Target reached!
With an additional £2600, we will be able to: - Run CONFiCo training programme for ...
CONFiDANCE Advent Challenge!
Folkestone, England, United Kingdom
Aim
We have 24 days to raise £2400 to secure the future of CONFiDANCE - a Kent-based inclusive dance organisation!
We are CONFiDANCE - an inclusive dance organisation creating high quality work with, by and for people with Learning Disabilities in East Kent.
After receiving a lot of support and love over the past 15 years, we have come to the moment where we need to ask for your kind donations! With the festive season upon us, we are aiming to raise £100 a day to help us continue our work in 2020.
We are raising vital funds to continue a weekly training residency, based at Quarterhouse Folkestone, for CONFiCo, a professional dance company of dancers with Learning Disabilities.
Where will my money go?
With your support, we will deliver the following activity in 2020:
- Continue a training residency for CONFiCo, our professional training company of artists with Learning Disabilities, weekly at Quaterhouse Folkestone.
- CONFiCo performances in SEN & Mainstream schools across East Kent, involving workshops with over 200 students with a wide range of needs, including those with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities.
- A "Whole School Dancing" Project at Wyvern SEN School - in which every student will have the chance to participate fully in dance, and be inspired by ex-students (now in CONFiCo!) with an in-school performance.
- Organisational Development for the CONFiDANCE Team - Jo Frater & Grace Wranosky - to register as a company, and have the time to apply for core funding for the next 5 years of inclusive projects across Kent.
Who are CONFiDANCE?
Jo Frater, Founder and Artistic Director, has been working across East Kent for over 15 years, delivering dance in schools, community settings and theatres. The work has spanned from community classes in Ashford, to school projects with Royal Opera House, to prolonged engagement with Wyvern School, and now to the development of a professional training company.
CONFiDANCE has inclusion at its heart, pursuing the belief that we are all artists. Our work responds to the creativity of different environments and groups, meaning that our approach is always people-centered.
With your support, we can continue to engage children, young people & adults with Learning Disabilities in high quality dance, and develop sustainable pathways for professional progression.
The Story of CONFiCo so far...
CONFiCo grew out of necessity. We were working with dancers in schools & community settings who had massive potential for a career in dance, but no professional training route in East Kent. With the support of Arts Council England and the Quarterhouse, we began a pilot training programme running from February - December 2019, which combined teaching technique with creative explorations and collaborative choreography. Ryan, Brooke, Thomas and Matt exceeded all expectations - their professional development has seen them grow rapidly as artists, and CONFiCo have created a strong signature style. Demand for their performances has been huge, and we are already taking bookings for 2020!
What people have to say about us...
"Confidance has been so beneficial to our students in many ways - enjoyment, interaction, challenging themselves - even a career base for some!" (Wyvern School KS5 Manager)
"I feel good and better in myself, a lot more happier...its nice to feel happy and feel confident and seeing you can do something like that on your own, achieving something different." (Day Centre Participant, Canterbury)
“Seeing our fantastic Sixth Form students performing recently, it was fantastic to watch and to see how they have progressed” (Teacher, Wyvern School)
What the future holds for CONFiDANCE!
2019 is has been a MASSIVE year for CONFiDANCE. We have: grown from a sole-trader to a team; had our first funding bid from Arts Council England; performed in Kent & London with a brand new company CONFiCo; developed a Youth Company and residency at Wyvern School; spoken & performed at TEDx Folkestone; given a training twilight to over 100 teachers & LSAs; been part of collaborative projects with Primary Shakespeare Company, Marlowe Theatre, Royal Opera House, "Valuing Voices" & The Beaney!
In 2020 we aim to:
- Complete our first schools tour with CONFiCo across Kent
- Register as a company!
- Apply for core funding to make CONFiDANCE a more sustainable enterprise.
- Start a new Community Company!
- Up-skill CONFiCo dancers in facilitation to grow a more representative workforce
- Deliver workshops with over 800 young people with Learning Disabilities!
Thank you for taking the time to view our project - we would really value your support. Help us to continue this important work into 2020 and beyond!
This project successfully funded on 29th December 2019