Danielle Teale's Collective IDentity Project Receives Major Funding For A National Programme With Dancers With Parkinson's

Danielle Teale Dance has announced significant grant from Arts Council England to expand the reach of its innovative Collective IDentity (CID) Project with dancers with Parkinson's throughout the UK.

Working with seven national partners to deliver work in London, Hampshire, Essex and Lancashire, this ground-breaking project brings together visual arts, dance, music and research with dancers with Parkinson's to explore their sense of identity, collectivity and compassion. After a year of isolation and the challenges that we have all faced, this project is steeped in personal attention, and the values of care and collaboration.

To allow a safe and sensitive return to in-person activity, the project will begin online with a programme of virtual dance workshops, before exploring a new one-to-one offer with dancers in their own homes and gardens, culminating in a series of live group workshops.

This multidimensional project will also see a new documentary film and the 'Connection in Isolation' exhibition created with the dancers and inspired by their dance experience, tour to libraries, hospitals and arts centres across the UK.

Danielle Teale, Artistic Director of Danielle Teale Dance, said: 'I am grateful to Arts Council England and all of our partners for supporting the Collective IDentity Project. This investment will allow us not only to continue but expand on our work with dancers with Parkinson's to question how care and compassion for ourselves and others supports our sense of identity'

The seven partners for the CID Project are University College London Hospital: Arts and Heritage (Central London), Arts at St. George's Hospital (South West London), Poplar Union (East London), LPM Dance and Health (Lancashire), Dance Network Association (Essex), and The Point (Eastleigh).

In addition to these partners Danielle Teale Dance will work with CILIP, the UK's library and information association, to connect with libraries across the UK for a national events and exhibition tour.

The core team for delivering Danielle Teale's CID Project is Danielle Teale, Artistic Director, Jaka Skapin, Music and Film Director, Emma Abbey, Producer, and independent Researcher and Evaluator Lizzie Fort

Danielle Teale is an internationally recognised leader in the field of dance and Parkinson's, having worked with people with Parkinson's for over 12 years. She has delivered work for many high-profile programmes including English National Ballet, Scottish Ballet, People Dancing and Mark Morris Dance Group among others. It is her belief that by providing people with Parkinson's ownership over their dance experience they can develop a greater understanding of themselves and their bodies and find more capacity for care for themselves and others.