Our SiD trio ‘Welcoming the Dawn’ was really well received at The FEAST Festival in Malvern. It’s great to tour a piece and see the performances, shine, develop and adapt to all the different spaces we visit.
We also had a fantastic time dancing with participants in our workshop. It felt like everyone enjoyed dancing and celebrating the dawn together.
Huge thanks to the festival its always such a treat to be part of FEAST – Theatre Festival and we felt so warmly welcomed.
We stayed for the afternoon performance of Out of the Box by Daryl Carrington and it was a real treat, such a skilful funny and entertaining show and it felt good to be part of an incredible festival audience.
We enjoyed warming up and performing in this beautiful space to an audience of nursing / care staff and patients.
The SiD team then led an informal, light and fun movement workshop which really lifted the spirits and energy of everyone present.
The images above are of our dancers warming up and performing as part of our visit.
Big thanks to the Arts and Health team and everyone at the hospital for welcoming us.
Our tour of Welcoming the Dawn to venues, schools and community groups across the Shropshire region is supported by Shropshire Council as part of ‘This Is Shropshire’ programme
Watch this beautiful short film sharing how our SiD’s community of dancers created our show ‘Sunset to Sunrise’ and the impact it had on our dancers and the audience.
´Sunrise to Sunset´ was performed on July 10th at Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury. A cast of 35 diverse dancers from SiD´s classes, groups plus our own Contact Dance Company performed this beautiful reflection of a day on earth.
It was an amazing event that bought us all together
Moments from the rehearsals and performance plus thoughts from our performers and audience were captured by filmmaker Calum Barre.
Enjoy the film !
Click on the image above to watch the film !
We feel the film captures beautifully what SiD is all about community, connection and the experience of dancing and sharing dance together.
Please share this post with your friends, colleagues and family !
Shropshire Inclusive Dance (SiD) is touring an exciting inclusive performance and workshop experience to events, festivals, schools, colleges, and community groups across the Shropshire and West Midlands region this autumn. Touring to The Feast Festival Malvern, Southall School, Telford, Severndale Acedemy, Shrewsbury, Working Together Ludlow, to name just a few.
In July, SiD created an energetic, playful, and poignant trio, `Welcoming the Dawn,´ as part of their Sunrise to Sunset show at Theatre Severn. The trio is performed by two upcoming and talented SiD dancers, Beth Gardiner and Georgie Dawson, alongside SiD dance artist Anna Belyavin.
The piece explores the act of beginning a new day, welcoming the sun and the changes it brings. Choreographer and Co-Artistic Director Rachel Liggitt describes the piece.
´The dancers bring in a new day, shedding the previous one and all its woes, by using touch, weight, momentum, balance, and flow as they journey together towards a new beginning´
The performance and workshop experience includes witnessing the performance up close and exploring the themes of the dance in a creative and enjoyable workshop led by SiD´s inclusive team of dancers with and without disabilities.
Connection, togetherness, and joy of dancing are at the heart of SiD, and they will be sharing these qualities with all the groups they work with.
The tour has been made possible by funding from Shropshire County Council´s´ Vibrant Shropshire: a Cultural Compact secured funding from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund , Arts Council England, and The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust.
You will be required to work once a fortnight to support SiD’s Highflyers youth dance group in a central Shrewsbury location. You will be working as part of a team led by an experienced Dance Artist / Leader.
Highflyers Youth Dance is for young people aged 11-17 years with additional needs. Our sessions are creative and movement-based; inclusion is at the heart of all that we do.
You will need an enhanced DBS check (we can arrange one for you if necessary).
If you would like to find out more, please contact
Rachel Liggitt
Co-Artistic Director
rachelsidance@gmail.com
To arrange an initial conversation to find out more about the role, SiD’s work, and the people we work with.
An incredible cast of dancers bring in a new day, using touch, weight, momentum, balance, flow and connection, celebrating how we move through the day and how the day moves us.
Wow what a night !
Shropshire Inclusive Dance is so proud of all the performers, our hard-working team and so thankful to such a brilliant and supportive audience. Sunrise to Sunset was a huge success.
Dancers, you were amazing ! Performing with creativity, connection, virtuosity and so much heart.
The show was presented by the wonderful Gareth Price-Baghurst, who wove our story of the day together with his writing expertise, charm, gravitas, poetry and humour.
Our wonderful SiD groups – Create, Highflyers, Thrive, Darwin Dancers, and Contact Dance Company created work to express and animate our experiences of the day from Sunrise to Sunset.
Our team of dance artists and specialists including Anna Belyavin, Delphine Wise, Cat Merrick, Julie Wright & Rosie Hayward worked with each group, supporting them to tell their stories and to shine.
