Dance Projects 2007
Community Dance Night
Valley and Vale's Dance Department finished off 2007 with a spectacular Dance Night in December involving a selection of Community Dance groups from the Bridgend area performing at Blaengarw Workmen’s Hall. The performance was an opportunity for Community Dance groups to perform with visiting groups Beyond Repair Dance, a professional dance company from Cardiff, Bridgend Youth Dance and the youth drama group Back 2 Back.
The night kicked off with an energetic dance by our youth dance group DYNAMIX who are based at Cynffig Comprehensive School, followed by an amusing sketch by Back 2 Back drama group from Ynysawdre School. Good Company Dance Theatre, our flagship Disability Dance group, presented a new piece of work called The Queue offering a humorous look at waiting rooms everywhere. Contemporary Dance group Beyond Repair Dance gave a vibrant display of strength and agility, Bridgend Youth Dance performed their energetic creative touring pieces, and Xplosion youth dance group performed a dance piece that will be touring later on in the year at the Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl (22nd February).
The night was ended by a new dance choreographed and performed specially for this performance by our own dance development team at Valley and Vale.
The performance was a great success and everyone who took part and commented on how much they had enjoyed the evening. The Deputy Mayor of Bridgend was also in attendance alongside members of the local community, family and friends of the performers, and dance lovers from all over the area.
Thanks to funding from Bridgend County Borough Council and The Arts Council of Wales.
Stepping Out
Our Dance Department had a busy summer in 2007. We worked with lots of schools in the area, with older people, with Good Company Dance Theatre, on the Children's Ward at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend, with Dynamix Youth Dance and many other youth dance projects and workshops.
Dance Worker Matt Howells worked with Year 5 and Year 6 on a transitions project at Betws Primary School to create pieces to show at their school assembly before the holidays; Year 6 created a dance piece exploring their emotions and feelings about moving up to Comprehensive School, expressing their fears and excitement through movement. Year 5 worked with Matt and Katja Stiller, our Video Development Worker, engaging in a collaboration between film, dance and music. The group used their dreams and imagination to create their movements and worked with ideas of flying, being superheroes, and their biggest dream or wish in life.
Dance Development Worker Saydi Williams continued to work with Good Company Dance Theatre who worked on a new piece for their repertoire, a site-specific piece based upon Welsh Myths and Legends. Dynamix Youth Dance group worked with Matt Howells, developing a piece to perform at a Schools' Dance Competition later this year. Dance Worker Paula Gray was in dialogue with the Amelia Farm Trust, setting up a new dance workshop for young people for the autumn at the Trust and is also developing a new group in Wildmill near Bridgend, working with young mums, single parents and toddlers.
Tondu Primary School (Year 3) worked with Matt, developing
ideas for creating dance and exploring ideas they wanted to take further
from September as they move up to Year 4, to continue their development
through dance. Matt also held a training day in the summer of 2007
at Baker’s
Way Respite Centre in Bridgend to give the staff ideas and ways of
working with they children that visit the Centre using dance, movement
and games.
Ogmore Comprehensive School
We worked with the PE staff on a mentoring programme that supported the staff to facilitate dance workshops as part of the curriculum for Year 7 girls. This also meant that we worked in their beautiful new dance studio and should encourage more dance events at the school and local area.
Ynysawdre Comprehensive School
As part of the AS Level Theatre Studies we taught dance to the students alongside the Performing Arts Department (for the second year running). Hopefully this will result in a performance at the end of the year and will encourage the Year 7, 8 and 9's to choose Theatre Studies as an option.
Dynamix Youth Dance Group
This youth group, for anyone interested in dance between 11yrs and 16yrs, worked on a dance which was performed in the summer term 2007. Based at Cynfigg Comprehensive School, all young people were invited.
Membership gaves people the opportunity to work with professional dance companies and teachers - plus they received a cool Dynamix dance group t-shirt transfer that they could iron onto any top or joggers. We also started a new Dynamix dance group at Ogmore Comprehensive School in the summer term of 2007.
Princess of Wales Hospital
Dance Workshops continued in the new term and throughout the summer in the Children's Ward in Bridgend. We also offered workshops to other units and wards to a variety of ages and abilities which have been very popular.
PESS Dance project - Ogmore
Once again Valley and Vale collaborated with the Sports Development Department at BCBC for the PE and School Sport project. In 2007 we worked with the Ogmore cluster of Primary Schools (Bryncethin and Nantymoel) and performed in the summer term at Ogmore Comprehensive School. Ogmore Comp also presented a dance for the event.
Dance for the over 60's
The over 60's Movement to Music workshop continued to be a success and mets each week at the Tabernacle Church Hall in Pontycymmer on Weds at 11-12pm.
Bakers Way
We offered 4 creative dance/movement workshops to Bakers Way Respite Care Home in Sarn near Bridgend across the Easter holidays. Weekly sessions then continued throughout the summer term and involved an additional workshop for the staff too.
Good Company
Our flagship dance company gained a few new members, which was exciting, and they worked on a new dance piece for the summer. We performed at the Bryngarw Country Park in July 2007 and will also take part in the Bridgend Day Centre Open Day.
Willows School, Cardiff
Urban Music Wales worked with us in 2007, facilitating a break-dance workshop at the school in the summer term. We also devised a short film which includes all the activities in this project which were funded by the Sport Relief Fund.
Maesteg Comprehensive School
In 2007 we provided a mentoring programme for the PE staff at this school, as well as offering a similar programme at Ogmore Comprehensive School. Both programmes were funded and supported by the Sports Development Department at Bridgend County Borough Council.
Ogmore Vale Primary School
In 2007 we worked with Year 6 pupils, facilitating Community Dance
workshops in the summer term and inviting the pupils to a dance performance
at Ogmore Comprehensive School.
PESS peformance
The PESS (PE and School Sport) dance performance 2007 was a fantastic success and all three groups from Bryncethin Primary, Nantymoel Primary and Ogmore Comprehensive presented some fabulous creative dance pieces. Using the theme of colour, all three groups used different ideas to create a lively representation of Red, Gold and White (chosen by the children).
We had a good audience watching the performance which was held at Ogmore Comprehensive and everybody commented on how nice it was to see creative dance being presented at the school.
Ogmore Comprehensive Mentoring Programme.
The bi-weekly creative dance sessions came
to an end at the school in 2007, and we hope that following this project
PE staff will support the development of dance within the year groups
so that Valley and Vale can look forward to presenting many more dance
events similar to the PESS dance project.
