Lucy Blazheva: Community Dance Artist at DanceEast
Lucy has a busy schedule delivering dance projects across the East of England on a weekly basis
The
Adult and Community Services (ACS) project aims to get, and keep, older people active through dance activities which take place in their community. Activities primarily take place in the Stoke and Alexandra wards of Ipswich and at the Jerwood DanceHouse on the Ipswich waterfront.
Outreach sessions have taken place in residential homes, libraries and community and day care centres since March 2011. To date over 65 people have participated in ACS activities.
As part of this project in January 2011 Lucy delivered workshops in English Folk Dancing to members of Karibu, a support group for African women and their families in Ipswich and Suffolk. Participants were taught a short piece of movement, and then had the opportunity to create something of their own.
Lucy promotes the ‘open to all’ ethos of the DanceHouse, and encourages these groups to visit and join in with the extra activities on offer, in addition to the regular class programme (i.e. Waterfront Book Club, DanceHouse Fairs).
In 2011
Lucy won the award for Healthy Lifestyle Champion of
the Year at the Stars of Suffolk Awards, for her work with the Adult and
Community Services project.
| 'The ACS scheme has enabled me to connect with
communities who would not usually think of dance as a form of
socialising or exercise. It has been such an exciting opportunity, where
I have been able to make dance accessible and personal to individuals
and the group.' Lucy Blazheva |
 |
As part of the
Princes Foundation START project 17 class rooms of Key Stage 2 children are able to access three performance packages a year at the DanceHouse, over a period of three years. These young people also receive a dance workshop themed around each performance to further build on their cultural experience, (including TPO’s 2010 Christmas show
The Japanese Garden,
Echoa by Compagnie Arcosm and
Maps by Nats Nus Dansa).
The four schools involved are:
- Halifax Primary School
- The Oaks Primary School
- Ranelagh Primary School
- Hillside Community Primary School
Lucy has also created workshops for sports coaches from the
Ipswich Town Football Club Academy. These workshops were designed to equip the coaches with the confidence to explore the possibilities dance offers in the curriculum, in cross curricular development and expression. The coaches were able to work through lesson plans and later created and trialled their own lessons with peers, in order to understand how to engage, support and inform students through teaching.
Other community dance projects
Suffolk Artlink Culture Club Project
The Right Moves is a programme aimed at people over 50 years of age. Through this project participants learn how they can use everyday household items as a means of exercise.
-
Suffolk Artlink is a participatory arts organisation. Its main aim is to provide a range of high quality creative activities that enable people of all abilities and ages to access, enjoy and participate in the arts.
- Culture Club works in partnership with a variety of organisations to create innovative projects for older people.
Historical project in Essex
Once a week Lucy delivered dance activities on the children's ward at Colchester hospital. This provided a fantastic way for the children to stimulate their mind, exercise their bodies and express feelings toward their illness. The age of patients ranged from 1 to 17 years.
Biography
Lucy was awarded a full scholarship from Trinity Laban and embraced the BA (Hons) Dance Studies course, focusing her specialism within Contemporary Release, Graham, Cunningham and Contact Improvisation, alongside nurturing an interest in costume design.
After graduating Lucy went on to teach at EssexDance (now DanceDigital), leading parent and toddler classes and adult contemporary. She then went on to work within the Essex community, teaching creative dance and contemporary dance technique as a freelance artist to Key Stage 1 – 5 pupils in private and state schools.
In 2008 Lucy returned to Trinity Laban to continue her professional development, studying the Postgraduate Diploma in Community Dance. Since then she has taught movement and introductory choreology* at the East 15 Acting School, University of Essex and Adult Contemporary Technique at Trinity Laban. Lucy is currently lecturing at University Campus Suffolk, after writing and delivering
Community Dance in the 21st Century, a module studied as part of the
BA (Hons) Dance degree.
*Choreology is a system that is used to understand the nature of human movement. It uses five strands which can be explored independently enabling understanding of the body’s movement in language. Movement can be identified within: Space; Action; Relationships; Dynamics and Body. More information:
Specialist Diploma: Choreological Studies, Trinity Laban.
Photos: Peter Dennis and Anthony Tapsell.
