Not only was Shifting Footprints a high quality performance, getting the best from the young people involved, it also conveyed a very poignant and moving message.
Excellence in Cities Co-ordinator, Newham




AIMS

Akademi's Education & Community Programme aims to:

  • Present South Asian dance in ways that are relevant to life in Britain today

  • Reach children and adults of all ethnic origins, backgrounds, ages and abilities

  • Use South Asian dance and related arts as a resource for learning, creativity and well-being

  • Increase appreciation of South Asian dance and culture

  • Extend the use of South Asian dance to address social, educational and health issues

  • Raise awareness of South Asian dance in community and education settings



It fulfilled a need for a complete change of scale, approach, thinking and physical activity.
Group Leader, Mary Ward Over 60's Drama Group, Camden


Akademi are well organised, professional, inclusive and have high expectations. They are great role models for our pupils. I was also impressed with their approach of joint planning, consultation with teachers and that they provide INSET prior to the project.
Teacher, Little Ilford School, Newham


It doesn't matter what race you are, you can still have fun doing Asian dancing.
Young person, Youth Service, Waltham Forest


Communication between the dancer and musician was excellent. Considering the abilities of our clients, we had expected it to be slow, simple dance steps; but it was far better and structured team work. If there was a mark sheet I would say 10/10!
Manager, Mencap Day Centre for Adults With Learning Disabilities, Harrow



EDUCATION
& COMMUNITY

South Asian Dance For Everyone
Akademi's education and community programme uses South Asian dance and related art forms in ways that are stimulating and relevant to life in the UK today. Its imaginative participatory projects act as a resource for learning, creativity and well-being for a wide range of communities, while raising awareness of the richness and diversity of contemporary South Asian culture.

Since its establishment in 1979, Akademi has been at the forefront of taking South Asian dance into schools and community settings across London and beyond. Projects are tailor-made to suit the needs of a broad range of individual groups including school pupils, young people in youth settings, people with disabilities, older people, refugees and hospital patients.

Akademi also supports South Asian dance artists working in community and education settings by providing training programmes and by working on their behalf to create a wider awareness of the use of South Asian dance in these contexts.


VIEW A VIDEO ON THE DEPARTMENT

Education video link image


Education & Community Programme
Akademi's Education & Community Programme creates imaginative, enjoyable and artistically challenging projects for people of all ages, ethnic origins, backgrounds and abilities. Workshops and residencies take place in a wide range of settings including schools, colleges, youth clubs, day centres, residential homes, hospitals and prisons. South Asian dance and related arts are used as a resource for learning, creativity and well-being, while raising awareness of the diversity and richness of South Asian culture.


Project Content & Leadership
Education and Community projects are tailor-made to suit the specific needs and interests of each group. Content for the projects draws upon the rich resources of South Asian dance and movement including: classical, contemporary, folk and popular styles, martial arts and yoga - as well as music and other art forms. Workshops are led by highly skilled and experienced professional artists: dancers, musicians and, where appropriate, others such as poets, video artists, DJs, story-tellers and designers.

Longer projects are researched and created by the department's staff, after an intensive period of training and creative exploration involving Akademi's artists. Performance opportunities are often constructed for participants, raising the profile of the work and generating wider interest in South Asian arts and culture.


Resources & Training
Written resources and other materials, such as videos, DVDs, CDs and CD-ROMs, are supplied to enable teachers, group leaders and participants to prepare for and follow-up the work.

Akademi regularly leads In-service Training (INSET) workshops and courses for teachers, group leaders and carers. These are built in to larger projects to ensure teachers and other professionals gain maximum benefit from Akademi's work by being fully equipped to provide follow-up work, and, where appropriate, to highlight links to the National Curriculum.


Support for South Asian
Dance Artists Working in
Community Settings
Akademi supports South Asian dance artists working in community and education contexts through providing training programmes and by working on their behalf to create better public awareness of the use of South Asian dance in community and education settings.


Partnerships and Funding
Akademi works with a wide range of partner organisations to plan and deliver its education and community projects: local education authorities, education action zones, youth services, borough arts departments, arts centres and theatres, social services, primary care teams, voluntary sector organisations and many others.

Akademi is often able to offer its Education and Community work at highly subsidised rates due to generous support by a range of funders. Over the past few years these have included the European Social Fund, the Department for International Development and the Bridge House Estates Trust Fund.




FURTHER INFORMATION

Email education@akademi.co.uk » for further information on Akademi's Education and Community Programme.

Please see the Contacts, Resources & Public Services » page for alternative ways to contact Akademi and details of our free information service about South Asian Dance.



