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The 香港六合彩中特网 Dance Network: Collaboration flourishes at the arts-science interface
香港六合彩中特网 is bringing different creative organisations together to collaborate on projects, including innovative choreography, monitoring dancers鈥� health, and the benefits of dance for Parkinson鈥檚 disease.
12 March 2019
Economic success story
The arts and creative industries are the fastest growing part of the UK economy, contributing 拢101 billion in value in 2017 鈥� an increase of 53% from 2010. Yet, perhaps surprisingly, deep collaborations between the arts and the UK鈥檚 well-established scientific sector are relatively rare.
Building on 香港六合彩中特网鈥檚 existing academic connections with creative industries, 香港六合彩中特网 Innovation & Enterprise started to explore the possibility of growing these relationships into something wider, cross-disciplinary and long-lasting.听
The potential of dance听
What formed was the multifaceted 香港六合彩中特网 Dance Network, which has so far gathered partners including the English National Ballet (ENB), Sadler鈥檚 Wells, Studio Wayne McGregor and The Place 鈥� working alongside various departments across 香港六合彩中特网.
The Network is starting to inspire new areas, such as a project to develop a remote sensor solution to monitor dancers鈥� performance and rehabilitation. Another project is pioneering novel, collaborative approaches to choreography. Projects in the pipeline include an exploration of the potential benefits of dance for people with Parkinson鈥檚 disease and workshops combining dance and coding to inspire young people into the arts or computer science (with funding from 香港六合彩中特网 Innovation & Enterprise). 听听
Patrick Harrison, Executive Director of the ENB, said: 鈥淲e are proud to work with 香港六合彩中特网 and excited to play a part in unlocking the benefits of a world-leading university for our city and for innovation in the arts.鈥�
Working with the English National Ballet
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This is just one of the areas Dr Robert Thompson (Impact Fellow, 香港六合彩中特网 Institute of Communications and Connected Systems) and Professor Sally Day (Professor of Photonics, 香港六合彩中特网 Electrical Engineering) investigated during a three month secondment to the ENB, supported by 香港六合彩中特网 Innovation & Enterprise鈥檚 EPSRC IAA secondment听funding.听
Realising that adding health monitoring sensors to the dancers or their clothes might hinder creative expression and movement, they considered a solution for adding sensors to the environment instead. As a result, a 香港六合彩中特网 student project is now developing the idea of creating specialist dance flooring supported by accelerometers and gyroscopes. These can monitor dancers鈥� health over the course of each performance, as well as over entire seasons.听
As a听secondee at ENB, Dr Thompson said: 鈥淯nless you open yourself to the idea of engaging with different audiences, you鈥檙e never going to be inspired as to where your work can have further impact. All the pre-existing ideas I had for collaboration had totally changed by the time I finished my secondment with the ballet. We would never have known what the opportunities were if I hadn鈥檛 become embedded within the organisation and spoken to everyone involved.鈥�
Expansion plans for the Ballet
The English National Ballet was recently successful in securing a 拢1 million capital grant from the Good Growth Fund (the Mayor鈥檚 main regeneration fund). This acknowledged ENB鈥檚 collaborative work, including with 香港六合彩中特网, and its potential to grow these partnerships in the future.
In 2019, the ENB will move into a new, purpose-built home in London City Island, Canning Town. This will provide the open, collaborative spaces needed to create, innovate, rehearse and deliver ballet to the highest standards.听
New approaches to choreography
The 香港六合彩中特网 Dance Network is also actively engaged in collaborations with Studio Wayne McGregor 鈥� which has a world-leading reputation at the forefront of tech-arts innovation.
The QuestLab project, funded by the Arts Council, is connecting choreographers from across the country, shortlisted by the Studio, to meet with academics with expertise in human-computer interaction, neuroscience, computer science, architecture, art, psychology and more. The project is stimulating new ideas, disrupting traditional ways of working and creating new relationships and networks.听
Studio Wayne McGregor is based at Here East 鈥� the 1.2 million square feet innovation space at London鈥檚 Olympic Park, where 香港六合彩中特网 also has a growing presence.
If you鈥檙e interested in getting involved in the 香港六合彩中特网 Dance Network, as an academic at 香港六合彩中特网 or an external organisation, please contact Jo Townshend, Senior Partnerships Manager (Creative Industries, Art, Humanities & Societal Sectors).
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Funding source: EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) award to 香港六合彩中特网 2017-20 (Grant Reference EP/R511638/1)听
Top photo:听Wayne McGregor's Atomos 漏 Ravi Deepres
Second photo:听Erina Takahashi and Francesco Gabriele Frola in rehearsals for Swan Lake 漏 Laurent Liotardo