arts NK’s newsletter

May/June 2011

TAKE PARTART

INSIDEInnovat ionWaste or Wealth?

Taking PartFrom the Old we travel to the NewHip-Hopping for Joy!

Healthy Communit iesStrictly Come Vitality!

Economic DevelopmentCreat ive Thinking Opens the WayForward

Welcometo the May / Juneissue.

artsNK suggests thatwe need the arts,especially in momentsof crisis;

artsNK helps thetransition ofschoolchildren topastures new;

From the young to theelderly: celebrate withus!

Read about all ofthese, plus aboutartsNK’s successfulfunding bid whichsecures a future for thearts in our area!

address:arts NKTHIRD FLOOR THE HUBNAVIGATION WHARFCARRE STREET SLEAFORDLINCOLNSHIRENG34 7TW

telephone:01529 410595fax:01529 309424email:artsnk@leisureconnection.co.ukweb:www.artsnk.org

editor:ian@holmdalehouse.co.uk

Innovation

1

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First and foremost, the Sa Fire Festival is about lots of people getting involved and learningnew skills. The artsNKteam, together with Rhubarb Theatre Company and other specialists,will be running workshops involving hundreds of people of all ages who will design,compose, devise performances and create new art works.

Sa Fire will involve four separate festival events that are shaped by localhistory. The project explores different artforms in order to celebrate whatmakes North Kesteven distinctive and special for its residents and itsvisitors. Each performance, because it will centre on local communitiesand their unique stories, won't be found anywhere else!

Finally, Sa Fire is about bringing high quality artists and experiences torural communities, proving that it's not only cities which deserve the best.

These are the reasons why artsNK’s innovative Sa Fire programme hasbeen made possible by successfully attracting support and partnership,including over £60,000 of grant aid from organisations such as LCC, ArtsCouncil East Midlands, NKDC and Igniting Ambition Cultural Olympiad.

Sa Fire performances will take place in Lincoln, with the launch at the Cathedral and Bishop'sPalace on May 28th, in Branston on July 16th, on October 1st in Metheringham and October

29th in Sleaford.

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h t t p : / / 2 0 1 2 . e m d a . o r g . u k / c u l t u ra l -olympiad/ignit ing-ambit ion/ignit ing-ambition-festival-2011/igniting-ambition-brochure-2011

Waste or Wealth?Why Spend Money on the Arts?

The impish spirit of creativity willdance through North Kesteven duringthe Sa Fire Festival

Pyrotechnics willlight up the route

From the Oldwe travel to the NewaarrttssNNKK iiss eexxcciitteedd ttoo bbee iinnvvoollvveedd iinn tthhee cceelleebbrraattiioonnooff tthhee ooppeenniinngg ooff aa nneeww ssiittee ffoorr tthhee PPrriioorryy WWiitthhaammAAccaaddeemmyy..The Priory Witham Academy, funded throughCreative Partnerships, has commissioned artsNK todevelop a project which will enable pupils and staff,currently at the separate infant, junior and seniorschools, to celebrate the move to the Academy'snew premises wherethey will unite on onesite.A procession with acarnival atmospherewill make its way to thenew site, led by pupilscarrying lanterns andsmall boats made fromwithies by pupils from Foundation Stage to Year 3under the guidance of Lincolnshire Willow Artist,Alison Walling.At the new site, on June 30th, a festival of artworksand performances, created by pupils from years 4 to11, will acknowledge the importance of eachindividual school's history, whilst anticipating theexciting future which lies ahead for the new, unitedacademy.Working with Rhubarb Theatre Company, pupils inYears 4 and 5 will devise a 'Memory Book' containingtreasured memories which will be dramatised by the

Company. Year 6and 7 pupils willworkshop withSarah Graves of'Mary MaryMosaics' to createa mosaic fordisplay at the newsite, whilst pupils

in Years 8 and 9 will work with African drummer'Njega' and perform the resultant piece at thefestival.artsNK's Dance Team will devise performancepieces with Key Stages 3 and 4 around the themes oftransition and feeling good about change.This project, with its multi-arts approach, also seeksto upskill teaching staff, who can, in turn, cascadethe learning process, so that future activities canbuild on what has already been achieved. 2

Taking Part

Hip-Hopping for Joy!

aarrttssNNKK yyoouutthh ddaannccee ggrroouupp,, FFrreesshh 110011,, ssttoollee tthheelliimmeelliigghhtt aatt tthhee rreeggiioonnaall yyoouutthh ddaannccee sshhoowwccaassee,, UUDDaannccee EEaasstt MMiiddllaannddss,, oonn MMaarrcchh 2277tthh aatt tthhee CCuurrvveeTThheeaattrree iinn LLeeiicceesstteerr..

Sixteen youth dancegroups aged 11-19,from across the regionperformed to a liveaudience and a panelof judges. Presentedby Dance4, this year’sshowcase combined

street, hip-hop, dance theatre and contemporary,making this event the most exciting platform foryouth dance in the region. Fresh 101, who won the showcase, have ninemembers aged 12-18 and have been dancingtogether for two years. Their dance style is a fusionof hip-hop, heavily influenced by break dance,theatre performance and contemporary dance. Thegroup is now looking forward to working inresidence with an established international danceartist later thisyear.The company'sleader, AmyDalton ofartsNK's DanceD e v e l o p m e n tT e a m ,comments:“Winning thisevent is really great news for Fresh 101 who haveworked so hard over the last few years to achievethis standard of dance. The residency is a greatopportunity for the group to develop their practice,which they are really excited about."