 

CURRENT PROJECTS


Akademi South Asian Dance UK is running Re-act, co-funded by the Learning Skills Council (LSC) and the European Social Fund (ESF).

React will run until June 2008.
More »




UPCOMING EVENTS

Details of forthcoming events can be found on our Home page.


PREVIOUS PROJECTS

PARALLEL SPACES
Developing knowledge and understanding of global issues amongst young people.

Parallel Spaces was a three year educational project funded by the Department for International Development (Dfid) and managed by Akademi.

The project aimed to enable primary and secondary school pupils to gain a greater understanding of the effects of poverty and global interdependence on young people in Britain and the Indian subcontinent. Pupils views and perceptions, explored through storytelling, South Asian dance and music, provide a starting point from which to address larger developmental issues.

Through the creative use of South Asian dance, storytelling and music, Parallel Spaces brought development issues vividly to life.

Aims and Objectives

To develop curriculum linked creative arts work which focuses on South Asian dance, storytelling and music.
To develop better understanding of global issues, amongst young people.
To develop knowledge and understanding of social justice and equity.
To create an awareness of young people in other countries and their access to education.
To provide support and training for teachers so they can further develop the work.
To develop an understanding for cultural diversity – through the use of South Asian dance and related art forms such as storytelling.
Using stories, slides and cultural objects from India, children are introduced to school life in India with a series of activities and discussions


BA(Hons)
DEGREE PROGRAMME

From September 2004, London Contemporary Dance School (LCDS) is launching new specialist training in South Asian Dance, developed with Akademi, as part of its three year degree programme.

The opportunity to study at London Contemporary Dance School is a valuable one for South Asian dance students, especially those who have the potential to pursue a professional career in dance.

A BA(Hons) qualification is the gateway to not only this career but also to the wider arts world and beyond.

View BA(Hons) PDF » (101 kb)
You need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed to view the PDF.

For further information, audition dates and an application form, please contact the LCDS office:

email lcds@theplace.org.uk
visit www.theplace.org.uk
or phone 020 7387 0152.

Moving Sites
Took place from Sept 2003 to March 2004 in the boroughs of Brent, Ealing and Barking and Dagenham
Moving Sites incorporated the development and delivery of South Asian dance participatory activities within a broad range of education and community settings in the boroughs of Brent, Ealing and Barking and Dagenham.

Groups were invited from educational and community settings to work together and experience South Asian dance and related art forms. They worked towards creating material (dance, video, photography and written) and displays which created a permanent record of the project to be seen by the local and wider community.

Moving Sites included boroughs and groups where there was a lack of accessible participatory arts activity and where they were seeking to redress this. Akademi worked closely with each of the boroughs to plan and develop the project, which complemented existing activities in the boroughs.

Migrations
Involved young people in primary and secondary schools and a youth project in Newham and Lambeth.
Migrations explored issues of refuge and refugees through dance, music and poetry. Shifting Footprints brought together pupils from four participating schools to perform at Stratford Circus.

Dance Connect
Involved young people between 13 and 19 years of age in Newham, Tower Hamlets and Barnet.
Dance Connect used dance, video, design, DJ-ing and journalism to increase motivation among disaffected young people. The project culminated in FUZE, an evening of Bhangra and Bollywood inspired dance, music and video performed by over 70 young people at The Bull/artsdepot.

Silver Stompers
Involved 3 groups of senior citizens in Camden, in partnership with the Greater London Pensioners Association.
Silver Stompers worked with three groups of senior citizens to provide an opportunity for creativity and enjoyment through classical dance, music and storytelling.

Dancing for Spirit
Reached over 6,000 patients, staff and visitors at Chelsea & Westminster Hospitals.
Dancing for the Spirit was a major collaboration with Hospital Arts at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, which reached over 6,000 patients, staff and visitors on the Children's, HIV, Antenatal and Orthopaedic wards, through participatory workshops and performances. The project culminated in Spirit Unleashed a site-specific performance celebration of Diwali.

DiversCity
Directly involved 1,250 children, young people, adults with learning disabilities and older people in Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Hillingdon and Enfield.
DiverCity directly involved 1,250 children, young people, adults with learning disabilities and older people, with participants invited to creatively explore diversity in London through South Asian dance, music and video making.

Minds in Motion
Involved schools and youth groups in Camden and Waltham Forest.
Minds in Motion was a drug education project based in Camden and Waltham Forest which worked with schools and youth groups using drama and storytelling alongside classical and Bollywood dance styles.


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