Envisaging and bringing the show together has been satisfying and hard work for SiD Artistic Directors Rachel Liggitt ,Ray Jacobs and SiD Manager Jo Wright, but seeing the artistry expressed and joy that dance brings to everyone involved sure makes it worthwhile.
Comments from the audience.
‘The performance last night was inspirational. The concept of weaving a story into the performance was brilliant. Often you can be left feeling why was that show called what it was. So, Sunrise to sunset was clear and apparent throughout and made you feel you were indeed being taken on a journey.’
The show included those beautiful lanterns created by Amanda Hillier (Hillier Designs) and our costumes were cared for and tailored by our Wardrobe Supervisor Sue Hall.
Big thanks to Cal Barre and Theatre Severn technical staff who created a beautifully lit stage and operated sound and lights, the Hive Shrewsbury venue for supporting us throughout the programme of classes and dance making and The Gateway Centre supporting our classes through Herefordshire, Ludlow and North Shropshire College.
Many thanks to our Stage Manager Rachael Holbrook who kept us all calm, focused and organised on stage, and the extra support from Richard Edwards.
Also, a shout out to our board members supporting our front of house on the night and Ellen Purse who worked hard to support our marketing of the event.
SiD was supported by the presence and words of The Worshipful Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor Wagner.
More comments from the audience.
‘The performance was skilfully put together, and Gareth’s guidance through the evening tied all the threads together with ease. The performers shone and it was beautiful to see how individuals could shine through while watching a true company perform. All a reflection on how wonderfully SiD hold and guide your work.’
‘I left feeling light and energised for my journey home, which journeyed through the sunset and then I got to spend time with the full Stag Moon which was orange, huge and low in the sky – it felt like it was guiding me home.’
It is our funders who have made this event possible. We would like to acknowledge the support of The True Colours Trust, Shropshire Council , Arts Council England, EnergizeShropshire, Telford & Wrekin , Actio Shropshire, Fabric, Herefordshire, Ludlow and North Shropshire College,The Basil Houghton Memorial Trust, Shropshire Community Foundation and The National Lottery Community Fund.
.All photographs are beautifully taken by Ming de Nasty, more images will follow soon
SiD is really excitied to announce its new two year programme of inclusive dance ‘Engage Create Bloom’
We will be offering regular inclusive classes and guest workshops. We will be creating new performance work, supporting our young dancers with disabilities to become dance leaders of the future and enabling our dancers to take the first steps in becoming dance makers.
Engage Create Bloom is being supported by Arts Council England, Herefordshire Ludlow and North Shropshire College, The Edward Cadbury Trust, FABRIC and the D’Oyly Cart Charitable Trust.
None of this would be possible without those who supported our fundraising campaign, a huge thank you to you all.
Shropshire Inclusive Dance (SiD) has recently been awarded Arts Council funding to deliver Engage Create Bloom – a series of regular and standalone contemporary inclusive dance projects between now and April 2027.
We are looking for an experienced Arts evaluator to work with us to capture the impact of our work on our disabled and non-disabled participants as well as gathering feedback from our delivery team.
Ideally, you’d work with us throughout the duration of the Engage Create Bloom project and bring your experience of measuring the qualitative difference that participating in dance activities can make on everyone’s wellbeing, enjoyment and creativity.
The role involves key identified project strands across the 2 years and SiD will work with you to identify timescales and deliverables within the commissioning fee offered.
Fee
The total maximum fee available is £4460 to be invoiced at regular intervals to be agreed.
Depending on how far away you are based, you may be able to claim additional travel costs.
We are excited to welcome Charlie Morrissey to lead an inclusive workshop with us in Shropshire, focused on moving together.
Date – 29th May Time – 10am – 4.30pm Venue – The Gateway Centre, Chester Street, Shrewsbury Cost – £25
Charlie will support us in exploring ways of connecting with each other, the space around us and the edges in between. The workshop will be a place that supports listening, responding, focus and playfulness.
SiD directors will support the class to be accessible and flexible for different dancers needs. We welcome experienced dancers with and without disabilities, who are comfortable in focusing on connection and dancing together, to join us for this workshop.
Charlie Morrissey is a director/choreographer, performer, teacher, and researcher, working in the field of performance for 30 years. Teaching is central to his practice and his classes are laboratories for exploration and discovery. He teaches for dance and theatre companies, institutions, festivals and independent organisations internationally.
He continues to be fascinated by the potential of live encounters with movement and has worked with performance at small and large-scales in theatre, gallery and site-based contexts in the UK and internationally.
This workshops will be attended by performers from SiD’s Contact Dance Company, join us for a truly inclusive experience.
Shropshire inclusive Dance 