THIS IS US

We saw their performance at TedX Tunbridge Wells in January and it was so beautifully curated that it had us in tears! We had to find out more about this incredible dance company and tell others about it. Here we talk to founders Jan and Hannah about their passion for dance and providing an inclusive creative space for all.

Tell us a bit more about yourself…

This Is Us Youth Dance Company is run by Hannah Rotchell, a professional dancer and Jan Cockburn a teaching assistant in an inclusive mainstream primary school... and we both share a passion for inclusive arts!

How did you come up with the idea for your dance company?

As a teaching assistant working with children with many different needs, Jan came across more and more families who were struggling to find extra-curricular clubs for their children and dance in particular was very hard.  Whilst there are many fantastic dance schools around, the experiences these children were having weren’t great, the dance schools weren’t able to meet their needs and the dancers didn’t fit the classes that were on offer.

This led Jan to see what else was around in the UK, and she found professional inclusive dance company Stopgap who are based in Surrey...and the conversation began! It took many years to get a group up and running, lots of hurdles to jump over until Stopgap introduced Hannah to Jan and almost three years ago we started our very own inclusive class and company This Is Us.

Who can get involved?

Our inclusive class is open to anybody who loves or wants to dance and be creative! We currently offer places to children aged 6 to 14.

Older dancers can join as support roles where we have space. We currently have a senior dancer and a teaching assistant as part of our company. We also invite Duke of Edinburgh or Arts Award students from local secondary schools to do their volunteering segments with us.

What’s the ethos of the company?

 We believe that children grow from the opportunities they are given and the social experiences that are offered to them.  There is no right or wrong with our class, we truly encourage the dancers to embrace their creativity and emotion and allow that to be the driving force behind all we do.

Under the Stopgap Dance Company umbrella too, we are fortunate to be a pilot group for their IRIS (Inclusive, Responsive, Integrated, Specialised) syllabus which has been specifically developed for inclusive dance, giving young dancers a structured pathway into potential careers in the arts sector.

We love that your company in fully inclusive, why is it so important to you?

We have seen our company dancers flourish and grow in so many ways over the years - not only in dance, but their overall confidence, social skills, an ‘I can’ attitude, all have a ripple effect into their everyday lives.  As a company they are so very supportive of each other and their professionalism when we are able to perform blows us away every time.

One of our dancers, who has autism, summed it up so succinctly last year when quite unprompted, at the end of one of our classes, he just came out with “The dancing has always been in us...we just needed someone to bring it out!”

Can you tell us how we can join a class or be involved?

Our company class runs on Monday during term time at Bishops Down Primary School, 4-5.30pm and is open to dancers from any school.  We currently have a few places available, and welcome interested dancers to come along for a free trial session, please contact Jan at jcockburn@bishops-down.kent.sch.uk to find out more.

What are your plans for the future of TIUDC?

We have lots of exciting plans in the pipeline, developing the experience of our company, sharing our practice with other dance companies, more performances, perhaps a progression class for older dancers...

Where can we see your next performance?

We will be taking part in Dancefest at the Assembly Halls on Friday 5th April 2019 and at the Hillview Primary Arts Festival at Tonbridge Castle in July, plus a few other dates which are to be confirmed.

How can our community support you?

We are in the process of becoming a Community Interest Company which will enable us to apply for more funding, as to date we have primarily been a self-funded group.  Town and Country Housing Association have very kindly sponsored some of our dancers, which has been fantastic! We have had an incredible response from our TEDx performance, and are talking to many contacts about collaborations.  For any interested parties, please email Jan.

You can follow This is Us Dance Company by clicking on the following links: Instagram Facebook + Twitter

Photography by peterobertshaw@myportfolio.com