KTC Arts Development-Artists In Residence and Mentoring Programme



 


(Dance in the Park an Inclusive dance project with Sarah Haddow, Photo by Local Photographer Emma Geen)

 What is the Artists in Residence Scheme?

A new Artist in Residence and Mentoring Programme and has been having regular mentor sessions with Sarah Haddow from Dance Body echo and Georgie Huntley and Ben Dickson from Breathing space.

Our Resident Artists recieve the provision of advice, support, work opportunities and promotion making Keynsham Arts Development a place where work of all kinds can be developed created and tested.Our current artists in residence are making exciting waves in their fields. We feel very inspired watching their creativity develop.Jules the Arts Development Worker is also providing the artists with mentor sessions

  • The sessions include-
  • Developing business plans support
  • Funding strategies and applications support
  • Projects development support
  • Professional development support

All three artists can be contacted through email

 Georgie -georgiehuntley2000@yahoo.com  sarah-   bodyechodance@hotmail.co.uk  Ben-  dickson_benjamin@hotmail.com


(Creative work at the Breathing space Project with Ben and Georgie)





Georgina Huntley and Ben Dickson are two community artists who specialise in working with children and vulnerable adults in Keynsham. Together they run Breathing Space, an arts project for local people suffering from anxiety or depression – an increasingly common ailment in today’s society. With Keynsham Council serving as mentor, Georgina and Ben organised, raised funds and set up the project themselves, and are now in their second year.

After Breathing Space’s initial run in September 2010, Georgina and Ben became Keynsham Council’s resident artists, and have worked on a number of KTC Arts Development projects in the town both separately and together, including a poster project with the children of Broadlands School, making a banner project with Mencap for the 2011 Youth Fest, various arts projects at the Time Out Youth Centre and The National Fair Trade Bunting project, working with the people of Keynsham to create a part of the largest bunting in the world! 

Ben holds a BA(hons) in fine art and is well versed in both traditional and digital arts, whereas Georgina is very hands-on with crafts and fabric , and together the pair have a very broad range of artistic expertise. Both are visual artists with their own practice, and in addition Georgina is a performing musician, whereas Ben is also a professional comic book writer.Both have a full enhanced CRB and public liability insurance.

 

 

 

Sarah Haddow- Sarah is a registered community dance practitioner and offers a wide variety of classes and one to one tuition in Bath and Bristol. She works as a dance therapist at Southmead  hospital and offers group and 1:1 therapy. She has recently set up Freedom Youth Dance Company as part of KTC Arts Development  Community Arts programme. Sarah has a full enhanced Crb and public liability insurance. 

"I started dancing when I was four and I loved it, I did lots of gymnastics which was really fun. But like many things, dance lessons were really expensive and I had to give it all up. But from then on I looked for as many dance opportunities as I could. Even running a dance club at school, charging 10p for people to come and watch the show. I just knew it was what I wanted to do and I persisted with my dream. With any money that I earned from my part time job, I would put towards dance classes. 

I needed to dance, someone told me to just choose what you enjoy and I have from then on. Career advisers at school told me to stay on and do my A-levels and that I would still be able to study dance. I did the As levels then the next year I went with my heart and I enrolled in a Performing arts course at City of Bath College and I have from then on listened to my own instinct and one important thing is I believe in myself which is what you need more than anything in this industry, self-belief and motivation. 

I continued to study a degree in choreography and dance at University of Winchester, with fantastic teachers who had trained with amazing choreographers

 

I have worked with various choreographers, Darren Lee, an amazing Hip Hop Choreographer, BackBeat Dance and StepsAhead. I toured Hampshire with DARWIN Dance Company, eventually touring Holland as part of the DANSE Festival. Currently I am working with two contemporary choreographers, Itta Howie and Marie Oldaker. I am also studying for my MA in Dance Movement Psychotherapy.

I feel inspired by the energy dance can create, even if I am busy and exhausted, just going to a studio or wherever I am dancing for any amount of time dance can make me feel better and it is a great way to express how I feel through dance. I have built up a lot of experience as a dancer and I knew that I wanted to offer dance to more people and for everyone to gain as much enjoyment as I have, which is a huge part of why I work in the community today.

 

A few years ago I moved back to Bristol, at the time I had no dance work in this area and I started to look around. I found the Keynsham Town Council website offering art surgeries, a fantastic service that offers advice to artists. The work continued to evolve,  since then the opportunities have been endless. Together we organised an inclusive dance workshop and performed at the bandstand in Keynsham Memorial Park. This year we began a new project with young  people and this has evolved into beginning a new project,  Freedom Youth Dance Company.I have been extremely motivated to create more dance opportunities in Keynsham, for the pure fact that I think everyone can benefit from dancing, 93% of our communication comes from our bodies and I think it is a great way to boost a person’s self-esteem and confidence. 

 I think it is important for everyone of any age to be playful and creative, life can be very stressful and dance of any form can be very useful in taking away the stresses and worries. When I returned to Keynsham I knew I wanted to set up dance opportunities for everyone, I am working with local primary schools, Pre-school groups. I want to offer as many opportunities to dance and feel happy and inspired.  My aim is also to allow the classes to be affordable for everyone. Dance is a great art to be part of at the moment with their being lots of dance programmes, it is getting more and more popular because how dancing can make you feel. We all need to be creative and dance is a fantastic way to do that!"