Fresh 101

Sarah Gravesleading children in

a workshop

ALison Wallingat work

Fresh 101

Strictly Come Vitality!OOnn 1166tthh JJuunnee 22001111,, tthhee ''VViittaalliittyy'' ccoouunnttyy--wwiiddee sscchheemmee wwiillll bbee bbrriinnggiinngg iittss ppaarrttiicciippaannttss ttooggeetthheerr iinn aacceelleebbrraattiioonn ooff tthheeiirr aacchhiieevveemmeennttss oovveerr tthhee ppaasstt ttwwoo yyeeaarrss.. The Vitality Festival will be held at The EpicCentre, Lincoln where 300 Vitality members, arriving on specially organised coaches, will demonstrate theirexercise routines, share class stories and enjoy a fun, celebratory afternoon. artsNK will be very involvedthroughout with Photography Development Officer, Jane Harrison, recording the day through photography, thedance team performing routines, Performing Arts Manager, Elaine Knight, sitting on the panel which will judgethe members' routines (think Strictly Come Dancing!) and the admin team coming to help out!

As well as the Scheme's participants, anumber of special guests will be attendingincluding: Tony Hill, Director of Public Healthfor NHS Lincolnshire and Martin Wilson, Headof Public Engagement for Lincolnshire CountyCouncil.The services of a professional comedycompere, a sound technician, caterers,musicians and the costume department havebeen employed in order to make it a reallyinteresting day. Activities will include: thecompere, music, exercise routines andjudging, the teachers showpiece (a speciallychoreographed routine delivered by all theVitality teachers), lunch with Africandrummers playing, a special raffle (prizesdonated by local companies and proceeds aregoing to British Heart Foundation who aresupporting the event) and awards! The theme

is very much Strictly Come Dancing meets Vitality! Additional funding has been acquired to make this eventpossible and support from local businesses has been donated.

Why is this event taking place? To thank allparticipants and teachers for their support,commitment and hard work over the last 3 yearswhich has resulted in funding being secured for2011-2012, as well as to generate press interestto promote the project so that others might knowabout the service, in order that that they toocould benefit.

Vitality is a County wide based programme ofexercise to music, incorporating physio-based movement, funded and approved byNHS Lincolnshire and hosted by artsNK for local people over 60, or of any age withmedical conditions that make exercising in a ‘normal’ setting difficult. The project canmake a real difference to peoples lives - for many of its participants, the classes are thehighlight of their week and often their only social contact. For others, the real physicalbenefits of the specially designed exercise they are taking have dramatically improvedtheir lives by keeping them as independent as possible.

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Healthy Communities

Enjoying aVitality Class

Enjoying aVitality Class

NNKKDDCC''ss iinnnnoovvaattiivvee aanndd ccrreeaattiivvee aapppprrooaacchh ttoo ttrraannssffoorrmmiinngg tthhee aarrttss eeccoollooggyy iinn LLiinnccoollnnsshhiirree hhaass bbeeeennrreewwaarrddeedd bbyy AArrttss CCoouunncciill EEnnggllaanndd,, EEaasstt MMiiddllaanndd''ss aannnnoouunncceemmeenntt ooff sseeccuurreedd,, ffuuttuurree ffuunnddiinngg..The announcement, awarding to NKDC £614,500 over years 2012 - 2015 in order to continue its provisionthrough arts and culture, was met with great delight. Mike Lock, Client Services Manager said:"This was fabulous news to walk into this morning. During these difficult times the ongoing commitmentNorth Kesteven District Council has made to arts and culture over the years has been rewarded by Arts Councilwith just under 85% of our bid request, which is great news."NKDC plans to merge the organisations of artsNK, Design Factory and the Hub - National Centre for Craft andDesign in order to create a unique organisation which will have at its heart a nationally distinctive collaborationthat is committed to achieving and celebrating great art across craft, design, visual and performing art genres,providing one of the most developed and cohesive arts ecologies in the country.artsNK is pleased to be a significant part of this development and looks forward to working closely with theHub and Design Factory in playing an integral role in the strategic development of the county and regional artsprogramme over the coming years.

Creative Thinking Opens the Way Forward

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Elaine KnightPerforming ArtsManager01529 411195

Louise ThompsonVitality County-WideProject Officer01529 411194

Amy DaltonDance DevelopmentTeam01529 411197

Laura RawlingsDance DevelopmentTeam01529 411196

Marion SanderVisual ArtsAssistant01529 411193

Jane HarrisonPhotographyDevelopment Officer01529 411192

Nick JonesVisual ArtsManager01529 411190

Sarah GravesVisual ArtsAssistant01529 411193

Debbie WilesFinance Administrator01529 411191

Muriel MarrProjectAdministrator01529 410595

Jo TurpinBusiness ManagementAdministrator01529 416290

Alison DuncombeTheatre Development Officer- Terry O’Toole Theatre01522 870251

Contactsto email: firstname.secondname@leisureconnection.co.uk

Performing Arts Team

Administration Team

Kat AndersonDance DevelopmentWorker01529 411196/7

Jayne OlneyMarketing andCommunications Manager01529 308717

Visual Arts Team

Economic Development