Learning Through Arts

Wirksworth INdependDANCE

Dance theatre for and by young people

Wirksworth INdependDANCE is a youth dance company that was created following several years of very successful dance development with young people in the Derbyshire Dales as part of Moving Experience Dance Project for Learning Through Arts, with a group of dancers who wanted to work together to develop performances in contemporary dance theatre style.

INdependDANCE is directed by locally based choreographer Debi Hedderwick, but its performance work is devised collectively to explore and communicate specific ideas, stories and themes that inspire the dancers, and brings together strong and moving imagery, theatrical story-telling, design and new media, intense musicality and powerfully performed contemporary dance.

During 2005 - 06 Wirksworth INdependDANCE developed three pieces based on themes arising from the citizenship curriculum (such as friendship and bullying, global consumerism) and created an exciting programme of varied, engaging and moving work that was performed to great acclaim in a number of different venues. e.g. at Wirksworth Festival, where they have built a considerable local following; at the Pomegranate Theatre Chesterfield, April 06, to an extremely enthusiastic response; at the East Midlands regional youth dance platform EMerge, Castle Theatre Wellingborough; and at the Future Light platform, Derby Dance Centre.

In February 2006, INdependDANCE were invited to be the core group for a dance project with students from Wetter Wollenburgschule, Germany, in a cultural exchange organised by Anthony Gell School designed to promote friendship and understanding through shared enthusiasm for the arts. The dancers travelled to Marburg and worked for three days with German students, culminating in a performance based on the World Cup.

For the Wirksworth Festival 2006, the company worked in partnership with French A level students from Anthony Gell School, in a project commissioned and funded by the school, to create a French physical theatre piece inspired by Jean Giono's story - The Man Who Planted Trees. This work was then toured to Die in Provence - the region of France that inspired the original story - as part of Wirksworth and Die's twinning celebrations, and was performed to a combined French and English audience at Le Pestel cinema venue in Die.

In 2007, the company worked in partnership with A level Theatre Design students from Belper School to create a programme of work inspired by the Primitive Streak Exhibition by fashion designer Helen Storey, based on the first thousand hours of human life. The set and costumes, created by the designers, in turn influenced the choreography made by the company. The pieces were performed at the Pomegranate Theatre Chesterfield in March 2007, and as a key part of the Wirksworth Festival 2007.

Wirksworth INdependDANCE has developed a characteristic and individual style of contemporary dance theatre which has earned them a great reputation in the region with audiences of all ages.

Audience comments 2006 - 8

Wow! Your dancers blew my mind last Tuesday! It was STUNNING! Well done to all of you, I was so impressed - I could watch something like that every week.
(Secondary teacher).

Your dancers continue to excel themselves. What vitality, originality, expertise and variety! (Secondary teacher).

I was so impressed with the quality of work and the professionalism of such young dancers. It was breath-taking and moving at the same time.
(Sports Development Officer).

I really enjoyed coming out to see your show at the Pomegranate in Chesterfield. I can't think of anything I've seen for a long while I've enjoyed as much! I liked the way you tackled really serious material, and the lovely way the whole company worked together, especially the different ages, as if they were one big family! Staging - simple, bold and very professional. And the dancing - clear, imaginative, purposeful.
(Arts development professional).

It was really good. Very impressive. How do you get extended work of that quality from people of that age? ! (Director of Performing Arts Specialist College).

This was the best thing I have seen for ages! I've been to the Royal Albert Hall to see opera and to Nottingham to see Cats recently - and this was far better, I loved it. (Primary teacher).

I forgot I was watching a youth company, they were so professional.
(Venue manager)

A cracking show. All the family really enjoyed it.
(Secondary teacher).

Very moving, very beautiful, very skilled.
(Choreographer/Arts therapist).