Tweet Dance Film Initiative

In August I started working with P5/6 & P6/7 students at Catrine and Drongan Primary in East Ayrshir (Scotland) in writing Haiku’s around themes of ‘flight’. In general this age group (along with many young people) had been (and are) badly effected by the lockdown and covid protocols as their normal developmental stages had been interrupted driving up mental health issues, depression and stress.

Tweet was manifested as a salve to this situation, providing a creative outlet for them to 'take back' space for themselves.

We started by writing Haiku poems - a wonderful way to access big ideas in small spaces. These poems (some featured in the films) were a fertile space to imagine dance. The ideas and poems the kids came up with were WONDERFUL. Funny, free, poignant, and everything in between.

This then led to outdoor dance workshops wherein we explored ways of expressing those ideas in movement. Sometimes I would develop dance games for them to get the ‘cells moving’ other times we would break into smaller groups and I would task them to come up with choreographic sequencing either to a particular timing or count, that we could mix and match with other sections.

All the movement seen in this film comes from their imaginations and physical selves and was merely amplified and threaded together by me (their residency “Danstronaut” as I came to the sessions as a ‘Dancing Astronaut’ ready to take them for a dancing adventure to SPACE).

My role was to help them to find that internal and external space to express themselves again, to feel grounded in their physical environment, to feel good about themselves, to remind them that they were (and are) amazing.

I was unbelievably impressed by their work, commitment and talent that went into the project. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it, and working with these wonderful children.

Tweet is a Dance Film Initiative funded by Creative Scotland's Youth Art Fund facilitated by the Cultural Coordinators of the Creative Minds Team East Ayrshire Council with Catrine and Drongan Primary Schools.

In Autumn Term 2021 P5/6 and P6/7 children wrote Haiku's around themes of flight which were the basis of dance choreography. All the content (dance and writing) in this film was created by these young people under the facilitation of resident Danstronaut, Kate E. Deeming in collaboration with teachers. Filmmaker Taylor McInroy, Creative Producer Karen Wood. Four films were produced in total.