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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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Two collaged images of Lily dancing whilst at University.

Autism Inclusion at work | Signature Blog

Lily, our content and access artist, shares Autistic Conversations, part 3...

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Fin dancing on the floor.

The Infinite Diversity of Autism | Signature Blog

Lily, our content and access artist, shares Autistic Conversations, part 2...

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A photograph of Fin and Sander dancing together, in the top right corner a rainbow infinity symbol with World Autism Acceptance Day in gold text.

Autism Acceptance starts with Understanding… | Signature Blog

Lily, our content and access artist, shares Autistic Conversations, part 1...

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Black-and-white photo of SG2 dancers Kat and Abi moving together in the studio.

The Future of Inclusivity in Dance, post-pandemic | Signature Blog

Our Executive Producer, Sho Shibata, writes about what we learned from sustaining inclusive dance classes during a pandemic...

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Black-and-white photo of Vicki Balaam dancing next to a wheelchair dancer.

The evolution of Stopgap | Vicki Reflects (part 2)

Founding Artistic Director Vicki Balaam continues to reflect on the origins of Stopgap and her personal journey with the company

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A graphic with a black and white photo of Lucy Bennett, alongside the Home Practice logo and the title 'Groundwork'.

Inclusive Contemporary Dance Fundamentals with Groundwork | Home Practice

Get grounded with our Home Practice Groundwork series...

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A photo of Vicki Balaam in duet with a dancer in a wheelchair who has their back to the camera.

From a secret rebellion, to a public display of defiance... | Vicki Reflects (part 1)

Vicki Balaam, Founder of Stopgap and current Chair of our board, reflects on humble beginnings and those that supported the company from it's inception...

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A black-and-white graphic drawing of a workspace.

Reflecting back & Looking Forward | Home Practice

Our new season of Home Practice starts 11 January, so we wanted to reflect back on when the pandemic began and how we evolved Home Practice.

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Portrait of Hannah Sampson, holding on to a piece of scenery from 'The Enormous Room'.

Hannah’s Home Practice Diary | Home Practice

Today Hannah shares with you her Home Practice diary and discusses a few of the key points from a selection of her favourite sessions from last year.

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Portrait of Sho Shibata

2020 ... A year in review | Sho reflects

2020 has been a challenging year for all of us, but there have been some triumphs against many a adversities... In this blog, Executive Producer Sho Shibata reflects on some of the achievements.

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A black and white photo of Hannah Sampson and Amy Butler, they both look to their left, Amy has a big grin.

Coping with Change | Amy reflects

Amy reflects on this year full of change, with personal anecdotes from what has been a very strange and unpredictable year...

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Photo of Millie in the studio, laughing, her arms in a 4th ballet postion (left arm to the side, right arm above her head).

Translating Practice | How do you create a ballet class that is accessible?

Happy world ballet day 2020! Before access worker Millie left Stopgap, she was really interested in how we could translate classical ballet and make it accessible. This blog contains some of her research and ways to approach translating ballet.

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Abbie dancing on the floor of a dance studio, resting on her right hand and knee, with her left leg and arm outstreched. In the background, blurred, is a group of wheelchair dancers on the left and a pile of clothes and bags on the right.

Laban and Inclusive Approaches | Abbie's MA Research Project

In this blog, Sg2 Apprentice Abbie Thompson discusses her fascinating MA Research Project...

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Anna sitting in front of her laptop, turned towards the camera and smiling.

Getting to Grips with YouTube | Home Practice

Anna has been one of the masterminds behind getting Home Practice online and out to the world. In this blog she talks all things YouTube, offering us an insight into the highs and lows of getting Home Practice out to you all!

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Portrait of Millie dancing in the studio, her long, brown, curly hair flying mid-movement. Millie is looking down, laughing.

All Things Access in a Pandemic

Access worker, understudy and Youth Company teacher Millie (Amelia Clarke) reflects on the evolution of her duties as an access worker in the pandemic…

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Dave Toole looking thoughtful, leaning on his left elbow, with his right hand touching his chin.

Musings from Sir Dave

We’re bringing you a few reflections from Dave, as he reflects back on his career highlights, dance and a little bit of politics.

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Photo of Lucy Bennet (on the left) and Nadenh Poan (on the right) in conversation. Lucy is reading from a piece of paper in her hands, with Nedanh listening, sitting in his wheelchair with his left lower arm and elbow resting on his knees.

A Trip with Translation

Artistic Director Lucy Bennett explores the origins of 'translation' for Stopgap, and reflects on its development and importance over the years...

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Black-and-white photo of Laura Jones dancing in her wheelchair in the studio. She is diving forward, gripping the wheels of her wheelchair. Chris Pavia is on all fours on the floor behind her, and in the background other dancers are watching.

Seed | Home Practice

Welcome to the second week of Stopgap’s NEW online dance programme: HOME PRACTICE. In this blog Tom introduces our Home Practice Seeds...

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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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