Education & Participation Programme

    Introduction

     Residencies

     Workshops

     INSET (IN-SERVICE TRAINING for TEACHERS and CARERS)

     Work with deaf children

INTRODUCTION

Green Candle Dance Company is the resident dance company at Oxford House in

Bethnal Green. It delivers high quality dance performance, education and

participation programmes, and training specially created for young people (and

their families), deaf young people and older people and those who work with them.

We take our work to communities across Tower Hamlets, London and beyond -

visiting schools, community and day centres, residential homes, hospitals, theatres

and arts centres. Green Candle aims to provide enjoyment, inspire creativity,

encourage learning and foster good health in all.

Education is an integral part of Green Candle's work, both within the formal

education sector (schools, colleges, adult education) and larger community (youth

clubs, elderly people's homes). It is education in its widest sense from pre-school

to retirement and most specific, for example developing and supporting the

National Curriculum.

The company provides residencies and workshops, INSET training, and dance work

with deaf children and young people, its work with older people includes Green

Candle Senior Dancers and its activities with children include Green Candle

Junior Dancers.

The impetus and emphasis of all this work is based on the creative, giving

every participant the opportunity to explore and experiment with his/her own creativity

and the support and technical skills to accomplish this.

RESIDENCIES

Over the past twenty years Green Candle has built a national reputation for leading

expert, creative cross art form (fusing drama, music, art with dance) residencies in

a safe enjoyable environment.

A Green Candle residency involves anything from 2-6 members of the performing

company "taking up residence" either with a particular institution (a school,

residential home) or in a particular area or district for an extended period of time (whether

it be for 1 or 8 weeks, for 2 hours a week or 5 full consecutive days).

Our professional dancers are specially trained to work confidently with all members

of the community including children, young people, people with physical

disabilities, learning difficulties, sensory impairments, adults and old people .

Each residency is individually designed to create a challenging and exciting experience

for all involved. A key element within this is careful planning between Green Candle's

staff and the teachers, carers, youth leaders involved to ensure that each residency

meets the talents, needs and goals of the group and organisation.

Green Candle offers a wide variety of residency patterns. If you have a particular

project in mind or would just like to discuss some ideas with us please do not hesitate

to contact Rachel Elliott (Associate Director).

WORKSHOPS

Green Candle leads creative workshops to accompany every production, using the

themes of the show as the springboard for individual creative development. The

company also gives independent workshops for all age groups and abilities which

are designed to fit in with the needs of the particular group or organisation.

IN-SERVICE TRAINING for TEACHERS and CARERS (INSET)

Inset, an acronym for in-service training, refers to workshops specially designed for

teachers and care staff who already use or would like to start, using dance in their

work. Green Candle's sessions are aimed at increasing the confidence and skills

of participants working with movement for children and older people.

Sessions will provide participants with new material, improving skills in planning

and development and offer practical ideas and suggestions for lessons/classes.

Green Candle places great importance on in-service training for teachers and carers.

If the enormous benefits of dance as an art and as a physical activity are to continue

to spread, teaching those who regularly teach and care for groups of people is an

effective and far reaching tool.

WORK with DEAF CHILDREN and YOUNG PEOPLE

Green Candle Dance Company has run the Dance Summer School for Deaf Children

in collaboration with Sadler's Wells, annually since 1999. The school has

proved successful in providing a unique experience for children aged 6-14 years,

enabling them to explore their creativity in a deaf-friendly environment. It is open to

boys and girls with all degrees of hearing loss as well as their siblings and friends.

In addition to this each childrens production is also taken to schools for deaf and hard

of hearing children, this year in conjunction with the National Deaf Childrens Society.

Minas Story toured to 5 specialist schools and was warmly received.

“It was a really excellent day for our children – hearing and deaf children working

together. They got so much out of it – as did the staff involved.”

Teacher at Cann Hall, Leytonstone

Rachel Elliott, Green Candle's Associate Director, has led many dance projects with

deaf children and adults over the last 18 years including the Deaf Dance Workshops

at Sadler's Wells. Rachel is able to communicate effectively with deaf people and holds

the CACDP Stage 3 Advanced Certificate in British Sign Language.

Click here for more Information about Green Candle and Deaf Young People