INTRODUCING:
Highflyers Youth Dance Company
Highflyers Online
Film: Into The Light
Highflyers was due to launch in March 2020, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. We reconfigured the programme delivering an online package of free online dance classes and creative downloadable worksheets for young people and as a useful resource for teachers and workshop leaders.
Highflyers made a film in collaboration with Highflyers dancers. The dance film captured the shift from ‘home dancing’ to meeting the SiD team and dancing in person for the first time. Placing 6 young people centre stage, they dance how they feel right now - in 5 different locations in Shropshire. Filmed by a professional film filmmaker, the film captures immediate, intimate, playful dancing and beautiful ‘portraits’ of each individual dancer.
We also delivered fortnightly Highflyers Zoom sessions from April 2020, they are still going strong over a year on.
SiD dance artists Anna and Delphine began taking part in Beyond Borders with Highflyers Youth Dance Company. Beyond Borders was an ambitious regionwide participation Dance Development Leaders Group (DDLG) project that bought together dance artists, aspiring young leaders, young people, digital artists, and a variety of specialists to collaborate and produce an original work in response to One with Nature. This theme was chosen by over 100 young people. Beyond Borders 2021 focused on a creative enquiry approach to dance and digital collaboration and the unique experiences and perspectives of young people as lockdown restrictions began to ease.
I am thrilled and excited at the prospect of collaborating with a fantastic team of artists from across the region and having a creative opportunity for our young people to explore, learn, share and develop with others. A digital collaboration creates the chance to meet new people, explore new technologies and allow our young people to feel they are seen and heard.” – Anna Belyavin, Shropshire Inclusive Dance (Professional Dance Artist)
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Into The Light was selected for MY DANCE DIGITAL 2021. MY DANCE DIGITAL 2021 is the Midlands regional platform of U.Dance, a national celebration of performance by young people aged 11 – 25 years. The platform showcases some of the most exciting young dancers in the Midlands an opportunity to champion young people’s dance and choreography. Into The Light was also screened at Flexus Dance Collective, ‘Expedition’ platform, Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton and New Horizons Digital Dance Platform, Black Country Dance.
“Wow - so lovely to watch and the film is so well crafted. A delight - in fact one of the best dance films I have seen this lockdownthanks for sharing.” - Audience feedback “The best dance film I’ve seen in ages! This film is amazing SiD and embodies all that is best in life.”- Audience feedback
