Past Projects
Primary Shakespeare Company
Confidance has collaborated with Jeremy Harrison of Rose Bruford College to develop Primary Shakespeare Company’s inclusive offer, designing a 3-year performance project for SEN schools in East Kent. The work explored ways to give creative control to children with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities through dance and theatre, and saw whole-school engagement with Shakespeare texts.
During these projects, we have had the opportunity to collaborate with a range of brilliant artists and organisations such as: Animate Arts; Nina Clark Music; Robyn Cain (Puppetry); Jeremy Harrison, Rose Bruford.
Check out ‘Flower’s For You’, our 2018 response to A Winter’s Tale in Wyvern School, in the link above. You can also read the report here.
Royal Opera House
Confidance works in partnership with Royal Opera House to deliver and consult on their Thurrock Trailblazer Programme since 2015. The project involves CPD for teachers, which aims to build confidence in delivering dance workshops to children with a variety of learning and physical disabilities. The work has developed “mainstream links” with SEN schools, and explored how we can integrate SEN and Mainstream environments through dance, develop community cohesion with mutual benefit for all.
The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge
Confidance have had the joy of working with The Beaney on a variety of projects, often with a focus on exploring the collections through dance, and inviting a new community of people into the venue. Past projects have included: ‘‘A Mutual Agreement’, a collaborative project with Jo, Kent Dance Network, choreographer Chloe Challis and dancer Ian Cooper; an early-years movement class as part of a Health & Wellbeing Commission. Find out more by clicking here.
Marlowe Access Company (MAC)
MAC was our Canterbury-based community class, created in partnership with the Marlowe Theatre, as a space for people to develop their dance, drama and performance skills. Having noticed the lack of dance provision for people with learning disabilities in the local community, Confidance designed MAC as a collaborative, joyful and accessible space, where participants could develop their creative skills and have public performance experiences. MAC gradually developed a strong company of performers who co-created “A Marvellous Party”, a vibrant and comedic piece inspired by Noel Coward, “Orbit” inspired by and performed in the Philharmonic Virtual Orchestra, and “Return of the Unknown”, a site-specific piece in Dover Marine Station.
Mind The Gap Theatre Company
Confidance have a long-standing relationship with Mind The Gap, one of Europe’s leading disability theatre companies based in Bradford. Over the years they have shared platforms, practice and panels together; Jo was part of the 2016 discussion panel for “Aesthetics and Beauty in Disability Arts” at The Gulbenkian, with MTG artists and Lyn Gardener. Jo is now working with them as South East Coordinator on their Staging Change and Engage project. The project seeks to promote access and inclusion within venues across the UK.
Rose Bruford College
Since 2016, Jo has been a guest lecturer for Rose Bruford, delivering a month-long educational project for 2nd year students, where they gain practical experience of the Confidance methodology, and learn how to design and deliver inclusive workshops for pupils in SEN settings.
Jo was also part of a pilot Professional Pathway MA course in 2019, where she explored the interactions between performers and young audiences in SEN settings, and how the lines between audience / participant / artist begin to blur when we recognize children as artists in their own right. The project resulted in the beautiful performance of 'Parallel' which was shaped by the choreography of the children in a magical moment of collaborative inclusive dance. For more information on the research that emerged, click the word Parallel.
Leo Dance Company
Leo Dance Company were Confidance’s first integrated, intergenerational dance company, based at Homewood School. This was Jo’s first opportunity to test the inclusive methodology with a focus on professional performance, and the company made a number of works together, including “Flux”, “Don’t worry” and “Love’s Young Dream”. As well as performing regularly at Homewood, they shared a platform with Magpie Dance at the Gulbenkian, and performed as part of the Grayson Perry Tapestries Private View at The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge. Leo Dance Company were integral to the start of Confidance as an organisation, and an extremely valued time in Jo’s career.
Canterbury Christ Church University - Valuing Voices
Confidance have been part of multiple projects with CCCU, namely Y.A.A.S - Young Arts Ambassadors; Special Schools (2018) and Valuing Voices (2019/20). Y.A.A.S involved delivering CPD for teachers in SEN schools and co-constructing a project with the Orchard School, which resulted in a dance film called “Hoodies”, which was shared at the Turner Contemporary, Margate.
Valuing Voices aimed to empower primary practitioners as arts leaders in their schools, to be confident, innovative and creative; Confidance explored a co-constructed curriculum where teachers felt confident to deliver dance beyond the reach of the project, and specifically with children with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities.