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Celebrating the longevity of Stopgap Dance Company | Top tips for inclusive success

January 2023 marked 20 years since Lucy, Laura and Chris began their careers with Stopgap Dance Company. Lucy and Laura are now Co-Artistic Directors, and Chris is a resident choreographer. To mark the achievements of the last 20-years, Executive Producer Sho Shibata spoke to the Co-Artistic Directors Lucy and Laura to come up with some top tips on how to grow a successful inclusive company.

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Three young dancers huddle together and watch something on a small screen during a break from dancing.

Cultivating Community | Creating a sense of belonging through Youth Dance

As another year in creative learning draws to a close with our annual Winter Platform, we reflect on the sense of community fostered in our youth companies, sharing all the ways we nurture young disabled dancers and invest in their progression.

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Fertile Ground | Creative collaborations to grow an inclusive digital version of IRIS

In this signature blog, Projects Manager James Greenhalgh invites the artists and collaborators behind Dance for Kids with IRIS to share their insights on the creation process

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Chris dancing amongst old stone columns

Supporting Marginalised Artists to Thrive | Introducing Chris Pavia’s new outdoor dance work

Executive Producer Sho Shibata shares an insight to Chris Pavia and his work and invites other key industry players to support more marginalised artists.

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Emily Lue-Fong

Professional Placement | Nurturing a space for progression

Emily Lue-Fong, former Professional Placement student turned Frock understudy and Access worker, and mentor Christian Brinklow share their experiences and learnings from Emily’s year with the company…

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Nadenh Poan in a mirrored studio

Where Is Home? | Insights into Nadenh's choreographic practice

In this signature blog, dancer and emerging choreographer Nadenh Poan reflects on his latest choreographic project with content and access artist Lily Norton

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Dance For Kids With IRIS Logo

We Don’t Have to Dance the Same to Dance Together | Introducing Dance for Kids with IRIS

Executive Producer Sho Shibata introduces Stopgap’s exciting new digital venture that will help us deepen our engagement with all types of children.

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Anne dancing

Inclusive Pathways for Young Disabled Creatives | Stopgap Stories

Content and Access Artist Lily asks the question ‘How can autistic and learning-disabled artists be empowered to develop and progress their creative voice and practice?’.

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Shyne Phiri

Dance Tapes | Exploring dance as an accessible audio experience

Our Projects Manager, James Greenhalgh, introduces our new sound-based digital dance production in collaboration with six disabled dance artists.

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Home Practice

Home Practice Feedback | Developing our digital dance classes

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Diversity as a Creative Force | the role of disabled dancers for innovation

Head of Talent Development Laura Jones sends out a reminder of the valuable contribution disabled dancers can make to the art-form of dance.

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In the centre, young dancer Nick is twisting to the left and smiling, teachers Cherie and Tomos are captured mid movement in the background

Inclusive Dance Experience Day | Youth Dance Workshop

Join us on the 15th of February for a day of inclusive dance fun!

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3 dancers sit in front of a grey wall with empty photo frames

New Year, New Horizons | building a better future for disabled dance creatives

Executive Producer Sho Shibata reflects on key drivers and outlines the kind of new partnership working the company needs to undertake if we are to build a better future for disabled dance creatives.

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A group of disabled and non-disabled dancers together in a dance studio

2021 - A Year in Review | Yielding Change

Artistic Director Lucy Bennett reflects on the smaller conversations that have led to the bigger ambitions within Stopgap’s new company mission. Lucy connects Stopgap’s big words to the detailed artistic work the artists have tussled with during 2021.

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Cherie sat on the floor cradling Chris' head

Dance Education in a Digital Space

Considering the impact of the pandemic on inclusive dance education, featuring insights from Stopgap’s Creative Learning artists

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Sg2 Apprentice Company | Investing in the future of the dance sector

In this Signature Blog Assistant Artistic Director, Siobhan Hayes, delves into the how and why of Stopgap's apprentice company Sg2 and reflects on their three year journey.

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Abbie and Kat dancing in the studio.

Sg2 Apprentice Company Graduation

Stopgap's apprentice company Sg2 will be celebrating the end of their three year journey with us on Wednesday 29th September. We are marking this milestone with a watch party over on our YouTube Channel at 7.30pm-8pm UK time.

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Feeling Split | Balancing Dance Careers and Motherhood

In this Signature Blog our outgoing Communications Manager, Helga Brandt, spent time with some of Stopgap's new mothers to reflect on balancing a career in the dance industry with parenthood...

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Fin during movement

Structuring Spontaneity | Improvisation Reflections

Lauren, Stopgap’s Access Worker, shares some insightful reflections on leading improvisation workshops with Fin, who is an autistic dancer and one of our Sg2 Apprentices.

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Photo of Chris Pavia sitting cross-legged on the floor, looking through some notes.

Beyond The Waves: Reflections on a Process | Signature Blog

Tom Goodwin reflects on his role supporting Chris Pavia in his latest independent choreographic project…

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Photo of Nadenh, one of Stopgap's wheelchair dance artists during an outdoor performance of Frock. He balances in a shoulder stand in his wheelchair, his head pressed against the pavement and hands bracing himself as he lifts his lower body and chair into the air. He looks towards the front of the image and we see the underside of his chair. Nadenh is a brown-skinned Cambodian man, he wears a floral yellow dress, black fingerless workout gloves and black trainers. A crowd of people watches in the background.

Back On The Road | Signature Blog

Stopgap gets back on the road with outdoor arts, but can Dance really build back better for disabled artists?

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Laura Jones dancing in the studio in her wheelchair, surrounded by other company dancers. Photo: Chris Parkes

Roadmap to Inclusion | Signature Blog

As theatres begin to reopen this week, Laura Jones talks to our Executive Producer Sho about the Access and Inclusion training she has been delivering for dance and other cultural venues and shares some top tips for welcoming back disabled audiences.

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A photo of Lauren dancing outside against a red-brick building with large windows.

Improvisation is my superpower...

Lauren Trim, Stopgap's Access Worker, dives deeper into her love for improvisation...

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Photo of James in conversation with a person who has their back to us in the foreground of the image. James smiles as he focusses on the other person. James wears a hearing device, he is white and has short dark brown hair, he wears glasses and grey-blue shirt. The person in the foreground is Black, they wear a hearing device and glasses, have a black flat cap on and a black shirt.

An introduction to Deaf Culture and Community | Deaf Awareness Week 2021

An introduction to the Deaf community and culture from our Projects Manager James Greenhalgh...

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Stopgap Dance Company

Stopgap Dance Company
Farnham Maltings
Bridge Square
Farnham
Surrey, GU9 7QR
United Kingdom

+44(0)1252 745443

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