PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
At Rendez-Vous Dance, our engagement work is rooted in the belief that dance can be a meaningful tool for connection, wellbeing, and shared experience. We develop long-term relationships with communities, shaping each project in response to the people we work with, rather than applying a fixed model.
Our practice unfolds through a range of formats, including community workshops, pop-up performances, open rehearsals, and conversations. Each encounter is designed as an invitation to experience dance in an accessible and embodied way, whether through movement, observation, or dialogue.
We are particularly interested in creating spaces that are inclusive, attentive, and grounded in care, where participants can explore both the physical and emotional dimensions of dancing together. These moments often extend beyond the studio, continuing in informal social gatherings that encourage exchange and the building of new relationships.
Hippocampe Youth Dance is a youth contemporary dance group for young people aged 8–14, co-presented by
Rendez-Vous Dance and Queen's Hall Arts Centre. Led by the artistic team of Rendez-Vous Dance, the programme offers a welcoming and inspiring environment where young people can discover contemporary dance, develop their creativity, and grow in confidence.
Through movement exploration, creative tasks, improvisation, and choreography, participants are encouraged to express themselves, work collaboratively, and develop their own artistic voice. Whether they are new to dance or already have experience, Hippocampe Youth Dance provides an opportunity to learn, create, and connect with others through movement.
Sessions take place every other week at Queen's Hall Arts Centre and are designed to nurture curiosity, imagination, and a love of dance in a supportive and inclusive atmosphere.
Places are available for £30 per term. To find out more or register your interest, please contact Queen's Hall Arts Centre.
https://www.queenshall.co.uk/whats-on/hippocampe-youth-dance
Dance Audience Development Weeks
During residencies, Rendez-Vous Dance offers a full programme of activities designed to meaningfully engage with local audiences and participants. Rather than focusing solely on performance, each residency becomes an opportunity to open up the creative process and invite the public into different stages of the work.
This may include pop-up performances in public spaces across the town, workshops with a range of communities, open rehearsals, and artist conversations. Each element is designed to create accessible and varied points of entry into the work, fostering curiosity, dialogue, and shared experience around contemporary dance.
In our most recent residency in Hexham, this approach enabled us to connect with over 400 participants and audience members. This demonstrates the effectiveness of an embedded, place-based model of engagement, where artistic activity is shared beyond the studio and integrated into the life of the local community.
Community workshops
Our community workshops are an opportunity to meet people where they are and to share the benefits of dance as a practice that supports wellbeing, connection, and self-awareness.
Each workshop is built around the core values of care and connection. We create a space where participants are encouraged to listen, to trust one another, and to move together with attentiveness and generosity. Through guided improvisation and movement exploration, we support a heightened sense of physical and emotional awareness, inviting participants to connect more deeply with themselves and with others.
Our workshops are often followed by informal social gatherings, offering time to talk, exchange experiences, and build new relationships in a relaxed and welcoming environment.
Alongside their social and wellbeing focus, our engagement activities can also evolve into performative projects, opening pathways for participants to contribute to creative processes and public presentations.