Page 28 - Community Living Magazine 35-1

arts: dance
Dancing though the pandemic

Dance company icandance has always involved people coming needs of those with disabilities. The
together to dance and perform. Its creative connections proved pandemic has forced me to re-evaluate
to be its strength over the past two years, says Juliet Diener what it means to offer an inclusive,
creative community.
New ways of working and a redefinition
of what is important have become an
orking with children and young organisational and personal imperative as
people aged 4–25 years, we have continued to strive to meet the
Wicandance celebrates disabled needs of the icandance community during
children and young people’s abilities difficult circumstances.
through dance and performance. While the pandemic forced us to revisit
Established in September 2006 with the our way of working, the relationships we
vision of making dance possible for all and fostered throughout it were rooted in
registering as a charity in 2010, icandance existing partnerships. It became evident
takes a pioneering interdisciplinary that, because we had built and
approach, drawing on psychotherapy, maintained nurturing relationships before
dance and education techniques. the crisis unfolded, we could support
Our approach places disabled children families at a time when they were feeling
and young people centre stage and most vulnerable and isolated.
challenges perceptions of disability Considering the needs of all members
through dance by offering our dancers the of society should never be a crisis
opportunity to explore their experience of We work with the body in the here and response only. It should be part of
being in the world through creative now, while noting the presence of day-to-day practice as everyone,
expression, skill development and experiences that shape the story being regardless of need, is welcomed and
nurturing relationships. told through the dance created. This is valued as an equal member of society.
Embedded in the principles of dance formed relationally, as the dancer and
movement psychotherapy, we focus on team member/dance partner mutually Connecting under Covid
how a child or young person feels before create, connect and share. When Covid hit the UK, our dancers and
we focus on what they do, and how this is Relationships are built through their families were hugely affected. All our
then expressed through the body and, embodied therapeutic tools, which work is enhanced through touch and at first
furthermore, experienced by those who support the dancer emotionally to then it seemed unimaginable to translate our
witness and support the creative process. be challenged physically and intellectually. approach to an online version. However,
Both the disabled dancer and their This is then shared through performances not doing anything felt just as impossible.
non-disabled dance partner are changed and various community events. Motivated to reassure our community
by what they create, and it is this creative that they were not forgotten, we began to
shift that forms the foundation of our Pandemic re-evaluation build new ways of connecting. Teaching
creative, therapeutic community. At icandance, each August offers an online and through recordings allowed us
Our specialised, person-centred approach opportunity to breathe, reflect and plan to embody being reflective practitioners
supports how a disabled dancer moves, as we end one year to begin the next. As I who are comfortable with change.
thinks and feels, as they express themselves review this past year, I consider lessons Working online is not and cannot be the
creatively, enhancing their confidence as learnt from the pandemic. same as in person and should not be
we shine a spotlight on their abilities. Unpredictability has become measured as such. It offered our
commonplace, community a new way of being together
requiring all of us to – and the results were fascinating.
adapt, shape and Producing a dynamic cycle of planning,
rethink day-to-day delivering, reflecting and reshaping allowed
living choices. us to identify core areas of learning when
Being adaptable, offering inclusive online practice.
even at a moment’s The year has offered unusual gifts as we
notice, is familiar to find new ways of delivering our vision to
any family living the families who needed it more than
with a child or ever. I have been inspired by the resilience
young adult with of our community, the courage of our
learning disabilities. dancers and the commitment of the team.
The ability to be As restrictions lessened, we evaluated
flexible is central to what our community needed and how
responding best to meet this. We started gently with Fiona Bailey
inclusively to the socially distanced individual sessions,

28 Vol 35 No 1 | Autumn 2021 Community Living www.cl-initiatives.co.uk