|
|
© Nick Greenwood Hopscotch, Light Night, Yorkshire Dance.
Dear friends,
We are living through a very difficult period, and it's clear that we're all adjusting differently to the challenging circumstances. For me, socialising does not come naturally; to isolate is actually a default state. So in some ways social distancing has provided a heaven-sent chance to indulge in my hermit-like existence, lost in the art.
But this distancing must be balanced – it's more important than ever to stay connected. Physically distanced, but brought together by our shared goals, the team at BSDC is keeping pace with the many ideas we want to accomplish.
Today we launch a new website after a year of planning, alongside a new Digital Strategy. And we can now connect with all of our friends, artists, and audiences via our new podcast and Youtube channel
|
|
|
Podcast
Our creative team works remotely across continents, and we are thrilled to bring you our Podcast: SELF-SAME SKY, a series of interviews with key collaborators and artists working with the company. In our first episode, Russian Ice Dancer Nina Ulanova and Olga Maloney discuss The Creative Spirit of John Curry.
|
|
|
|
Education
We have also launched BSDC For Schools, an initiative enabling children to learn to dance from home, in partnership with five local schools in Rotherham. We started our Youtube channel with two tutorials: Hawaii - Hula, and Europe - Ballet.
Youtube and Facebook video are today's primary point of contact between our artists, children, teachers, and parents as online becomes the destination for the newest and most relevant education tools. Keep an eye on our social media to find our artists setting weekly tutorials and challenges, as well as entertaining quizzes and fact-finding missions for children and adults.
|
|
|
|
Digital performances
Like all arts organisations, we have had to make some serious changes to our programme to accommodate the new climate. The live performances of I am not an Indian Dancer?, commissioned by Eliot Smith Dance, have been cancelled. The great news is that a recording of the show is now available on Youtube until April 24. Enjoy it here.
The website
Please feel free to browse our new website and do send us your feedback. You'll notice we have begun a regular blog series, and have been busy developing resources to support our performances. We suggest you start with The Creative Spirit of John Curry, which includes interviews and blog entries about the process and people that go into creating such an ambitious production on ice.
We would like to send out a newsletter with updates every month, and we count on your subscription and ongoing support in this digital journey. We love to hear from the community and hope this will be the start of a mutually supportive conversation.
Let us know how you are getting on. Despite my comfort with isolation, I do find myself missing people. I find myself longing to return to the theatre and to dissolve the tensions of the emergency in a swimming pool.
What work will audiences want to see when this is over? What messages to a future will be traced back to this lockdown? What seedlings of artistic growth are forming amongst us as individuals, as a sector, as a culture and society?
Stay safe,
Balbir Singh
|
|
|
|
|
|
