Dance Projects 2003
'Putting Girls First'
Our
Community Dance department worked on a large-scale girls' dance project
in 2003, working with girls from all our local Comprehensive schools
creating new pieces which were performed on
May 20th in two celebrations of their achievements.
Over 250 girls from schools all over the Bridgend area performed the new pieces they had created during this pilot project.
The launch took place at Bridgend Recreation Centre and was a really lively (and very loud!) event, watched by the local schools, staff, parents and funders, with a real variety of contemporary dance and proof that girls can really build self-confidence, express themselves creatively and also get fit through dance.
Due to the huge success of this project 
we
decided to expand this dance programme, bringing dance
to more girls who wouldn't usually have the opportunity, linking
Sports and Arts Development together in this new innovative partnership
and using dance and creativity to increase active participation levels
for young girls in the Bridgend Borough.
Thanks to the support of the schools, the dancers, Bridgend County Borough Council Sports and Arts Development, Girls First Funding from the Sports Council for Wales and Youth Focus European Social Fund.
To watch a clip of this performance click here (broadband recommended).
Selection Box Community Dance Night
On
December 3rd 2003 we enjoyed a great night of Community Dance at
the Berwyn Centre in Nantymoel with our children's, youth and integrated
adult dance groups performing their latest dance pieces.
This event was organised by our Dance Development Worker Saydi Williams and Dance Worker Rebecca Carpenter and the highlights of the night were the two new dance theatre pieces created for our Positive Steps project promoting disability arts projects and funded by Bridgend County Borough Council.
The new pieces included costumes, original music and video backdrops and the event was also filmed. We were pleased to work in partnership with The Berwyn Centre and will be returning next year to this lovely valleys venue with more Community Performance events. Well done to Saydi and Rebecca and to all the dancers who took part.
To watch a clip of this performance click here (broadband recommended).
'Give it a Go!'
Jason Bayliss from Good Company Dance Theatre (our dance group from Bridgend Day Centre) was successful in gaining a Millennium Award as part of the 'Give it a Go!' SCOPE initiatives.
Jason worked with our dance department over the year to devise and organise a new touring dance piece working on issues around the right to be an individual, to be different and to make choices.
This new project toured around many local venues from April 2002, including Bridgend College, Ystrad Mynach, Porthcawl Comprehensive School, Blaengarw Workmen's Hall, Bridgend Gateway Club, Southerndown Rest Home and Nantyfyllon Day Centre. More information about the Millennium awards can be found at www.starpeople.org.uk
Reflections
June
Campbell, a dancer living in Cardiff, gained a Commedia Millenium
Award in 2002/3 to work with us to use dance and video to explore
her life and make her own film.
June's parents were both dancers and she grew up in a world full of dance and creative expression. Her parents came from the Caribbean and she grew up in London.
In
her film, June explores three generations of dancers in her family,
from her parents to her own child, and uses dance, video and music
to make sense of and creatively express her history and her life.
