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Photo by Tom Decuyper
Dear friends,
As lockdown eases and the mind adjusts to the new ways of the world, we press on, beginning to get a sense of how we can move forward effectively as a company. Keeping in touch with our audience is key, and through our experiments with digital in recent weeks, we have made the wonderful discovery that we can be effective without face-to-face studio time.
We’ve been making online work for schools in Rotherham and care homes in Leeds, among many other things. It is a challenge: there is a delicate balancing act of engaging artists right now. Artists, like all of us, find their time and energy compromised at the moment, with other things on their minds.
But we are establishing where our strengths lie in the non-physical space, and what you see us do digitally now is only a taste of the vast amount of thinking and work going on behind the scenes.
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Podcast
In our second episode, education officer and dancer Kim Hardy, and ballet-trained company dancer Erica Mulkern discuss the new education programme currently being developed at BSDC. The pair also talk about the company's unique creative process, explore the challenges of working during lockdown, and look ahead to the future of dance in uncertain times.
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Blogs in Isolation
In this new series of blogs, we invited a selection of artists to write about their experiences in isolation. Choreographer Gary Clarke opens the series with Lockdown is a strangely cathartic experience, while company dancer Abirami Eswar reflects on Isolation – a punishment or a cleanse?
Our artist in residence Sooraj Subramaniam recalls flying back from Australia at the peak of the pandemic, in A novel virus was wreaking havoc. And Pulse’s Editor Sanjeevini Dutta won’t forget this time in a hurry; in When one door closes, another opens, she writes that ‘lockdown started exactly a week after my granddaughter Kai turned four’. Our series will continue throughout May with more guest artists sharing their experiences of this time.
Education
BSDC For Schools was launched last month, enabling families to learn and move together at home. We’re really proud of our growing Youtube channel: check out our world dance tutorials and quizzes! We’re also working on an exciting digital education video in collaboration with Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance, and a digital workshop for care homes to entertain both residents and carers.
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Survey
Leeds City Council is currently working with colleagues across West Yorkshire to better understand the impact of Covid-19 on our Cultural Sector, to support future planning for recovery. It would be greatly appreciated if you could spare a few minutes to complete the following.
Please pass this on to your contacts – it’s particularly important we make sure they hear from artists from all creative disciplines, and especially representing all backgrounds.
Creative Sector Covid-19 Impact Assessment
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We are preparing to emerge from this healthy and raring to go: to engage, create partnerships and find new ways of connecting with our audiences. We want to keep art alive and artists nourished with inspiration, creativity and financial support. We’ve been happy to have been able to successfully assist several artists and companies in navigating the emergency response funds. This has given them some breathing space at a very difficult time.
We hope you enjoy reading, watching and listening to our work.
Stay safe,
Balbir Singh
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