Background: That! Dance is an inclusive community dance group, based in Staffordshire. We formed following the end of Critical Mass 2022 and the desire from our participants to keep dancing, performing and creating. We run weekly sessions in Lichfield and Burton and take part in live performances, films, collaborations and exhibitions.

Participant S joined the Burton group for the Critical Mass 2022 project and has continued to dance with us since. They also attend other dance sessions at The Brewhouse and have a full-time job working in a school kitchen.

The challenge: S lacked confidence when they first joined the group and had challenges expressing their ideas, particularly during creative tasks. They also struggled with change (e.g. if a dance that had been taught changed). They had great potential – particularly with their ability to quickly pick up routines  – and needed more of a challenging class than they had been going to before.

What support did you provide to the participant? Alongside our weekly work, S has completed their Bronze Arts Award with us, has led warmups, teaches TikTok routines to the group as part of our ‘TikTok Tuesdays’ and supports with other participants where they can (e.g. rehearsing with them). Our team have supported them through co-leadership activities (e.g. when leading warmups), skills sessions as part of the Arts Award work and helping them to develop valuable life skills through working with them to plan how to travel to performances/ad hoc opportunities.

We have introduced technique classes as part of our weekly sessions and can see S’s abilities develop – including doing floor work, lifts and contact work, something they had not done before. Our fun, safe and welcoming environment helps them to feel capable and confident and allows them to develop their skills in a way they haven’t been able to before (e.g. other classes aren’t as focused towards developing technique).

The result: S is much more confident and has progressed in their leadership abilities since they first started with the group. They are now happy to lead sections of class to the group and are more confident contributing their creative ideas (e.g. in the ‘pass the move’ game) than they were before.

They are also much more comfortable when things have to change (e.g. because a performance space is different) have developed their adaption skills and resilience by taking part in performance projects.

Recently, S travelled independently on the train for the first time to visit our Lichfield group and to see them perform. They said that coming to see the Lichfield group had made them feel motivated to explore new modes of travel, independently. Afterwards, they said they were really proud that they had been able to successfully plan and execute an independent trip.

Looking forward: S continues to work hard in their job and is a great role model for others in the group, often helping with demonstrations and rehearsing with others.

They want to continue dancing with us and take a more active role in our social media activities. They teach the group TikTok routines and would like to start helping create content for our social media channels, eventually having more responsibility and leadership in this area.

Photos courtesy of Romy Whai for The Brewhouse Arts Centre