Image description: Rachael wearing a blue FRONTLINEdance tshirt, jeans and trainers is seated on a chair in a village hall kicking a leg forward. To her right, a female wearing a black fleece, leggings and trainers is standing and also kicking a leg forwards.
Below this in a blue circle is the text FREE Refreshments and then in red are six access icons:
Easy read visual stories Wheelchair accessible Hearing Loop BSL interpreter Guide Dogs are Welcome We sign Makaton
Sessions are accessible for all, and access icons included are not what we are limited to.
A successful application means that we have been awarded a grant to tour the ‘Explorers’ to Stoke-on-Trent venues; museums, libraries, special schools, children’s centres, hospital children’s wards/departments and community groups. It will also provide the touring places as well as local arts and culture organisations workshops, in access and inclusion.
If you are interested in us coming to you? Please contact Rachael: 07484 874335 as soon as possible. You must be within Stoke-on-Trent for this opportunity. Thank You!
We are offering FREE taster sessions so that you can come and try it for yourself, before the weekly group starts in January 2023.
Taster Sessions:
Monday’s: 14th, 21st, 28th November & 5th, 12th December at Swan Bank Centre, Burslem
Thursday’s: 17th, 24th November & 1st, 8th, 15th December at St John’s Centre, Trent Vale
The grant also means that we can offer taster sessions within our community, for all our programmes, by visiting already established groups that exist for; d/DEAF disabled and neurodivergent people and those with long term health conditions.
We’ve been given a conditional offer to be one of Arts Council Englands’ National Portfolio Organisations for 2023 to 2026.
Responses from our Chair Yael Owen-Mckenna and Artistic Director Rachael Lines;
Yael Owen-Mckenna Chair of the Board – FRONTLINEdance
‘During the past 21 years FRONTLINEdance has been working tirelessly with our community of dancers, supporters, advocates, volunteers and champions. Through this work we have been able to offer inclusive opportunities for people to dance, to be creative and to engage with performances as both audiences and participants.
We have also supported other organisations to ensure their work is inclusive and accessible for everyone to enjoy.The vision of the company continues to be realised through the leadership and dedication of our Artistic Director, Rachael Lines and her team of artists and staff. In addition the board past and present, has been key in supporting and driving forward the company’s ambitions. I would like to thank the Board for their support and contributions during this intense application period. There have been triumphs celebrated and challenges faced, always with courage and integrity and always aligned to the vision of FRONTLINEdance.
As Chair of the board I’m beyond proud to learn FRONTLINEdance has been successful in our bid to join the Arts Council Investment Portfolio in 2023-26. The work that has contributed to our successful application has been immense and we are incredibly excited to begin our journey of planning for the future.We will continue to seek new and exciting opportunities, partnerships and people so that our work can thrive, develop and grow across the next 21 years with everyone in our community and beyond.
Congratulations FRONTLINEdance!’
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Rachael Lines Artistic Director – FRONTLINEdance
‘This year we, along with 1,700 arts organisations in England, applied for Arts Council England’s 2023-26 Investment Programme. We applied as we believe the work that we do everyday fits with the aims of Arts Council’s ‘Let’s Create’ strategy. FRONTLINEdance also need the investment, continuity, security, and increased capacity to sustain our current and future offer. We have ambitions to fulfil the dreams that we’ve had for the last 21 years which have not yet been realised. We want to continue to offer exciting and needed creative and artistic activity in our community, and support others in making their organisations accessible and inclusive to all.
On the 4th November 2022, we received the wonderful news that Arts Council England offered FRONTLINEdance (along with 990 others nationally) investment from the ‘2023-26 Investment Programmes for National Portfolio Organisations (NPO)’.
This is the best 21st Birthday present!
Thank you so much to those who have played a part in the FRONTLINEdance story so far. You’ve kept the company going for twenty-one years on a shoestring! I feel incredibly lucky to be Artistic Director of FRONTLINEdance. I feel really proud of what we have achieved over the years and excited about our future. I am truly grateful for all the people I get to meet and work with every day, and being surrounded by great board members, peers, allies, advocates, ambassadors, facilitators, performers, participants, and audiences.‘
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The funding will start in April 2023 meaning FRONTLINEdance will be able to extend and develop what we already do, offer new opportunities and grow as an organisation. More information will be shared nearer the time. For now we have some amazing projects, workshops, performances and training to deliver!
On Friday 26th August, as you may know, FRONTLINEdance are hosting a visit to the Big Feast. It’s an exciting outdoor event full of amazing performances. There is so much to see, be in awe of, and enjoy! There are lots of dance performances happening which I really encourage you to join us, to watch. The companies are international touring companies and the dancers are amazing – really inspiring to watch. We never usually get the opportunity to see them so don’t miss this opportunity! Bonus – its FREE!!!!
