2016 has been a busy and exciting year for the team at Green Candle Dance Company; all topped off at the end of this year with Artistic Director Fergus Early being awarded honorary lifetime membership of People Dancing.
Pictures Left to Right: Top row: BanglaHop! Youth Dance Company , Remember to Dance, Get Moving.
Bottom row: Green Candle Senior Dancers, Sagacity! 2016 workshop , Moving into Maturity CPD.
This year we’ve been up and down the country presenting at conferences, seminars and discussion groups. We’ve led participatory workshops, presentations and professional development from Norfolk to Taunton to Warwickshire; working with a wide variety of organisations including the National Care Forum, Pavilion Dance South West, Creative Arts East, Aesop and Age of Creativity to name a few. Our roots remain firmly grounded in the East London community of Tower Hamlets where we continue to provide life-affirming dance opportunities in response to the needs of the local people. Our focus on dance as a tool to promote lifelong wellbeing runs through all our projects and we are proud to be a pioneer of evidence-based dance and health initiatives including our research into the impact of dance for people with dementia in partnership with Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health [see our Remember to Dance report on our website]. 2016 has also seen the welcome addition of Community Dance Artist Danielle Teale to the team, who has brought to the company a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion for high quality community dance. She has hit the ground running delivering on a variety of dance for health projects and developing our intergenerational and schools work.
Pictures Left to Right: First annual BanglaHop! dance photography exhibition at Oxford House; Get Moving intergenerational project at Central and Cecil Trust’s Link House.
BanglaHop! Dance & Photography
This year our BanglaHop! Youth Dance Company based at Mulberry School was involved in the first annual BanglaHop! Dance Photography project and exhibition. The students took part in photography workshops capturing their own images during dance rehearsals, which were later exhibited in the Oxford House gallery with a live performance by the group during the opening reception.
This successful project will be expanded in 2017 to incorporate two Primary Schools culminating in a THAMES Consortium dance showcase at Oxford House on March 28th.
‘Get Moving’ Intergenerational Project
Green Candle delivered two celebratory intergenerational dance and live music events at the end of a three month project in two Central and Cecil Care Homes and two Primary Schools in Merton borough. As a staff member put it, this project was
“probably the most inspirational thing I have ever seen whilst working in care”.
Over 90 participants (younger & older) came together to explore dance movement ideas that evolved from participants’ own experiences and shared stories, promoting social interaction amongst the generations and wider community cohesion.
Green Candle Senior Dancers
It has been a very creative year for our Senior Dance Company who took a lead role in co-choreographing the in-depth dance ‘Four Sea Interludes’ alongside Fergus Early. The piece has been performed at many different venues including the Cally Fest Big Dance Bus, Sutton House, Age UK East London and our own Sagacity! festival.
Sagacity! festival
Sagacity! 2016 our annual two day festival of dance for and by older people was a huge success, with fully booked Dance on Film taster workshops and unique older dance companies performing at Oxford House.
“Sagacity gets better each year“ ”It was wonderful! Inspiring – imaginative and energising ..!!”
Left to Right: Sagacity! workshop, Remember to Dance participants at Moving into Maturity workshop
Remember to Dance
Our flagship Remember to Dance class for people with dementia and their carers in Tower Hamlets goes from strength to strength. A highlight for the group this year was performing for the first time in public at Waltham Forest’s ‘All Together Now’ celebration as part of Dementia Awareness Week in May 2016. The project has also expanded to a second venue in Redbridge, taking place weekly at Elderberries Day Centre.
Older Men Moving
It’s been great to see participants progress and continue to enjoy our Older Men Moving sessions at Mayfield House Day Centre specifically designed for older Somali men. A temporary venue change due to redevelopment of the centre, meant we were able to provide an opportunity for other Tower Hamlets residents who attend Riverside Day Centre, to take part in the project in the autumn term.
Professional Development & Training
Our third cohort successfully passed the level 3 OCNLR accredited units to achieve their Green Candle Diploma in Leading Dance with Older People and in October we welcomed the new intake of students for 2016-17 who join us from as far away as Switzerland!
Moving into Maturity ran in April; a two day introductory workshop on leading dance with older people and, new for 2016, we introduced a Dance and Dementia specific day in collaboration with East London NHS Foundation Trust.
Conferences & Events
This year we’ve presented and given workshops at high profile events and conferences around the country including:
– Aesop’s first Arts and Health Conference, February
– English Folk Dance and Song Society’s, Inclusive Folk Dance Conference, June
– Care England’s Care Home Open Day, July
– Dementia, Arts and Wellbeing Network (DAWN) – two day research based workshop, October
– National Care Forum Managers Conference, November
You can keep up to date with our projects on our News Page or click on these links for more information about Professional Development & Training or Participation projects
Green Candle Dance Company is turning 30!
We’re delighted to be celebrating our 30th Birthday in 2017 with a whole host of activities, projects and a celebratory event in September. Follow us on social media to stay connected and to find out about ways you can get involved!
Some of our highlights for 2017 include hosting the hugely popular Sagacity! festival for the fifth year running in July and the second annual BanglaHop! Dance and Photography exhibition which will be even bigger and better, with the dancers performing in a Youth Dance platform taking place at Oxford House in March. Our popular two day CPD course Moving into Maturity also returns in April.
Green Candle believe that everyone has the right to practice, watch and participate in dance. We are proud to remain a leader in pioneering community dance that’s relevant to our community, and celebrating all that dance offers for wellbeing, social connectivity and fun!
