Interpretation of sign language via Contemporary Dance

 

Last night was AMAZING!

 

I met with some of the dancers from

LegaC Dance Troop at Whitland Town Hall

 led by Development Dance Manager for

Arts Care Gofal Celf, Laura Jenkins.

 

 

 

The dancers watched the film I have made of Maggie Hampton, Director of Disability Arts Cymru, signing the lyrics to Mermaid Scales the first set of songs in the production

 

 

Laura asked the dancers to take 2 signs that stood out to them the most and to make them into dance, listening to the full track which is now recorded.

 

Laura was brilliant at building the dancers skills and confidence in a very short space of time, giving them a set 4 instructions to change and move, increasing their creative development.

 

They then worked in pairs giving each other the the intructions to build Direction skills.

 

 

From here, they were asked to interpret each other's dance improvisation back to each other.

 

 

 

This is the genius part .. she then asked them to do the piece with their eyes closed. The difference in their dance was staggering! ... Explaining that they need to find that same place with their eyes open.

 

 

Then they interpreted each other's work with their eyes closed, so they were really feeling the piece and the movement.

 

All the dancers visibly grew through this process.

 

It was a very moving experience indeed to watch this development of my lyrics and music, via sign and rhythm through to dance. I felt myself overwhelmed by a sense of awe.

 

 

Honestly, I have worked with lots of people throughout my life long career in the arts and there are not many people like Laura Jenkins .

 

Not only is she a visionary manager, her ability to facilitate in way from the inside out, teaching how to dance from the soul ...

I was quite literally blown away.

 

 

 

 

 

I thought, 'I wonder how Maggie will feel when she sees this ... ' having done the sign language film for me and seeing these dancers ... WOW!

 

I think she'll be as blown away as I was.

 

The dancers are coming to Morfa Isaf with me in October for a film shoot, where Maggie will be Guinivere, the Mother all Mermaids signing in the sea, Simon Morgan Thomas will be Dafydd, Rachel Hargrave and her drummers will represent the sea against the rocks and the dancers will represent the mermaids and the waves/shipwreck, as well as the souls of the sailors lost.

 

 

 

They will also be performing live with me as part of the tour in January and February 2013.

 

 

If you live in Carmarthenshire or Pembrokeshire and you're thinking ... 'Mmm I'd like to get into dance.' then all you have to do is to have a look at the Arts Care Gofal Dance schedule because they run many different classes across the 2 counties.

 

Click the link & see if there's one near you folks!

http://www.acgc.co.uk/dance_community.html