DUETS Final Report

What follows below is an extract from Louise Lloyd’s final report following the completion of her placement on the DUETS programme.    DUETS is a programme linking Rubicon Dance and Ballet Cymru, and is funded by The Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation Professional Placement was the perfect way for me to develop the necessary skills and experience that I desired whilst learning in a very supportive environment that was very established in the realms of community dance.

Having done ballet since a very early age, it was useful for me to understand how to deliver a class to an older group of children from Communities First areas linked to primary schools that Rubicon has worked in for many years and who had never undertaken any lessons in this discipline. Clarity and simplicity was important for the children to understand the technique and the same exercises were repeated every week until the children were ready for an increase in difficulty.

Having the children demonstrate moves gave them confidence and a chance for them to be praised. I realised praise to be a difficult reward to manage as every single child desired it and would be disappointed when not chosen by an adult as performing one of the best dances. However, though praise should not be falsely given, it could greatly increase the confidence of a child who usually struggles and may not have been the best but had tried hard and that deserved to be recognised. This was evident with one child in particular who was reluctant to join in at all in the first few sessions, but as the term developed and his efforts were recognised grew more confident in taking part and performing dances in partners.

Creating a short dance in groups at the end of the class allowed for creativity and a chance to perform the piece to the others in the class. This gave the participants a sense of achievement as they would always receive applause and we would get others in the audience to select things they liked or were specifically looking for. Familiarity was useful in this class so that participants didn’t get confused and so the structure of the class remained the same.

I spoke to the students on the full time course about my experience and knowledge of vocational training and answered any questions they had as they continued with the audition process for vocational schools or universities. I then joined a couple of their ballet and contemporary classes and this was useful for me to see the highest level of dance training offered at Rubicon and the potential outcome for younger dancers attending weekly classes at Rubicon.

The relationships I have developed with the dance participants while working closely with them on a weekly basis and as part of their groups has helped me to discover ways of encouraging the best out of them. I am truly grateful for the position I’ve held and to have been part of this programme.

We are very lucky to have worked with Louise, and all at Rubicon wish her well with her endeavours.

Report on Apprenticeship – Term 2

What follows below is some of Beth Ryland’s report on her second term as an Apprentice – a partnership between Rubicon Dance and Caerphilly Arts Development.

Throughout this term I have had a varied and exciting programme that has enabled me to experience new things and develop my own skills. I have learnt a lot about working with young people with learning difficulties and special needs, which I had never had experience in prior to the apprenticeship. I have also shadowed adult mental health sessions and sessions for adults who have had a stroke. It has given me more confidence to work with groups like this in the future.

In a High School for pupils with special needs – Having two groups of performers sometimes brought about issues as focus was lost or behavioural issues came into play, but they were always noticed quickly and swiftly dealt with outside of the dance space by members of staff. This then meant the other participants wouldn’t be distracted and could remain motivated. With a performance to work towards, we were under a certain amount of pressure so to return to the school on the back of a successful performance will be an excellent opportunity and learning environment to develop as a dance leader in this particular setting.

At Rubicon – This session required a lot of energy from the session leaders as the participants had a lot of enthusiasm and energy but slightly less focus. It was incredibly important to use humour to keep their attention but enough discipline to stop them distracting the entire class. The approach, using warmth, calmness and also firmness allowed the whole group to co-operate and enjoy the session.

It was lovely to work in smaller groups and take ideas from the participants to create a short section that will be added into the dance. The girls I worked with were inspired by some of my Latin American moves so we added a flavour of this into our section, where we used all our ideas and created something together. This way of working enable relationships to form and bonds to be made through creativity which I think is an excellent way of working.

In Caerphilly – I feel that I have grown both personally and professionally over the past two terms as an apprentice. I have shadowed sessions that I have never had experience in before and have learnt how to deal with situations in the appropriate manner as well as how to get the most out of participants creatively. The ongoing mentoring and support that I have received is invaluable and an asset to my professional development.

Thanks to all those who have supported Beth in her apprentice programme here at Rubicon…much appreciated.