Yorkshire Dance and TIN Arts, an inclusive dance organisation, have today announced ‘HELM’ – a new piece of dance work to come from its pioneering Talent Hub project, a professional development programme for dance artists from the North East of England and Yorkshire with a learning disability or autism. Performed by nine (of the ten) dance artists involved in the Talent Hub and choreographed by internationally recognised artist Theo Clinkard, ‘HELM’ will debut in November at Dance City in Newcastle-upon-Tyne before going on a national tour in 2020.

Since February this year the dancers have been working with acclaimed West Yorkshire-based choreographer and designer, Theo Clinkard (past commissions include Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Danza Contemporanea de Cuba and Candoco Dance Company) to create a new piece of work entitled ‘HELM’. In ‘HELM’, the dancers will ‘dive into dreamscapes and act out fantastical ways of being, unleashing their imaginations to construct a world of alter egos, rockstars, 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 Talent Hub aims to transform the dance sector, enabling artists with a learning disability or autism to progress professionally into dance companies or emerge as independent dance makers. A partnership with Inclusion North, the Talent Hub comprises of ten gifted and talented dance artists who have received individualised ‘wrap-around’ support alongside periods of intensive training.

Click here to find out more about the ten dancers.

Hannah Robertshaw from Yorkshire Dance comments:

“Yorkshire Dance has a long-term commitment to making dance accessible and celebrating the diversity and artistry of different bodies dancing. Through the Talent Hub, we can nurture and support a new group of artists that we can continue working with for a long time to come. We are delighted to work in partnership with TIN Arts and support this ground-breaking piece of work.”

Tess Chaytor, artistic director of TIN Arts adds

“At TIN Arts we have always believed that it is vitally important that work presented in professional theatres and at festivals across the country should be representative of society and include everyone. Dance artists of all backgrounds have a right to tell their story and for their work to be valued and recognised. If we can join up and work together to foster the right conditions for more artists from diverse backgrounds to create and share work then the work we experience and witness in our lives will be more relevant and richer, contributing to a shift in the cultural landscape and celebrating difference.”

Theo Clinkard, lead artist at The Talent Hub comments:

“This groundbreaking project is a huge privilege to be part of. It’s unlike anything I have ever been involved in before with each day presenting exciting opportunities to expand my thinking and challenge my creative expectations.  Process is central to my work and this commission is no different, so whilst the audience might only engage with the dance piece we present, the journey we have just started is already proving to be extraordinary; I feel like we are not just walking the path but also drawing the map! I want to create a safe and creative space for each artist to push beyond the potential they imagined they had or were told they had. Through weeks of rigorous physical training, joyous play, careful guidance and wild dreaming, that is tailored to each individual and facilitated by the whole team, I’ve witnessed a series of breakthroughs from these brilliant young artists at speeds I could never have thought possible. Whilst I’m directing and editing what happens in the studio, they really are at the helm.”