EXCHANGING BEST PRACTICE IN DANCE FOR YOUTH

Originally conceived to take place over two years, f ive different organizations from different countries within Europe collaborated to share, learn, and explore best practices in working in dance with diverse groups of young people. In diff icult terrain - as the effect of covid was inevitable during the process – the project extended from 2019 until 2022. The partners exchanged online and offline; generated discussion around the principles and the practice of the work; learned and gained inspiration from each other and developed fresh approaches.
The partners having reflected upon their experiences, and upon these principles and practices, have written about their experiences, and collected a branch of questions around our common field – to share, develop further and create together, with groups of young people.

Conchances partnership was established between Fokus Tanz, München (DE), Curious Seed, Edinburgh (UK), Les Schini’s, Bordeaux (FR), AppArt & ArtMan, Budapest (HU) and De Dansers/contweedancecollective, Utrecht (NL), each organization bringing distinct expertise and experience in developing dance work with, and for, young people. The aim of the project was to sustainably strengthen the potential of these young people, build confidence and inspire individual and collective creativity. The project aimed to promote education, understanding and networking between the partner organizations within the context of an Erasmus+ funded project.

At the final phase of the project, we reflected on our work as individuals, and as part of conchances partnership, along 9 main topics or area of interest that came up during our encounter.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Intro
Preface

SAFE SPACE
A credo? || Lara Paschke
An anchor to fly away || Christine Devaney
A process of building trust || Andrea Mészöly
Towards our maximum potentials || Gaëtan Boschini
Inside and outside idea of the Safe Space || Holly Irving
Three sentences || Barbara Galli-Jescheck
Comfort zone || Johanna Knefelkamp
Some answers || Martha Kröger

PARTICIPATION
Freedom of creativity and density || Andrea Mészöly
What could we do differently? || Hannah Venet
Sharing of power || Christine Devaney
Act of togetherness || Laura Saumweber
Points on participatory art || Martha Kröger

DEMOCRACY
Not every decision... || Johanna Knefelkamp
Hierarchy, leading, teaching, facilitating? || Laura Saumweber
Authority and children || Andrea Mészöly
Decision made || Andrea Marton
Democracy – even more questions || Hannah Venet

PLEASURE
Honesty as a source || Holly Irving
Pleasure or discomfort || Jos Daamen
Music – find the energy || Johanna Knefelkamp
From the thinking body into the doing body || Laura Saumweber
What somatic experience can offer? || Bernadett Jobbágy

RISK
Risk and inclusivity || Holly Irving
To question the question || Hannah Venet
A matter of attitude || Johanna Knefelkamp

CO-WORKING || TEAMWORK, CO-CREATION, CO-AUTHORSHIP, etc.
A moment of recognition || Bernadett Jobbágy
The inhibition threshold || Barbara Galli-Jescheck
It needs minimum two || Johanna Knefelkamp
Critical friend || Lara Paschke
The Power and the Hell of CO- || Bernadett Jobbágy

CLASS DESIGN
Hand Heart Head and Choga || Christine Devaney
Online teamwork || Holly Irving
Reinventing your practice - with each other || Mélodie Cecchini
Dance/theatre as a tool for social inclusion || Patricia Canhoto
New situations || Andrea Marton
Mind of the room || Bernadett Jobbágy

ACCESS
Dance access || Barbara Galli-Jescheck
Access to music and dance || Jos Daamen
Outreach dance mediation || Andrea Marton
Something tangible || Lara Paschke

DIVERSITY
The contemporary dance landscape || Hannah Venet
To make my body available || Jos Daamen

Transnational meetings

München || Fokus Tanz [GER]
Budapest || AppArt / ArtMan [H] – Curious Seed [UK]
Bordeaux || Les Schini’s [F] – DeDansers / ContweeDancecollective [NL]

Notes on contributors
Partner organisations of conchances

You can download the publication for printing or reading digitally from here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ei_lWMPNdJk5TpYRdcxd5XjnsUhnhhU8/view?usp=sharing 

Contributions by

Boschini, Gaëtan
Canhoto, Patricia
Cecchini, Mélodie
Daamen, Jos
Devaney, Christine
Galli-Jescheck, Barbara
Irving, Holly
Jobbágy, Bernadett
Knefelkamp, Johanna
Kröger, Martha
Marton, Andrea
Mészöly, Andrea
Paschke, Lara
Saumweber, Laura
Szemessy, Kinga
Venet, Hannah

Edited by Bernadett Jobbágy
Proofreading: Vicky Rutherford-O‘Leary, Anja Brixle
Design: buxdesign /Ruth Botzenhardt
Drawings: Judit Gyimesi
Roman Graphics: Marie-Caroline Sousa