Date: August 9, 2019 - October 11, 2019
Location: Poland
Dance and Disability: Crossing the Borders is a partnership between British Council and the Polish Institute of Music and Dance.
Following an open call process and a jury selection, 15 disabled and non-disabled artists took part in three residential artistic laboratories at Rozbark Theatre in Bytom. These laboratories provided opportunity for artists to experiment and discover new artistic ideas and processes, whilst also developing a peer group of artists interested in transforming the Polish dance sector.
Each laboratory was led by a different workshop leader:
#1 by Ewa Sobiak and the disabled artist Justyna Duda;
#2 by the world-renowned Australian disabled choreographer Marc Brew;
#3 by Sylwia Hefczyńska-Lewandowska.
The British Council supported the presence of Marc Brew. Born in Australia, Marc spent many years as a leading disabled artist in Scotland. Marc now lives in San Francisco where he is the Artistic Director of the United States’ leading inclusive dance company, AXIS Dance Company.
Dance & Disability: Crossing the Borders also offers participants the opportunity to travel overseas to take part in international dance laboratories and to meet their peers from Germany, Italy, Sweden, Greece, Serbia and the Netherlands.
In June 2019, Katarzyna Żeglicka travelled to Malmö in Sweden to take part in Europe Beyond Access laboratory Unexpected Bodies in Unexpected Places, hosted by Skånes Dansteater.
In October 2019, Tatiana Cholewa and Katarzyna Żeglicka travelled to Maastricht in the Netherlands to Europe Beyond Access laboratory Other Artists, Other Bodies, hosted by Holland Dance Festival.
All the details of participating artists are available on ImiT’s website: http://imit.org.pl/programy/departament-tanca/2859