Magical Movement

2015
V &A Museum

Three workshops a day over two weekends, during which, between 25 and 40 people took part in each workshop at the Lydia & Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre; the V&A.

The Event

This event was a Dance Art Foundation Project, led by Louise Klarnett who is an associate artist in their participation team. The intention of this event at the V&A was to encourage families to embark on what was described as a magical woodland adventure through dance, utilising contact improvisation along with props. The workshop drew a large crowd from diverse backgrounds, and provided an unfamiliar yet interesting experience in which the parents were actively included in the workshop with their children. The parents sat on the side-lines and appeared tentative at first but were eventually encouraged to join in and transform the event into a family workshop. 

My Role

My role during the project was to demonstrate and encourage different forms of movement, as well as lead exercises with my colleague Louise. My responsibilities also included the maintenance of health and safety as the inclusion of props, such as ribbons and feathers, made the monitoring of the children paramount.

Feedback

The workshops drew big crowds and introduced people to dance who wouldn’t normally seek dance classes out. The Feedback Book at the V&A showed an excellent response from those who took part. The workshops are returning to the V&A with a different theme in 2016.