Creative Project Manager, Rachel Attfield gives her account on the beginnings of the Primary Bank project.
Autumn Term 1 (September - October 2007)
Tuesday the 18th September, the first day of Primary Bank for 52 children from Charlotte Sharman School. The first group entered the studios, adorning beautifully decorated name stickers, we’ve met several times so they know my name already, I however struggled to remember more than just a few names this first week. There’s a full house in the studio today, I’m supported by several dancers from SDD, the film artist and Siobhan.
This first session is a chance to watch a DVD without one trace of dance (it even includes a clip of Mr Bean), a bit of a treat but also a considered decision. This is a philosophy session to introduce the groups to objectives of Primary Bank which will be encouraging them to carefully observe everyday movements, explore how they can use this to inspire their own dance creations and open their minds to new possibilities. The film clips we selected range from Fischili and Weiss's The Way Things Go to scenes from Koyaanisqatsi and a wildlife films, intended to encourage the groups to observe and open up a discussion about movement. The debate that ensued was nothing we could have planned, this was unfamiliar territory for the group and they gave me a fresh view on some films I’d watched many times before, laughing at how many people could fit in a room in Rybeznki's film Tango, and wondering at how the birds dived into the water with such speed.
In the weeks which followed we have been exploring how these everyday moves can influence dance using their day to day observations to create dance phrases. The first half of the term was concluded with another discussion, this time the groups were able to watch and discuss each others work.
- Where did the movement ideas come from?
- How have they been watching the world around them?
- How does the tree bend?
- What is the difference between my hand falling slowly to the floor and the leaf falling from the tree? The leaf did not plan to fall.
At the end of each session the groups have been set tasks to do in their dance diaries, this has taken several different forms; poems, drawings, comments of inspiring moments, mind maps etc. A few of these comments are listed below:
“We strongly believe that movement is in every living thing.” Year 5 pupil from class 5G
“I learnt that dancing isn’t something that pops out of anywhere, it’s a talent that we all have but it’s just hidden inside us.” Year 5 pupil from class 5B
“It was fun at the Siobhan Davies Dance studio and I want to go there again because movement is interesting as everything moves and movement is a key factor for life.” Year 5 pupil from class 5G
“When my group did the rotation at first it was quite hard to get back, but in the end we did it! It’s mainly about working in a team and that’s how you get work done!” Year 5 pupil from class 5B
“I thought going to the dance studio would be boring but it was fun! I would miss my playtime everyday to do dance.” Year 5 pupil from class 5B
“I really enjoyed the session, it really taught me that anything could be a move, me sneezing, me writing even me scratching, anything!” Year 5 pupil from class 5B
