the limelight. Gary’s athletic prowess and strength brought an element of daring to the choreography. At times, this ensemble seemed to take on the movements and playfulness of birds weaving through the air, always aware of one another. At other times, they captured the essence of bear cubs, play fighting as they grow and learn together. Sarah’s inspiration and openness to sharing her genuine passion is demonstrated in the cohesiveness of the group. Each performer in this ensemble has something unique and valuable to be celebrated and applauded!
Sarah + dancers are in demand and currently accepting bookings for workshops and guest performances. Book now to avoid disappointment! Addiction and Mental Health Spread the word- working with dancers I’ve met from doing weekly classes in rehab... spotting skill and inviting them to do performances with me in the community- to spread the word about Recovery.
It just keeps getting exciting, (my current piece)Take The Seat got invited to be performed at the Gulbenkian. I’d had a change around in dancers, and also collected a drummer! Which was fantastic for me to develop my artistic practice.. meaning that I’d made a piece nothing like id ever made before! - Fab Anyway so, mildly stressful build up, just trying to find time to rehearse around 4 adult timetables is tricky, but we managed: we got together when we could and we worked very hard to get this piece together. I flooded with pride when we started our tech at the Gulbenkian I couldn’t wait to show these guys off to everyone! I could sense nerves in the air like a light mist resting in front of my face.. i think nerves are healthy because A) they show you care and B) it is important to be able to cope with them.. So I continued pottering about, being myself but with a ball of excitement sitting in my stomach. We had a little drumming Jam before the show started which removed some tension from the audience, waiting for the dances to start. Then it was our turn... there we were up there on stage doing our piece and ourselves justice (some of us hadn’t danced in front of an audience before !!). There was a lovely energy in the room, people we’re as impressed with my performers as i always am. Here we are challenging all the stereotypes of addiction and mental health, AND doing some fantastic dancing right here on stage in the Gulbenkian. To summarise we got beautiful feedback, that highlighted how we care about each other, the love that was felt in the room as well as the skill and enjoyment of the piece! One of the best days ever if you ask me, I gave everyone a big hug after the show, while pride escalated out of our own bodies and was shared with each other. 10 out of 10 from me Catriona Campbell
Co-ordinator of Whitstable Fun Palace "I was introduced to Sarah at an art exhibition and was inspired by her enthusiasm for dance and the way she was carving out a career by creating her own work opportunities. I asked if she’d like to be involved in the Whitstable Fun Palace in some way. I had no idea that she was involved in using dance to help people recover from their addictions and imagined she might bring some other professional dancers to perform something that they had danced before. I was very excited (and slightly nervous) when I realised she was going to create a special dance for the Fun Palace, work with a professional choreographer and bring dancers who had never performed in public before! On the day, the four dancers’ energy and passion was contagious and the joy that the dance brought to the dancers and audiences can be seen in many of the fabulous photos (taken by another volunteer, the photographer Prince Jegede-Brimson). I’ve always known about the physical health benefits of dance and thanks to Sarah now know more about how it can help with mental heath too. I really hope that her participation in the Whitstable Fun Palace (www.whitstablefunpalace.co.uk) leads to even more people being able to work with her; to share her passion and energy and to help make them feel better." Sarah and her dancers performed a fun and thoughtful piece in the Garden of our community café in October, as part of Whitstable Fun Palaces. Called 'Take the Seat' the piece was wonderfully performed and choreographed. They attracted a large audience for both performances, who enjoyed the playfulness and message of the dance. We love having community and art based performances in the community garden and hope to have Sarah and dancers back soon!
- Umbrella Café Staff (Spread the word) projectEast Kent College Performance, Talk and Workshop I sent out lots of emails to local schools to see if they would be interested in a performance of our Piece Take The Seat, followed by a post show talk - The importance of arts in recovery. The post show talk designed to show why the arts are good for our mental health, encouraging healthy conversations about addiction, Mental Health and Recovery. One of our recent performances was at East Kent College, we performed the piece, Did a post show talk and then an hour and a half workshop. With a focus asked from the teacher of ‘getting into character’. We all taught sections of rep from our piece and gave the guys a creative task. At the end of our visit, the college students were talking to my dancers. One of the students said to them ‘this is the best workshop we have ever had at this college.’ - We were all very touched by this comment and carried more pride in the hard work we had done that day. In terms of addiction and mental health, I loved this (spread the word) Project because, the dancers i worked with, i had known now for about a year and a half now. And it felt amazing to see how much we had achieved in the dance world in that time. I felt proud of the dancers i worked with (although I expected nothing less) and loved watching them share their own knowledge and experience through the arts. On our journey home in the car we all said to each other.. Who knew that when we met in rehab a year and a half ago, that we would be doing this now. take the seat - performanceWhitstable Fun Palace 2017 Addiction and Mental health Myself plus 3 dancers from a local rehab where I run dance sessions, got together to make a piece for Whitstable Fun Palace 2017. We rehearsed for a long 6 hour day to make this piece. We spent 4 hours with a professional choreographer Chloe Challis to neaten up the edges and make it slick. After a long day in the studio, I could gather a sense of pride, triumph and positive tiredness as we said our goodbyes. I tried to pay the choreographer we worked with, but she was pretty touched by our work and our backgrounds. And told me ‘this is what the arts is about, I don’t want any money.’. We had a few rehearsals leading up to the performance.. but before we knew it, it was the 8th of October and it was performance day. We came into the umbrella cafe early to help set up some gazebos, (as we had some help with studio space and we wanted to show our appreciation). We did 3 performances that day, 2 at the lovely Umbrella Cafe and 1 at the Castle Gardens. I sent out A LOT of invites a few days before the performance and was absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of people that came to watch. I think one of my favourite things about the day (which I have heard from a lot of people who attended the event) was the sense of community. One of my dancers said at the end of the day ‘I feel rehabilitated back into society today’ In terms of my addiction and mental health practice, I loved this day because: we worked hard to create something really good, that people enjoyed. We had a professional style day with the newspaper coming to take photos of us, and people we didn't know telling us they enjoyed our performance. We made new friends- including the photographer who hung out with us for various parts of the day. Because this day wasn’t about therapy, or talking about addiction and mental health (which of course is important ) but this was about people and creativity. People who are talented at what they do, good fun to be around, kind, hardworking and also enjoy what they are doing. |