We’ve been working hard with Appetite who put on the event to make it fully accessible to everybody. Throughout the day there will be ACCESS ambassadors at hand, audio described performances, BSL interpreted performance, and there are easy read visual stories on the website to help everybody prepare. We are currently working with a few of the companies to organise a meet before hand, to help with comprehension of some of the characters, before we get to see the performance. FRONTLINEdance have our own team too – even better!
You can join us to be your hosts or you can sign up to be a FRONTLINE Arts Volunteers and help us host – it’s up to you. Just please let us know as soon as you can! If you are not going to join us, we’d love to know why.
For those wanting to join us, you can attend by yourself as long as you don’t need any medical, or personal care supporting, it’s safe for you to do so. Everyone is welcome to bring family and friends… just let us know how many so we can prepare!
If you have the energy you can return on the Saturday and support us! Our Explorers team are performing at 11am and 2pm at Smithfield’s. We are looking for volunteers to help us on the Saturday too, if you can make it. For those who were part of our FAF festival, you’ll be delighted to hear that ‘Stop Gap’ are performing on Saturday too!
So come and support us, join us and again if you want to volunteer you can do that too!
Lastly, for those who sign up to volunteer we are offering a free training day with Staffordshire Sightloss on Weds 17th August. Lunch will be provided.
All sessions are Pay What You Can donations. We recommend: £5 for one hour and £10 for two hours. We are unable to provide medical or personal care during this year’s summer programme.
Carers are welcome to stay near-by. There is tea and coffee available.
Moving Together for those who have had a Cancer/Stroke diagnosis.
FRIDAY’S – 22nd & 29th
10am -12 midday(Cancer) 1pm – 3pm (Stroke)
St John’s Centre, Trent Vale (tea and coffee provided)
FRONTLINEdance would also like to invite you to their AGM: Thursday 21st July at 6:30-7:30pm: more information available on our website and social media pages.
AUGUST 2022
Dance For Parkinson’s (tea and coffee provided)
TUESDAY’S – 2nd, 9th, 16th & 23rd 1:15pm-2:45pm
Swan Bank Church, Burslem.
Moving TogetherONLINE Zoom For those with Parkinson’s, Stroke, Cancer, MS and other long term health conditions
THURSDAY’S – 4th, 11th, 18th 10am-11am (Zoom link sent once registered)
MOVING STORIES at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery
THURSDAY 11th August
10am-11:30am Under 18’s 11:30-1pm Over 18’s
1:30-3pm Over 55’s
THURSDAY’S 4th & 18th August at 1:30-3:30pm
Children and young adults with Down Syndrome, their families and carers in partnership with Stoke & Staffordshire Down Syndrome group.
VENUE: St John’s Centre, Trent Vale. COST: £5 paid directly to the charity, not FRONTLINEdance
Breakthrou’dance for those 14 years and over
THURSDAY’S 4th & 18th 10:30am-12:30pm
St John’s Centre, Trent Vale.
Moving Together for those who have had a Cancer or Stroke diagnosis.
FRIDAY 26th August: Let FRONTLINEdance be your hosts! We’ll have a team of volunteers ready to take you to experience a range of acts and participatory events during the day. A schedule will be available in August.
Saturday 27th August FRONTLINEdance will be performing and presenting performances and workshops especially made for disabled children, young people and families with early years – will be fully inclusive. Smithfields, City Centre. More information to follow.
Please come and join our wonderful vibrant intergenerational cast of professional and community perform “With Soundness of Heart” on Saturday 25th June at 11am outside The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery.
This one-off performance is to celebrate the Queens Platinum Jubilee and FRONTLINEdance’s 20th year Birthday Celebrations! Inspired by the thoughts and advice the Queen has given over the years whilst drawing parallels with FRONTLINEdance’s own ethos and being, this new work co-created by the cast and FRONTLINEdance’s Artistic Director, ‘Soundness of Heart’ will bring connectiveness, joy, aspiration, hope, and togetherness.
Access on offer:
Relaxed Performance
Any voice work will be Makaton and BSL signed by the performers
BSL interpreter in audience
Audio description delivered by the Artistic Director
This community participatory arts project has been funded by Arts Council England’s #LetsCreate Jubilee Fund which is made possible thanks to NationalLottery Players. Administered by UK Community Foundations#PlatinumJubilee, and Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID #createfund . Thanks also to the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery and the ADHD FoundationFoundation.
Everyone and everybody of all ages are welcome! The project is fully inclusive and accessible to disabled people and those with long-term health conditions, those with previous dance experience and those new to dance.
Don’t want to perform but still want to be part of it – Then VOLUNTEER! There are lots of different jobs that we need help with. Let us know that you are interested.
Neither of interest? Then please come and experience our performance from 11am outside the Spitfire Gallery at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery. Bring a flag! 🏳🌈
“With Soundness of Heart” – an intergenerational and inclusive performance project by FRONTLINEdance! To mark 70 years since Her Majesty The Queen 👑 ascended the throne. Thanks to #NationalLottery players, we’ve been awarded funding to host a creative and cultural event to celebrate.
Relaxed Performance
