Miscellaneous

Inclusion Project

Dancing Together

Inclusion is a societal mandate—no question about that. The project "See me – Dance with me"—presented by the Staatstheater Nürnberg’s Ballet of Difference over three dates in late July at the Z-Bau (a center for contemporary culture)—vividly demonstrated that this mustn’t remain mere lip service. The initiative was launched by Ballet Director Richard Siegal as part of his interdisciplinary "Idea in Action" concept; in doing so, he is thinking far beyond existing possibilities.

"See me – Dance with me" marked the beginning of an initial, intensive collaboration with the bbs Nuremberg – Educational Center for Blind and Visually Impaired Children. In this inclusive dance project, around 100 blind, visually impaired, and sighted children—together with the supervising team (under the artistic direction of Martina LaRagione and Wayne Götz)—were able to explore dance and movement, accompanied by music (violin: Justyna Niznik) and regardless of their visual ability. The participants performed as soloists, in duos, or in groups. It was impressive to see how, over the course of four weeks of daily, open-ended rehearsals, the young people were able to discover and further develop dance, music, and improvisation.

The result was a program that excluded no one, allowing everyone to become part of a greater whole according to their own abilities. This approach was not limited to the performers themselves—who danced or told stories through movement in the large open space between the two spectator stands—but also actively involved the audience. For instance, at the start, everyone was invited onto the dance floor in the darkened space to welcome the entering children. Later, the children brought those same people back onto the stage for a joint dance finale. In this way, inhibitions on both sides were reduced, and the performance became a shared experience. It was a project that demanded courage and a willingness to be flexible—and rewarded both! Hopefully, it will inspire many others to follow suit.

Elke Walter

www.staatstheater-nuernberg.de