Dance: Creative Dance Workshops with Fighting Blindness and Running Blind Dance Project
Posted: 15 February, 2024
From exploratory sessions in February to dance workshops running from March to April, Fighting Blindness and Running Blind Dance Project are diving deep into the world of dance accessibility, specifically for those with vision loss.
Led by dance artist Laura Sarah Dowdall, founder of the Running Blind Dance project, in partnership with Fighting Blindness these workshops will explore contemporary dance, improvisation, choreographic composition, and social-haptic communication techniques.
Session 1 take place on March 13, from 11am to 1pm online via Zoom.
Sessions 2, 3, and 4 take place May 8, 15, and 22 (in person Dublin City Centre, time to be confirmed).
Telephone 01 674 6496 or email insight@fightingblindness.ie to get involved.
Research, community collaboration, and development of the Running Blind Dance project began in 2015 and has led to a series of accessible dance performances, community sharings, international collaborations, integrated workshops, six-week training programs, performance projects, and short films. This project has been developed and inspired by collaboration with people who are blind, people who have low vision, and people who are deafblind.
The below videos share research, principles and practices for inclusive movement practice that this project has developed over the last ten years while working with the Anne Sullivan Centre for the Deafblind and through the integrated workshops open to all community members, for the National Council for the Blind and Vision Sports Ireland.
You can contact at laura@runningblind.ie, by visiting runningblind.ie.
Laura Sarah Dowdall founded the Running Blind Dance Project after her engagement as Artist in the Community working with the Anne Sullivan Centre for the Deafblind in 2015. To this day, she continues to offer ongoing weekly dance classes to the residents and support staff, having developed a longstanding relationship with the centre and its community.
Laura has collaborated with the National Council for the Blind in Ireland, Vision Sports and Fighting Blindness to enable inclusive dance experiences to their members and families, she has created collaborative community projects focused on the research and development of inclusive dance practice and performance for people with vision-loss.
Images courtesy of Laura Sarah Dowdall and Steve Humphreys.
A compilation of footage from Laura Sarah Dowdall’s integrated dance workshops at Rua Red, South Dublin Arts Centre as part of her dance residency
Fighting Blindness and Running Blind Dance Project are diving deep into the world of dance accessibility, specifically for those with vision loss.
