From community beginnings to world-renowned pioneers of inclusive choreography and teaching, delve into the history of Stopgap...
1995- 1999
Stopgap is born
Woking Dance Festival and Guildford Borough Council set up a community Dance project led by Dave Toole and Kuldip Singh-Barmi (Candoco dance Company). It brings together disabled and non-disabled members of the community, who work towards a performance for the first edition of Woking Dance Festival.
Left: Black and white photo of an excited group posing for the camera, Stopgap's Founding Members. Five people using wheelchairs in the front row, and seven people standing behind. Some folks have arms raised, some reach to the camera, all are smiling.
Right: Dave Toole and Vicki Balaam dancing together on the floor.
1997
Dave Toole continues to mentor Vicki Balaam.
Chris Pavia joins as an apprentice after Vicki meets him through a workshop, she teaches at his school The Ridgeway in Farnham.
1999
Sue Smith creates Creeper, which is performed at The South Bank Centre London, marking Stopgap’s transition from a community project to emerging company. Both Vicki Balaam and Chris Pavia perform in the cast.
2001 – 2003
Stopgap is established as a professional ‘integrated’ dance company under the direction of Vicki Balaam.
Stopgap becomes the only dance company in the UK to employ a learning disabled dancer Chris Pavia and a wheelchair dancer Laura Jones alongside non-disabled dancers Lucy Bennett and Dan Watson.
Vicki says: “I wanted Stopgap to be a working, living example of how society should and could be, valuing the richness that comes from diversity”.
Black and white productions photos from Dancers Syndrome and Corpus. Left: From left to right Chris Pavia, Dan Watson, Laura Jones and Lucy Bennett connect in a line, interlinking hands and arms the line slopes in height from Chris standing to Lucy in a wide side lunge. Right: Lucy, Chris, Laura and Dan intertwined through contact dance, dressed in loud, vibrant party outfits.
2003 – 2009
Stopgap continue to work with emerging and established choreographers to create original inclusive dance.
Stopgap collaborates with choreographers Maxine Doyle, Adam Benjamin, Filip Van Huffel, Bettina Strickler, Hofesh Shechter, Rob Tannion, Nathalie Purnette, Lois Taylor, Maxine Doyle, Thomas Noone and Gary Clarke alongside in-house choreographers Dan Watson, Lucy Bennett and Chris Pavia.
The company tours throughout the UK, Scandinavia, Europe and Japan. Alongside leading educational projects in Asia, Scotland, Ireland, Turkey and Eastern Europe.
“A wide-open and literally far-reaching mind-set has helped send a handful of supremely eager dancers vaulting from England’s rural touring circuit to Europe, the United States, the Far East and back again.” – Donald Hutera, The Times.
Black and white archive images. Left: Laura Jones reaching up to wrap her arms around Chris Pavia’s neck as he leans forward towards her. Centre: Laura and Sophie Stanley on stage, facing away from one another Sophie arches in a backbend to reach for Laura’s outstretched arm as she leans preparing a hand on wheel. Right: Laura and Sophie during rehearsals, Sophie stands close behind and Laura leans her head back into her.
2004
Lucy Bennett sets up Stopgap’s first Youth Company and future Sg2 apprentices Kat Ball and Hannah Sampson are a part of the group at different times.
2005
Stopgap becomes resident dance company at The Farnham Maltings.
2006
Stopgap Dance Company are awarded core funding from The Arts Council.
2009
Dave Toole, Sophie Stanley, David Willdridge join the Artistic Team and Lucy Bennett becomes Assistant Artistic Director.
2012- 2013
Stopgap focus on creating their own dance work under new Artistic Director Lucy Bennett.
Stopgap becomes the first British company of disabled and non-disabled dancers to create their own dance work for national and international touring.
Stopgap dancers Dave Toole and Laura Jones feature in The Paralympic Opening Ceremonies and Stopgap is commissioned by the Cultural Olympiad to create SPUN Productions, an outdoor dance production.
Stopgap are supported to set up their first apprentice company Sg2, inspired by Chris Pavia’s journey and Company Founding Director Vicki Balaam becomes Chair of Stopgap’s Board of Directors.
Lucy says: “With our work, we seek to offer a window into a parallel world where human interdependence, strength and vulnerability play out with poetic realism”.
Black and white rehearsal images. Left: David Willdrige rests his head on Amy Butlers shoulder, their arms reach out and link. Centre: Hannah Sampson bares her throat, head lifted, hands splayed and reaching from chest. Right: Dave Toole sits on top of Amy who lays on the floor.
