We’re delighted to announce the world premiere of HELM, a new dance piece created by the Talent Hub (our pioneering project in partnership with TIN Arts and Inclusion North). HELM opens at Dance City in Newcastle on Saturday 30th November 2019.

Talent Hub is an ambitious, trailblazing project that provides bespoke support to dancers with a learning disability or autism. This is to help them progress professionally into dance companies, or to emerge as independent dance makers or community practitioners.

HELM has been choreographed by acclaimed international choreographer Theo Clinkard, who has worked with, amongst others, Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Danza Contemporanea de Cuba and Candoco Dance Company.

The performance features nine dance artists, who will unleash their imaginations to construct a world of alter egos, rock-stars, curious souls and fierce goddesses. Pulsating with a wildly diverse mix of music, the stage will transform into a place of endless potential, where a series of shapeshifting acts remind the audience that the only limit is the edge of the imagination. The one hour long episodic piece includes solos to reflect the unique qualities of each dancer, each of them drawing on their own life experiences, favourite genres of music and ways of moving. The music for HELM comes courtesy of Leeds-based DJs Fuzzy and Liina, with the latter performing a stunning violin piece on stage.

“Talent Hub is a groundbreaking project which has real potential to completely change the way that disabilities are perceived in the dance industry. Working on the Talent Hub has been a huge learning curve not only for the dancers, but for everyone at Yorkshire Dance who has been a part of the project. It is an incredible step forward in making the dance industry more inclusive and ensuring that the needs of dancers with learning disabilities and autism are properly catered for, and we’re proud to have played a part in getting this work into theatres throughout the country.”
Hannah Robertshaw, Programmes Director at Yorkshire Dance and co-producer for Talent Hub

“At TIN Arts we believe that artists with a disability should have the opportunities to perform and that their work should be just as respected as the work of their peers. To do that, the industry must adapt its whole process – from audition right through to performance – to ensure that the needs of the dance artists are fully met, and that’s exactly what we are aspiring to achieve with the Talent Hub. HELM is already shaping up to be an incredibly moving piece which really reflects and celebrates the unique personalities of the nine artists and their individual journeys; I think that it will really strike a chord with the audience and open their eyes to what life is like for the artists. Theo has done a fantastic job and we are so excited to see the final piece performed professionally for the first time in Newcastle this November.”
Tess Chaytor, Artistic Director of TIN Arts

HELM opens at Dance City in Newcastle on 30th November, before touring nationally.

Tour dates for HELM are as follows:
Saturday 30th November 2019 – Dance City, Newcastle
Tuesday 25th February 2020 – Lancaster Arts, Lancaster University
Thursday 27th February 2020 – Kala Sangam, Bradford
Tuesday 16th June 2020 – The Place, London (with post-performance conversation)
Thursday 18th June 2020 – Barnsley Civic
Wednesday 8th July 2020 – Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre, Leeds ( with post-performance conversation)
Saturday 11th July 2020 – Gala Theatre, Durham

The performances in London and Leeds will be accompanied by conversations where key professionals from the dance sector will be invited to discuss how the industry can be more accessible to performers with a learning disability or autism.