Event: Work-in-Progress Sharing

As part of the arts-based research under WP1 DANCING are delighted to collaborate with inclusive dance company Stopgap (UK). Within the remit of and commissioned by DANCING, Stopgap are developing the new piece ‘Lived Fiction’, to be premiered in April 2024.

From the 20^th to 24^th of February 2023 Stopgap visited Ireland and enjoyed a short-term residency at Dance Ireland in Dublin to advance their work on ‘Lived Fiction’ as well as to engage in participatory research of the DANCING project. During their residency Prof. Delia Ferri and Dr. Ann Leahy joined the artists for observational research purposes aiming to better understand the artistic processes behind the piece as well as to conduct in-person interviews with some of the performers supporting the understanding of barriers and facilitators to culture of artists with disabilities.

The week culminated in a so-called ‘work-in-progress sharing’ which saw choreographer and Stopgap Co-Director Lucy Bennett introduce the piece and its rationale besides guiding the audience through the performance with explanatory notes throughout. Dance Ireland’s programme producer Louise Costelloe had opened the performance highlighting the importance of inclusive programming and the artistic and cultural value of performers with disabilities. Prof. Delia Ferri welcomed guests to the performance and emphasised the innovative and collaborative research approach of DANCING that combines arts-based, empirical and legal-doctrinal methodologies to deepen understanding of cultural diversity.

The performance was followed by a brief audience survey regarding accessibility from a spectator perspective to enhance and compliment the investigation of barriers and facilitators to participating in culture for artists and audiences with disabilities.