CASE STUDY: Dance Re:Ignite
December 2018 –April 2020
OVERVIEW
Dance Re:Ignite 2.0 was the next iteration of the Dance Re:Ignite project that took place in 2017. It aimed to develop dance practice and infrastructure for 55+ year olds in Hertfordshire. It was driven by the evidence from the 2017 project of the positive impact shared collaborative dance engagement has on peoples’ lives and that contributing to an artistic product increases confidence, self-esteem and pride. There were eight proposed strands of work that interlinked to support the project’s overall aim: Commissioned work, Tour and Workshops, Dance Festival, Film, Practitioner Training, Practitioner Network, Intern.
“I feel full of beans! I could have gone on and on. Happier, stronger. It was the inner feeling as much as the physical.”
AIMS
- Develop skills in local practitioners and participants
- Increase feelings of wellbeing in participants through creative collaboration
- Test and explore barriers to engagement
- Foster new and develop existing partnerships
HEADLINE FINDINGS
- The infrastructure for dance practice and dance opportunities for older people in Hertfordshire was developed and continues to progress.
- New audiences were reached through the ON TOUR strand via performances at Sheltered Housing and new community and cultural venues.
- The high number of attendees, at the Festival days demonstrate there is a desire for this kind of opportunity in the county.
- The increase in social connections, mental and physical wellbeing have been greater than anticipated.
- Participants and practitioners all identified new skills learned or developed.
- An emerging Dance Practitioners’ Network has been established, with potential for growth.
PHOTOS