2013
Stopgap’s apprentice company Sg2 is established. Siobhan Hayes joins the Artistic Team to guide apprentices Nadenh Poan and Hannah Sampson with support from dancer and access worker Tomos Young
Amy Butler joins the Artistic Team.
Artificial Things is collectively devised under Lucy’s direction and tours nationally and internationally.
2014 – 2016
Stopgap become renowned for creating exuberant and entertaining outdoor dance productions.
Chris Pavia becomes resident choreographer and with the support of the artistic team creates his first touring work of outdoor dance: The Awakening. Lucy collaborates with Dave Toole to create outdoor dance production Bill and Bobby, and the full company plus fifty community dancers join together in the large outdoor dance production The Seafarers in front of HMS Victory in Portsmouth.
‘A performance that recalls the stylish partnership of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and borrows from 1930s films with a magpie glee’ – Lyn Gardner on Bill & Bobby, The Guardian.
‘★★★★ A lyrical ode to the ocean’ – Sanjoy Roy on The Seafarers, The Guardian.
Black and white photos of Stopgap’s outdoor dance productions. Left: A close-up to Nadenh Poan in The Awakening, staring down the camera and splaying a fingerless-gloved hand in front of his face. Centre: Amy standing on the edge of a bathtub as Dave looks up at her bewildered, the pair are performing Bill and Bobby. Right: Siobhan gliding whilst standing on someones shoulders, she looks stoic against a backdrop of ship masts and rigging during The Seafarers.
2016
The Enormous Room is created under Lucy’s direction. Christian Brinklow, Meri Checca, Nadenh Poan and Hannah Sampson join the artistic team. The Enormous Room Tours throughout Europe, Asia and the UK.
Artificial Things becomes one of six productions studied as part of AQA’s GCSE Dance Anthology.
Laura Jones becomes Artistic Director (Maternity Cover).
2017
Lucy collaborates with director Sophie Fiennes to reimagine Artificial Things as a dance film with the original cast.
Black and white photos. Left: During The Enormous Room rehearsals; Meri Checca longingly hugs an old boxy television, Dave looks melancholy as he sits in a chair in the background. Right: Production photo from Artificial Things. Dave Toole perches atop a collapsed wheelchair seat and looks down at Laura as she lays on her side on the floor.
2018 – 2020
Stopgap find new ways to share their creative learning experience and inclusive choreographic methods with the wider world.
IRIS, Stopgap’s Inclusive Dance Syllabus for young people is established and celebrated. Laura Jones becomes Head of Talent Development and works alongside Community Engagement Officer Cherie Brennan to establish Stopgap’s network of youth and adult dance groups and IRIS trained Inclusive Dance Teachers.
Sg2’s second cohort of apprentices join, and Laura leads Stopgap’s first in depth teacher training programme Seedbed. Stopgap continue to lead creative learning residencies and teacher training around the world in person and online.
Black and white rehearsal and workshop photos. Left: Cherie Brennan and a young disabled dancer stand smiling and clap their hands. Centre: Sg2 apprentices Abbie Thompson and Sander Verbeek dance together in the studio, Abbie skims across the floor and Sander mirrors an arched arm, other hand prepared on left wheel of chair. Right: A young disabled dancer looks upwards, reaching one hand she looks calmly towards it.
2018
The Seafarers is remounted in Great Yarmouth with Siobhan Hayes as Assistant Choreographer. Supported by and premiering at Norfolk and Norwich Festival.
Laura Jones and Siobhan Hayes become Co-Artistic Directors (Maternity Cover).
Chris Pavia choreographs The Journey Between.
2019
Laura Jones becomes Head of Talent Development.
Sg2’s second cohort joins including Kat Ball, Sander Verbeek, Abbie Thompson and Fin James.
Artificial Things wins ‘Best Screen Choreography’ for Dancescreen.
Frock is choreographed by Lucy Bennett, with Jannick Moth, Annie Rose Grantham, Alice Shepperson and KJ Mortimer joining the artistic team.
2020- 2021
Stopgap say a painful goodbye to their mentor, advocate and inspiration Dave Toole OBE.
Lucy says: “Dave was comfortable about being an ‘inspiration’, he knew it was not because he was disabled, he knew it was because he was doing a job he was born to do. From the moment the lights came up, to the moment they faded to black, he held the audience in the palms of his giant hands”.
Black and white photo of Dave Toole OBE on the set of The Enormous Room. Dave is white, with short dark hair and beard, he’s a disabled dance artist. He sits inside a wooden cabinet with a lace curtain behind, clutching a mug in his remarkable hands. He rests on his forearms, a knowing look in his eyes inviting us into his homely cupboard, his onstage world. To his right sits a tea jar and cream kettle. Dave wears a Led Zeppelin t-shirt over a long-sleeved top.
