New Dance Film ALEX Explores Young People's Mental Health

Shining a light on the mental health of young people, digital dance film ALEX draws on personal experiences and research with a youth group, hospital and school to tell a story of three characters with the same name. Interweaving contemporary dance, text and poetry with an original score, ALEX has been adapted from the original stage production, Weight/Wait, to become an interactive online film during which audiences will be prompted to respond and give advice to the characters via a comment box. The advice submitted halfway through the film will be collated onto a 'legacy page' of the website where audiences can revisit to see uplifting thoughts and ideas for mental well-being support. The work has been supported by mentoring and advice from psychotherapists Terry Hyde and Tatiana Cantaud.

When the Alex's finds themselves at their first counselling session, they begin to explore the mental and physical 'weight' of their thoughts, the impact of their inner voice and their sense of self-confidence. ALEX has been created by dance artists Caldonia Walton and Kathy Richardson, and can be screened for online audiences and live theatre audiences (with in-person interactivity where audiences are invited to share their advice on paper). The work is offered in schools with a worksheet and lesson plan that aids young people to talk and discuss mental well-being and how to support yourself and others. Following the production, the website will also have links to resources for further mental health support and guidance.

Caldonia Walton and Kathy Richardson said, "'Every year we've worked on ALEX (and preceding production Weight/Wait), the topic becomes more and more relevant. We hope our work can be a drop of hope and spark a discussion amongst the rising percentage figures of young people dealing with mental health issues. The work was driven by us talking about our own personal experiences and we hope through this interactive version, young people can feel they can speak about their experience and reach out for support. Dance and movement has allowed us to explore feelings we found hard to put into words. We've aimed to create a relatable narrative, with the opportunity to give advice that might be relevant for yourself. We strive to show others that they are not alone in working against and with an inner voice - that it is a continuous journey of dancing together'"

Caldonia Dances creates original stories for stage and film, using movement as the starting point and merging it with theatre, text and design. Her choreographic work has been shared at The Royal Opera House Linbury Theatre, The Dance Centre (Vancouver), The Southbank Centre, The Place, London Fashion Week and Channel 4 Random Acts. She peforms with dance companies such as VOXED, Autin Dance Theatre and Ransack Dance Company.

Kathy Richardson is a Dance Artist, Yoga teacher, creative mover and anatomy enthusiast. She has been a company member of Yorke Dance Project and worked with Neville Campbell, Kate Mummery (ZK Dance), Ponciano Almeida (Guarini Dance Company), Ben Duke (Lost Dog), Henri Oguike and Lizzie J Klotz.

Available online from 3rd - 31st March 2022, hosted by Swindon Dance's online platform.

£10 - £4 (Pay What You Can available) | www.swindondance.org.uk (Tickets onsale Wednesday 16th Feb)

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