Theatre

The long read: Dance and Disability in Poland

Country Profile, OpinionResource
March 24, 2020

By Alicja Müller (translated by Marta Dziurosz). Read the full version published in Polish on taniecpolska.pl

Italian artist Chiara Bersani on COVID-19 and disability

OpinionResource
March 24, 2020

Chiara Bersani’s Gentle Unicorn. Photo: Roberta Segata Courtesy Centrale Fies

Chiara Bersani is an Italian performing artist and choreographer whose work in theatre and contemporary dance explores the politics of the body and how the images we create interact with society’s narratives. In 2019, she took part in a Europe Beyond Access residency at Festival Oriente Occidente and previously participated in Aerowaves and Moving Beyond Inclusion. Here, she reflects on ableist responses to a public health emergency and how disabled bodies are framed during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Film: The Importance of International Collaboration

FilmResource

An enhanced transcript for visually impaired audiences is available at the bottom of the page.

Countries across Europe – including the UK – make an international commitment to presenting disabled dancers, performers, directors and choreographers on mainstream stages as part of Europe Beyond Access. This project, coordinated by British Council, demonstrates how transnational collaborations offers powerful benefits for artists, venues and the wider public. Disabled artists and industry leaders involved discuss how multi-country partnerships:

European Disability Arts Festivals

ToolkitResource

This is an extensive (but not comprehensive) directory of European disability arts festivals whose remit is (primarily) to support the presentation of, and discussion about, work made by disabled artists and/or inclusive companies. This list has been compiled using desk research, recommendations from key partners and user-submitted entries. We cannot guarantee that all information will be accurate and up to date. 

Per.Art’s 20th Anniversary celebrations

Show

December 10 – December 15, 2019 Gallery of Matica srpska, Novi Sad, Serbia

Celebrating 20 years of Per.Art

Case StudyResource

Per.Art, the learning-disability theatre company based in Novi Sad, Serbia is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a programme of performances at Gallery of Matica srpska 13-15 December. Joe Turnbull spoke to Artistic Director, Saša Asentić about the company’s development over the years.

Per.Art’s Dis_Sylphide. Photograph: Anja Beutler

The late 1990s was a very turbulent time in the former Yugoslavia: the country was being torn apart, by war, secessions, NATO bombings and international sanctions. Amidst the tumult, the Novi Sad Humanitarian Centre ran a series of projects bringing arts to multiple social groups in refugee camps, hospitals, orphanages and residential homes. A young Saša Asentić was amongst the facilitators. In 1999, Asentić had a fateful meeting with a group of learning-disabled people and their parents.

Jo Bannon: ‘Why do we prioritise the visual sense?’

OpinionResource
November 4, 2019

The third Europe Beyond Access laboratory took place in Maastricht and was hosted by Holland Dance Festival. Taking part in the lab, UK performance artist and theatre-maker Jo Bannon reflects on her experience and reveals some of the ideas that inform her work.

Per.Art

Artist

Per.Art is an independent organization active in the field of contemporary performing arts in Serbia.

Dançando com a Diferença

Artist

Dançando com a Diferença’s daily challenge is to change the image society has of the disabled and to carve out a space for human diversity within the professional universe of the contemporary arts.

Chisato Minamimura

Artist

Chisato Minamimura is a Deaf performance artist, choreographer and BSL art guide. Born in Japan, now based in London, Chisato has created, performed and taught internationally and is currently a Work Place artist at The Place. Chisato has been involved in aerial performances with Graeae Theatre Company, London’s Paralympic Opening Ceremony and Rio’s 2016 Paralympic Cultural Olympiad. Chisato trained at Trinity Laban in London and holds a BA in Japanese Painting and MA from Yokohama National University.