My Little sister film and Gold arts Awards and thanks to Lois and...

I'm writing to thank Lois Taylor for generously travelling so far - distances, time and cost in Cornwall - and giving us of her time and talents, everyone participated in a really enjoyable workshop yesterday.
dressing up fun for final dances:

I am also researching Gold Arts Award as Falmouth Art Gallery have generously offered to support Anna and Annis in this if they choose to take it and the reason for this blog is how worlds cross over..
So on first glance Gold Awards are for 16 - 25 yr olds and Anna and Annis are 14 but on further looking i found this link and filmmaker Agi K who is 12 yrs old, she has completed the Gold Award and is also home educated and inspiring:

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/mylittlesister8

http://www.artsawardvoice.com/magazine/articles/case-studies/case-study-film-maker-agi-k

from her website:
http://www.agnieszkaproductions.me.uk/?page_id=552

“I find there’s so many depressing articles, videos and pictures on Down syndrome, and I want to make these films to show the happiness and joy Magdalena brings to our lives❤I don’t have to try, we’re not a ‘special family’ Magdalena’s not an angel, we just all love each other. And this is just our lives. Disability is natural, we just live our ordinary lives, and I want to show the world that pity or sadness has no place here!”

- Agnieszka Kolaczynska on making her “…little sister…” films, age 10

and...

Anna has just shown me this video we really like this young American choreographer Kyle Hanagami

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_9hiHriyDQ

Steve Kelly crowd fund and welcome to Sidney!!

Steve Kelly, (who performed for us at our Poetry event and is Hannah's husband - Hannah worked on Aiming High and is an incredible participant and support in Friends and Dancing over the years) has a crowd fund worth watching and supporting! We wish North and South Theatre well with their new show!!
http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/new-theatre-show-pals a

And then last night our newest member ever came to Shallal 2, one week old Sidney came to grace us with his presence!!
Everything stops for babies! wonderful to see Rosie and Maybell....and to have them back and visiting so soon!

Rosie, Sidney, Eddie and Anna

some odd photos:

Shallal 2 rehearsal photos from Contrast
Skye has had to leave us this term for her studies but still comes to the main company

Josephs' patterns and Zo and Kate drawing on Friday afternoon

sketches from County Hall last year by Toby

Differently Abled - Driving Change conference and Heart and Sold call out

Some of Shallal will be at this conference giving a short presentation in the morning about Always New our new research and development approach to improvisation and performance with musician George Bradley-Peer.

Differently Abled - Driving Change Tuesday March 17th from 10am – 5pm This one day conference Differently Abled* - Driving Change is an opportunity for service providers, practitioners, artists and anyone interested in inclusive arts in the South West to come together to share best quality practice.  Presentations, open forum discussions and practical workshops will be led by some of the UK’s most innovative arts organisations led by and promoting *differently abled artists. The day will be held at Theatre Royal Plymouth’s Production & Learning centre, at TR2 in Cattedown, Plymouth and hosted by the Funky Llama inclusive steering group, Driving Force. Key note speakers include: ·         Alice Chutter - Diverse City. Diverse city create exceptional shows that profile the abilities of diverse groups. They currently deliver ‘Remix Gold’, an integrated youth performance company for young people with and without disabilities. Diverse City have also produced ‘Extraordinary Bodies’ in partnership with Cirque Bijou.   ·         Dean Rodney – from Heart n Soul’s The Fish Police and Olympic commission the Dean Rodney Singers. Heart n Soul’s way of working has grown over twenty-five years of working with people with learning disabilities to make outstanding art and change happen. ·         Paul Richards- International Stay Up Late Campaign. Stay Up Late is a registered charity committed to promoting the rights of people with learning disabilities to live the lifestyle of their choosing. Gig Buddies is a project that pairs up people with and without learning disabilities in to be friends and to go to events together.  ·         Carousel. Carousel established Creative Minds, Blue Camel Club, Oska Bright Film Festival and Shut Up and Listen Radio and work in partnership to deliver a national initiative to open the conversation about critiquing learning disability arts. Their award winning arts provision has been recognised nationally and internationally for its high quality and unique approach. Presentations and practical workshops from: ·         Anjali Dance. Anjali Dance Company celebrates the unique creative abilities and artistic potential of people with learning disabilities and demonstrates exciting new possibilities in dance. ·         Plymouth Music Zone. PMZ's work focuses on using music as a powerful tool to develop skills and the health and emotional wellbeing of participants. A detailed schedule of the day will be available on our website in the New Year. Price is £15 to cover lunch and refreshments. Booking essential:Oliver.bond@theatreroyal.com Funky Llama celebrates the creative talents of adults with different abilities. It involves large scale performing arts and social events as well as increasing the amount of arts opportunities available throughout the region. *Differently Abled is our steering groups preferred description for adults with learning difficulties.

Also call out for Heart and Sold passed on by Jeanette and Rory. "Heart and Sold are selecting work for an exhibition in New York. Here is the link ..." http://www.heartandsold.org.uk/news beautiful website well worth a look!

Methods

Shallal 2 last night and some people off ill, but still some exciting work created in anticipation of potential summer performances and stretching our methods for spontaneous choreography.
They are an unusual group but really fertile ground for developing new structures, methods and expanding old ones. Last night we were watching each other, 2 groups of 4 following a simple instruction and Leigh leaned over to me and gave the thumbs up to the work he was watching. The reflective, appreciative response and learning from each other and full collaboration.
The next section, made up on the spot as usual and true to workshop as a creative practice, Jo Lumber commented on, it was "soothing to watch", it is like breath or a gentle conversation..all things we hope to explore in more depth in our residency.
How to take these wonderful workshop experiences and weave them into a performance structure, whilst maintaining their freedom. I am looking forward to having the time for reflection and conversation as we learn from each other whilst exploring it.
Good news in recently for some future work which we will blog about as soon as it's"official."
So looking forward to the time for creative practice, winter is a good time for the  "burying" into ideas to see them fruit later in the year.

I have mentioned it before, my brother's blog, and now I am again as this last blog brings hope and the good example of caring for ecosystems of which people are an important part.
https://markdeeble.wordpress.com/2015/02/01/hope-for-elephants-one-womans-passion/
and although I am biased I think he writes beautifully.
I spent formative years in my late teens hanging around with my brother, and then Vicky as well, on boats in the Fal estuary. I am ever grateful that he gave me a trip to the Serengeti when they first worked there. Seeing elephant prints in the soft brown dust like tree trunk stamps, and then a herd weaving between rocks and trees and later stopping to watch 3 elephants within the beautiful Ngorongro Crater having a dust bath were some of my strongest memories.