THE BODY OF US | Bridget Fiske

'The Body Of Us'

'Bridget...has created a responsive, immersive, and incredibly playful interactive experience.. 'The Body of Us' is a working template to find moments of engagement and conversation between art and audiences, and is able to be tailored to each venue's, place or space to generate a bespoke outcome. It is not just wayfinding, or pop-up performance, or installation, 'The Body of Us' is a unique way to be in dialogue about the world around us.'

Kate Usher, Festival Director, Supercell Festival of Contemporary Dance

'The Body of Us allowed Heart & Parcel's ESOL learners to explore multiple sides of themselves through physical, emotional and social creation. Making full use of their existing linguistic repertoires, the women we work with developed and strengthened their range of communication skills, learning new aspects about themselves and each other.'

Clare Courtney, Founder and Project Coordinator (Education and Learning), Heart & Parcel

‘The Body of Us filled our front of house spaces with vibrant and playful moments of movement. It provided a space for audience members to explore, play and move or dance without fear and supported the transition from participant to observer and vice versa. From small but generous 1-1 interactions between dancers and visitors to mass easy to learn grooves in our foyer with a mix of all ages and experiences getting involved, it truly was a celebration of what it means to dance! The enjoyment of all involved was palpable and it was a brilliant addition/ highlight to our dance festival weekend!’

Jade Aitchison, The Lowry Centre for Advanced Training

'The Body Of Us' is aimed at bringing people TOGETHER through accessible dance and creative experiences.

'The Body Of Us' is an engagement, choreographic and performance project about the simple JOY of MEETING EACH OTHER through movement.

'The Body Of Us' is about SHARING, PLAYING, DISCOVERING and RESPONDING.

'The Body Of Us' is a collection of methods, ways, interactive exchanges, and performances. 'The Body Of Us' currently has three branches of activity and ways to meet, engage and exchange with audiences.

(1) Performed & facilitated moments of dance animating public spaces, 'The Body Of Us/ Public'

(2) Workshops facilitated by Bridget Fiske & Co 'The Body Of Us/ Guided'

(3) Resources that contribute to ideas & practices when facilitating dance & movement, 'The Body Of Us/ Independent'

THE BODY OF US / PUBLIC

A series of performed and facilitated interactions that place the audience at the heart of the dance as the performer and choreographer.

Designed to animate public spaces, including theatre and festival spaces.

Designed as something that can be handed over to artists and communities.

'The Body Of Us' is a dance you stumble upon or deliberately choose to turn up for, a dance you are guided through, and a dance you create. It is a facilitated way to move through, in, and view space and to meet and exchange with those who are present in it. Led by a group of Activators, 'The Body of Us' brings people together through movement, making dance and choreography accessible and celebrating the simple joy of meeting each other through movement.

'The Body Of Us' has been presented to date at Dance: Sampled 2017 & 2018 at The Lowry, UDance NW 2018, The University Of Salford's 'Watch US Dance' 2018, and Supercell Festival Of Contemporary Dance 2017.

Currently available for licensing and programming.

THE BODY OF US / GUIDED

Workshops by Bridget Fiske & Co use a range of creative tools to prioritise co-creation and empowerment in the process.

Workshops are suitable for all ages and experience levels including in-education, learning, artistic and community contexts.

There are also workshops available for artists, teachers, and facilitators in this methodology to contribute to professional and creative development.

Workshops informed by Fiske’s 20 years of facilitation and co-creation in education and community contexts.

Workshops to date have occurred in primary and secondary schools supporting the creation of new performance content, at UDance North West with many youth dance companies and with adults in informal ESOL sessions via a partnership with Heart & Parcel.

One off and series of workshops available in person and on-line.

THE BODY OF US / INDEPENDENT

Bridget is excited to be releasing resources as part of 'The Body Of Us'. These resources will be in various formats and modes including articles, case studies, blogs, videos, example exercises, and tool-kits. Bridget hopes these resources contribute to the thinking and practices of facilitators. More coming soon.

Concept: BRIDGET FISKE

Director and Choreographer: BRIDGET FISKE

Produced by: TRICIA COLEMAN

Consultants: CAT CHILDS (The Love Press), CLARE COURTNEY, DAVID WILDRIDGE, and AMAY VORIS

Associate Artist: RACHEL MAFFEI

Thank you: JADE ATCHISON, ANDREW CROFTS, CATHERINE SIMMONDS, and all of the Activators, audiences, and participants who have bought 'The Body Of Us' to life to date

'They Body Of Us / Public' has been performed to date at:

'UDance' - The Lowry, Salford - 2018

Director: BRIDGET FISKE

Activators: INA COLLIZZA, BRIDGET FISKE, GIORGIO DE CAROLIS, and JOSEPH LAU

'Dance; Sampled' - The Lowry, Salford - 2018

Director: BRIDGET FISKE

Rehearsal Director: SARIE MAIRS SLEE

Activators: INA COLLIZZA, GIORGIO DE CAROLIS, and 2ND YEAR DANCE STUDENTS - UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD

'Dance; Sampled' - The Lowry, Salford - 2017

Director: BRIDGET FISKE

Rehearsal Direction by: SARIE MAIRS SLEE

Activators: INA COLLIZZA, JOSEPH LAU, AMY VORIS, and 2ND YEAR DANCE STUDENTS - UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD

Supercell Festival of Contemporary Dance - 2017 - The Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts, Brisbane

Director: BRIDGET FISKE and SCOTT SNEEDON

Activators: MARISA GEORGIA, CAITLIN HULTGREN, SEAON HYLTON, STUART NIX, FRANCISKA SCHMOLL, ALICIA JANE STEELE and HUGO RUSSELL

Acknowledgment

Bridget recognises and acknowledges the work of artists who have gone before and influenced her practice. Bridget specifically acknowledges the history that inspires this project: all those great workshop games, tasks, and processes (that she has experienced as a participant and student and developed and delivered as a facilitator) that bring us closer together and connect us to the possibilities in the art.