Disabled Dance Companies

Disabled dance companies or companies which include disabled dancers are becoming increasingly common, especially in North America, Europe and Australia. In the "developing" world the predominant concern is still mainly about disability rights, employment, access to loans, training,wheelchair provision and education, forming dance companies comes low down on the agenda. In addition deep-seated prejudices against this group of people often have to be overcome.

I have tried to find information on professional companies entirely of dancers with disablities or which have a mix of able-bodied dancers. "Disabled", "able-bodied dance" is in some ways misleading terminology because all the performers are first and foremost dancers and their interpretation of the choreography shows this. The following list of disabled dance companies and associations is very far from being exhaustive and is only aimed at giving you some idea of the resources available. I hope it will encourage parents to be on the lookout for these companies of disabled dancers.The aims of the dance groups and methods of recruiting dancers and their training can be very different from one company to another.

Some such as RESTLESS TO COMMUNICATE is a company which does not hold formal auditions because they have found that this does not suit the people they attract. Instead they recruit through workshop programs. The groups' choreography is based on a dance/theatre model of interaction. The cast members include dancers in wheelchairs, the visually impaired and the intellectually challenged. The company includes one person with short-term memory loss. Much of the creative process arises intuitively from peoples' own individual responses and emotions and these form the basis of the choreography.

The ROLLING DANCERS are a German disabled dance company who have been unable to find a Trainer. So they have developed their choreography almost entirely from watching videos. The U.S HANDICAPABLE SQUARE DANCE ASSOCIATION performs dance in sign language. I shall simply quote Mona Jean Cedar who explains their aims and methods with wonderful clarity. "Sign Language Dance, Dance and Sign Language are both communicative arts that imbue the body to move poetically in time and space. We all know that dance is universal but only the uninitiated believe that sign language is the same around the world.

Because language is culturally based, it stands to reason that the same concept in different sign languages will have a unique gesture that bespeaks (is indicative of that languages culture. Hence, even though all the dancers are signing/dancing the same concept, the choreography will be different for each language becuase the gestures, which are the impetus for the movement are different."

Every piece I have created uses the basic conceptual nature of sign language as its impetus. From there the choreography, music, lyrics or spoken word have been added to enhance the already expressive quality of these three communicative art forms.

I have been a participant in both the Deaf and the Dance communities for many years and I have never seen or heard of another group or individual doing anything remotely like my work. I am truly pioneering an entirely original dance genre. There is so much yet to be done to develop this multinational and multicultural innovative art form."

Another company of deaf dancers is the GALLAUDET DANCE COMPANY which is a performing group of about 15 dancers with disablities. All are undergraduates or graduate students at the university. Gallaudet is the only acredited arts university for deaf and hard of hearing students in the world. It also has deaf and visually impaired students. The company dances in a number of styles including dance using American Sign Language as its inspiration. The dance company which has travelled all over the world celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2005.This site contains information on Dance Technique for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Dancers. There is also a useful bibliography. THE FOUNDATION FOR COMMUNITY DANCE'S Project to Support Disabled Choreographers is the first programme of its kind in the United Kingdom. Under their umbrella CULTURAL SHIFT is a pilot professional development programme to support the development of disabled choreographers. At the moment there is a lack of disabled choreographers in the integrated and mainstream dance companies.

The professional disabled dance companies represent many different dance forms and philosophies.

AMICI DANCE THEATRE COMPANY email is an integrated dance company with 20-30 members. Some have physical disablities, learning difficulties, sensory problems such as visual impairments and some are able-bodied. The group was founded in 1980 by Wolfgang Stanze whose choreographic roots lie in German Expressionism. The works performed centre around serious often dark subjects with an eye to dramatic and visual impact.

ASHER DANCE ECLECTIC has able-bodied and wheelchair dancers who perform mainly jazz and contemporary dance styles.

ANJALI DANCE COMPANY email is a disabled dance company established by Nicole Thomson-Steward and has dancers with learning disabilities. Anjali's aim is to challenge prejudice and preconceptions and to create a new dance aesthetic, demonstrating the creative potential of people with a learning disability. BETHUNE THEATRE DANCE/DANCE OUTREACH email This company combines elements of dance, special effects, fine art, music and video to create a unique theatrical experience. Stories from film, TV, artworks and literature are adapted from the fusion of ballet and modern dance. Dance Outreach is a training and performance programme in movement and dance for children with disablities.

BILDERWERFER email The dance company consists of three disabled and three able-bodied members and draws from New Dance Techniques in particular Contact Improvisation. The work is also shaped through techniques which introduce elements of acting into the dance. The work is inspired by "the language of everyday bodies - in opposition to the dictate of the perfect body." CANdOCO DANCE COMPANY email is a company of disabled and non-disabled dancers. This company is well known on the British contemporary dance scene. The dancers use choreography based on the Graham technique and Contact Improvisation. They have won awards for their performances as well as for their video and film work.

DANCE DETOUR email This disabled companies work is founded on the diversity of its dancers, celebrating their physical, ethnic, generational, cultural and artistic differences. Their work includes elements of many forms of dance (modern, ballet, ballroom, jazz, African, street dance, line dancing which is combined with acting, singing, writing and other media.

DIN A 13 is a Cologne-based company founded as a collective of dancers and musicians. Their work is based on improvisational techniques and has a strong committment to the exploration of difficult emotional places, in that the accepted norms of aestheticism in society and the associated taboos are put into question.

INFLIGHT DANCE COMPANY email The company works on bringing about Mind-Body-and Spirit integration. This disabled dance company has performed at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester as the first dance company ever to have been invited there.

LIMITS DANCE COMPANY The company practise dance based on Rudolf von Laban's principles and they have also participated in research studying the results of their artistic work with disabled people in dance.

TOLOUNOU DANCE COMPANY email Sidiki Conde is a dancer, drummer and singer from Guinea, West Africa. He lost the use of his legs at the age of 14. Tokounou went to America in 1998. Dance and music in Africa are community events and no one is excluded. Tokounou offers performance as well as mixed ability workshops in which participants learn to sing and play african rythms on drums and other instruments, as well as choreography based on traditional dances.

TOUCH DOWN DANCE Touch Down Dance works locally in Manchester, England, nationally and internationally within communities and professional dance. The group involves people with a visual impairment in dance and provides training for professionals.

SYED SYED SALLAUDDIN PASHA is a pioneer in the field of Indian Dance Therapy. He devotes himself to children with special needs. He has held therapeutic workshops for special needs teachers, therapists, mental health professionals and universities in India and abroad.In 1999 he directed a major Dance Therapy project "Ramayana on Wheels" for the mentally and physically challenged. Many of the dancers were wheelchair users. A series of six performances were held to packed audiences who were moved to tears. In 2000 he presented a Therapeutic Theatre Project "Women of India" with 100 hearing impaired children. The audience were puzzled because the performers were hearing impaired children who couldn't hear the music but still were in perfect harmony.

This list, can of course, only give a very general idea as to the companies of disabled dancers and other companies who embrace disabled dancers.I hope, however, that this information has been interesting and useful.

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