Dance to Work
Taking the benefits of dance to employees in their workplaces
Dance to Work is a new Arts Council England funded project taking place across London in 2011. Led by Big Dance hub organisations, the project takes dance into the workplace, offering employees the chance to access a range of benefits through movement sessions.
The Big Dance Hubs for London are:
East London Dance (East)
English National Ballet (West)
Greenwich Dance (South East)
Sadler’s Wells (North)
Siobhan Davies Dance (South)
Projects
Between January and July 2011, Siobhan Davies Dance ran three projects in south London. Below are examples of the kind of work that took place:
Wandsworth
Two Wandsworth-based theatre organisations, Battersea Arts Centre and Tara Arts joined forces for their staff and volunteers to take part in the dance sessions together, helping to build creative relationships between the organisations.
Lambeth
Lambeth Mencap is an established voluntary organisation which provides a range of services to people with learning disabilities and their families and carers. Their staff used dance sessions to explore creative approaches to working and interacting within the organisation, and to focus on their own wellbeing.
Artists
Dance artists Tammy Arjona and Joe Moran delivered the projects on behalf of Siobhan Davies Dance.
Tammy is a former dancer with Siobhan Davies Dance, and has completed a JADE fellowship with the company. As a JADE fellow she initiated Work Creatives, engaging office staff from arts organisations in a creative approach to thinking, discussing, team work and exploration, which improved relations between colleagues, deepened understanding of their individual creativity and enhanced both their work and personal lives.
Joe is an experienced dance artist and artistic director of Dance Art Foundation. In 2008 he took part in Jerwood Bank, a Siobhan Davies Dance professional development project for dance artists. Through Dance Art Foundation, Joe runs Breathing Space, a public programme of dance workshops, performances and residencies delivered in health settings across the UK. He also teaches Skinner Releasing Technique as part of Falling Wide Projects at Siobhan Davies Studios.
