Dance Transports featuring ‘Dance of the African Diaspora’, held on 20th October 2022, was a day for artists to come together, share, exchange and connect.

Paige Kennedy, the Youth and Community Coordinator at Yorkshire Dance reflects on the day:

This was a very special day facilitated by Cultural Producer, Strategist, and Dance Artist; Sara Dos Santos, in collaboration with Yorkshire Dance and One Dance UK. This has been one of my favourite days I’ve had since working at Yorkshire Dance, one that I will remember for a long time. I came away feeling very inspired by the authenticity brought to the day by each one of the wonderful artists I had the pleasure of sharing the space with that day.

It was a beautiful experience that was centred around connection, sharing of stories and ideas, through movement and written tasks.

It was a real pleasure to be able to bring 10 artists together, and provide them with the space to truly be who they are, whereby they could ask questions not just to the group, but to themselves. This created a sense of vulnerability, truth and care amongst the group; by the end of the session, the space felt like a real support system of artists, who were free to express who they are.

Trust, honesty and compassion also played a big part in this CPD day, and meant that everyone in the space felt able to contribute to the overall session, knowing they were held by the whole group.

From seeing this first hand, I truly understand the difference these Dance Transports days have on artists working in the industry, and the positive affect it has on their practice moving forward.

To stay up-to-date with our latest news, join our Get Involved newsletter here.