Restless Dance Company Sally Chance arts workshops. company in 1991, I was would refer to the The atmosphere was electric. motivated simply by a sense everyone ‘teachers’, meaning This performance marked In August 1991, for one of social justice, of without a disability. He had the culmination of a Carclew night only, ninety people redressing the historical internalised a sense of having a Youth with a disability and a small imbalance of dance not lower status than people who band being available for people were actually his peers and of their carers and recreation Arts Centre community dance whose role in the company he project called MOC supporters filled the Norwood shared. Even the experienced with a disability. I wanted to Concert Hall in Adelaide. The Connections professional ensemble members demonstrate that people with a a precursor to . Since those dances represented the raw – tend to defer to the ideas of disability could make dance material of future work: beginnings Restless has people without a disability. too. grown to encompass: complex solos, some totally Right from the start the unplanned; small groups A youth performance • Collaborators without a stepping boldly into the space; company has worked with ensemble, involving up to disability are deliberately people with and without an large group pieces which twenty people aged positioned as guests of the needed to accommodate some intellectual disability with and without an group, in order to create dance theatre and run performers deciding at intellectual disability to encourage the professional the last minute whether they community dance workshops in A professional ensemble, • ensemble members to take which the dancers with a wanted to perform or not; the involving five experienced their own skills seriously. disability are the driving force. Aboriginal social group/ from dancers with an one of large Encouraging the dancers with The tendency among people Adelaide’s intellectual disability an intellectual disability to gain with an intellectual disability to residential institutions for Community cultural • people with an intellectual a genuine sense of their skill play down their own expertise development projects, level is a continuing issue for needs to be gently redressed at disability/ stomping their stuff to involving people of all ages music by Yothu the company. every level. It is common in in dance programs exploring community dance contexts for Yindi- all presented under huge the culture and identity of In the first year of his ceiling-to-floor banners support workers to change people with a disability. involvement with the youth during the program, due to designed by some of the ensemble one of the dancers When I founded the changing staff rosters and other participants in separate visual
Restless Dance Company Sally Chance The atmosphere was electric. In August 1991, for one night only, ninety people with a disability and a small band of their carers and recreation supporters filled the Norwood Concert Hall in Adelaide. The dances represented the raw material of future work: complex solos, some totally unplanned; small groups stepping boldly into the space; large group pieces which needed to accommodate some performers deciding at the last minute whether they wanted to perform or not; the Aboriginal social group/ from one of Adelaide’s large residential institutions for people with an intellectual disability/ stomping their stuff to music by Yothu Yindi- all presented under huge ceiling-to-floor banners designed by some of the participants in separate visual arts workshops. This performance marked the culmination of a Carclew Youth Arts Centre community dance project called MOC Connections – a precursor to . Since those beginnings Restless has grown to encompass: • A youth performance ensemble, involving up to twenty people aged with and without an intellectual disability • A professional ensemble, involving five experienced dancers with an intellectual disability • Community cultural development projects, involving people of all ages in dance programs exploring the culture and identity of people with a disability. When I founded the company in 1991, I was motivated simply by a sense of social justice, of redressing the historical imbalance of dance not being available for people with a disability. I wanted to demonstrate that people with a disability could make dance too. Right from the start the company has worked with people with and without an intellectual disability to create dance theatre and run community dance workshops in which the dancers with a disability are the driving force. Encouraging the dancers with an intellectual disability to gain a genuine sense of their skill level is a continuing issue for the company. In the first year of his involvement with the youth ensemble one of the dancers would refer to the ‘teachers’, meaning everyone without a disability. He had internalised a sense of having a lower status than people who were actually his peers and whose role in the company he shared. Even the experienced professional ensemble members tend to defer to the ideas of people without a disability. Collaborators without a disability are deliberately positioned as guests of the group, in order to encourage the professional ensemble members to take their own skills seriously. The tendency among people with an intellectual disability to play down their own expertise needs to be gently redressed at every level. It is common in community dance contexts for support workers to change during the program, due to changing staff rosters and other
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