Published: Wednesday, 19th October 2022
Published on behalf of The Workshop, King's Lynn.
Performers are swapping the streets and mountains of France, Spain and Italy for King’s Lynn town centre this Friday, 21 October.
They are teaming with The Workshop in the town and The Garage in Norwich for a performance championing inclusion in dance and theatre.
Each group is part of the international DAN.THE network. Members have met in their respective countries over the past two years, learning how each other approaches inclusivity.
The focus was on how the arts can improve the lives of young people experiencing educational poverty, economic deprivation, or at risk of social exclusion. It also looked at the benefits for those with physical and neurological disabilities, and refugees.
The work is funded by Agenzia Nazionale Giovani of the European Commission and Arts Council England. It follows The Garage’s involvement in the DAN.CE IN project in 2019. They are particularly excited to once again be partnering with ijshaamanka.
DAN.THE (pronounced Dante) will spend a week in King’s Lynn, preparing to recreate a performance that featured in the Alter Art Festival in Pergola, Italy.
People can catch it at 6.30pm in the Vancouver Quarter, 7pm at Greyfriars Tower, 7.30pm at Kings Lynn Minster and 8pm at Customs House. The town’s famous projectors will also be lit to enhance the work which asks the question when you leave a place, what is left behind?
Carrie Mansfield, The Garage’s executive producer, said:
“This project widens the exploration of inclusive practice to not just physically and neuro diversity but also social inclusion.
“Bringing theatre into the mix alongside dance and performance and challenging ourselves and our partners to work in a more sustainable way – decreasing our drain on the world’s resources and increasing our impact on our communities.”
The Garage’s Danielle Gardner participated in the project. She added:
“The experience highlights the importance of dance and movement when working internationally, as the body is no barrier to expressing how you feel. Having four groups of people from around the world come together who share a passion for the arts was really powerful.”
Cllr Graham Middleton is Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for Business, Culture and Heritage at the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk. He said:
“Seeing these internationally renowned artists come to perform on the streets of King’s Lynn is a real coup for the town. They come with a powerful message about sustainability, social inclusion and how to have a positive impact on the local community. I hope our residents will come and support them as they perform around our historic town on Friday evening.”