SHEEPFOLDS AND DANCE

At first the connections between sheepfolds and dance posed a challenge to the dancer Rachel Towe. However, her research into Andy Goldsworthy's work and her observation of the physical process of building a dry stone wall, provided her with exciting ideas to develop a dance project with the children of North Lakes School in Penrith. A preliminary planning meeting was held with staff and a site visit made to Mungrisdale with over fifty Year 6 pupils. This prepared the way for devising a dance piece based on Rachel's movement ideas and on the characteristics of the landscape around the folds as identified by the children.

Back in school, the pupils were split into groups to work on the dance in separate sections: the movement of hammering and lifting stones; the horizontal levels of the stonework itself; the circular form of the folds; the bridge and stream that link the two folds; and the contrast between the tumbled and ordered nature of the stones that make up the Field Boulder fold. The motifs were linked together choreographically by the dancer, whilst the teachers rehearsed a background chorus of Norman Nicholson's poem 'Wall'.

In addition to the dance work, the school used the opportunity to create cross-curricular links between Art, PE, Outdoor Education, Geography and Literacy. This included asking the children to describe the effectiveness of the rehearsal process through reflective, critical and analytical writing.

The final dance piece was performed to an audience of parents and visitors. Despite the limited amount of time available for the workshops, the project explored a wide and exciting variety of dance movement and the performance and an interview with Rachel Towe was filmed. A copy of this video can be borrowed from the County Visual Arts Officer.

Artist Rachel Towe
Contact teacher Gary Newman. Tel: 01768 242150

Photographs: The bridge and stream between the two Mungrisdale folds; Rachel Towe leading the dance work - lifting the stones; forming the walls and bridge; making the field boulder fold.