Dance: Running Blind Dance Project Featured on RTE Nationwide

Running Blind Dance Project are diving deep into the world of dance accessibility.

Running Blind Dance project focuses on making dance accessible to people who have a visual impairment, in this 10 year project by Laura Sarah Dowdall that all about community, reconnection to our body, our senses and each other. Laura was interviewed on Nationwide on 7 June, which you can view on RTE Player.

Speaking on the project, Laura says;
“It breaks down hierarchies, questions assumptions and opens up possibilities, reminding us of the power and importance of our creative expression and our social need for connection, listening and to learn from one another.

This work adds value to everyone, the integrated workshops have been informative and awakening for sighted participants- dancers, artists, social workers, medical practitioners and people who just want to dance!”

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.

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.

mages courtesy of Laura Sarah Dowdall and Steve Humphreys from community research at Rua Red in 2017 and workshops at Dance Theatre of Ireland in 2018.

You can contact at laura@runningblind.ie, by visiting runningblind.ie.