2020
Stopgap launch online inclusive dance programme Home Practice on YouTube.
2021
Chris Pavia becomes resident artist at Watts Gallery creating three dance films under the title Beyond the Waves.
Lily Norton becomes Stopgap’s first Content and Access Artist.
Stopgap is commissioned to create an Album of Audio Choreography Dance Tapes, with disabled dance artists from around the world.
Stopgap perform at The SSE Arena, Wembley alongside Sigma and Carla Marie as part of The National Lottery’s Paralympics GB Homecoming.
2021 – 2022
Stopgap continue to learn about and share their inclusive practice whilst advocating for better disabled representation on the UK’s stages.
Post pandemic the company has a heightened awareness around access for disabled people both on stage and off and are determined to support the next generation of disabled artists and leaders to continue Stopgap’s journey.
Executive Producer Sho says: “If we were serious about making real change, shouldn’t everyone working in Dance have a short and long-term plan for disabled representation? It’s no longer enough for only inclusive companies like Stopgap to support disabled talent. We are ready and willing to help make that change”.
Stopgap's staff and artists sit on the floor or in their wheelchairs in a large circle in a studio.
2022
Dance Tapes launches, premiering two audio works by Disabled artists and Sg2 graduates Kat Ball and Sander Verbeek.
Chris Pavia premieres Echoes Within the Earth at Petworth House in West Sussex, marking Chris’ fifth major commission.
Dance for Kids with IRIS launches. Stopgap’s series of inclusive digital follow-along classes, in collaboration with the University of Creative Arts based in Farnham.
Laura Jones is appointed Co-Artistic Director.
We celebrate an uplift of 60% to our core funding from Arts Council England as a National Portfolio Organisation.
Two black and white images, the first is of Laura Jones sat at a desk. The second is from Chris Pavia's outdoor dance work Echoes Within the Earth - one dance crouches low to the grass in a table-top position as another dancer tumbles over them upside down.
2023
January marks 20 years of Lucy Bennett, Chris Pavia and Laura Jones working together.
Stopgap are commissioned to curate and manage Open Dialogo; a bilateral cultural exchange project for dance and disability in the UK and Italy.
Dance Tapes by Disabled dance artists Shyne Phiri and Kazuyo Morita launch at Dance Umbrella Festival.
Stopgap and Northern School of Contemporary Dance announce a new partnership.
Suzie Birchwood is appointed Co-Chair of our board.
Stopgap perform at the Festival of Remembrance, commissioned by the BBC and Royal British Legion to mark the contribution of the Invictus Games.
The Working Group is formed. Candoco Dance Company, Corali, People Dancing, Stopgap Dance Company & TIN Arts join forces to challenge ourselves and others to increase and sustain the presence and representation of Disabled people in the dance workforce and its leadership.
2024
Stopgap launch Future Leaders, a training programme for Deaf, Disabled and neurodivergent emerging leaders. Our first cohort sees Annie-Rose Grantham as Assistant Producer and Monique Dior Jarrett as Assistant Artistic Director.
Lucy Glover joins the company as Executive Producer.
2023-Present
Lived Fiction is conceived, written and devised by Stopgap’s Deaf, Disabled, neurodivergent and non-disabled creatives, under the direction of Lucy Bennett. Senior Dance Artists Christian Brinklow, Nadenh Poan, Hannah Sampson and Jannick Moth are joined by Emily Lue-Fong, Monique Dior Jarrett and Lily Norton. Amy Butler returns as Rehearsal Director.
Premiering at Project Arts Centre Ireland, the work marks a new chapter in Stopgap’s creative approach:
Lucy says ‘Lived Fiction is our latest evolution. More than ever this development is driven by our audiences and our obsession with using inclusion, access, and equity as a source of artistic invention and creativity‘.
★★★★ ‘The description not only itemises the movement but also elevates small things you might not see – in an intimate, atmospheric duet between [Nadenh] Poan and Emily Lue-Fong, for example – into something quite beautiful. And quietly revolutionary…’ The Guardian.
Nadenh Poan, a Cambodian male wheelchair dancer caught in a gravity defying headstand. A haze of golden light spills around him as he throws his left arm forwards to the camera, balancing only on the side of his head and right arm, his lightweight black manual chair lifted above him. He wears a light gold satin corset with braces that he stretches and extends away from him, wrapping one around his extended left arm. Photography by Chris Parkes.