WIDance News

 September 2024 - Inclusive Teaching Workshop Tutors Announced

We are thrilled to reveal the fantastic line up of tutors for our 2nd annual Inclusive Teaching Workshop coming up on Sunday 13th October 2024.  WIDance Artistic Director Sumara Fraser will be joined by Sarah Davies and Rachel Horwell. The trio will be sharing their practical and creative insights into inclusive teaching during an enriching four-hour session, open to all those interested in facilitating dance experiences.
From Designing and Scaffolding Inclusive tasks, Dancing with the Deaf Community and tips and tricks to Dancing Safely, the workshop promises to be an insightful and enjoyable day. Get in touch to find out more and secure your spot!

August 2024 - WIDance attends Creative Spaces Conference

WIDance had the pleasure of attending the Ngā Wāhi Auaha Creative Spaces Conference 2024, organised by Arts Access Aotearoa and held in Wellington on 22 and 23 August. The conference was attended by 150 creative space leaders, artists, art tutors and speakers from Aotearoa and abroad, held at the stunning Pōneke waterfront venue with additional participants joining online.
What a fabulous reflection of creativity, sparking new local, national and international thoughts, connections and ideas.
Ngā mihi nui to the entire team at Arts Access Aotearoa and the Creative Spaces Network.

July 2024 - Happy 14th Birthday to WIDance!

It's been 14 years since WIDance was formally established and what a wonderful ride it has been. 
We have seen so many incredible dancers over the years and together have created a very special dance whānau, which continues to grow. 

WIDance is so proud to have gone from strength to strength over the years... from our once-a-week contemporary dance classes on a Saturday in 2010, to now offering multiple inclusive classes, workshops, collaborations, employment opportunities and stunning performances across the greater Wellington area.

With so much aroha we celebrate the magic of the past 14 years and can't wait to see what the future brings. Let’s dance!
Arohanui, from the entire WIDance team.

June 2024 - Exciting Collaboration Announcement

The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) New Zealand National Director Bronwyn Williams and WIDance Artistic Director Sumara Fraser have come together to sign an MOU, marking the beginning of an inspiring partnership. Together, RAD and WIDance, working with Limelight Dance Academy in Hamilton, present Tīaho, a pilot project for Aotearoa based on the RADiate programme in the UK. 
WIDance is thrilled to collaborate with the RAD and excited to embark on the project here in Aotearoa. 

May 2024 - WIDance Artistic Director attends IRIS training

IRIS! We are very proud to announce WIDance Artistic Director Sumara Fraser has recently completed a four-day online IRIS syllabus tutor training with UK-based Stopgap Dance Company. The IRIS training intensive followed on from the online Stopgap Seedbed workshops Sumara attended in mid-2023. 

Looking forward to sharing the new skills here in Aotearoa , Sumara reflects: "The experience was wonderful, with a supportive global community of teachers and loads of amazing resources. Stopgap provides incredible support and encourages connections and community building for all those trained in the IRIS syllabus. The training has greatly inspired my creative content planning, sparking fresh ideas, and numerous ways to deliver new, and exciting content to all our participants across the Wellington region... it was totally worth navigating the time difference to attend sessions...let's just say I drank a fair few cups of tea to stay awake!"

Stopgap Dance Company is driven by a diverse creative team that uses dance as a movement for change. Their mission is to create an inclusive world where diversity is not just accepted but pursued, a world where no one is limited by prejudice against Deaf, Disabled, or neurodivergent people.

IRIS is an inclusive dance syllabus that gives teachers a framework to develop the disabled dancers of tomorrow and supports creative and rigorous learning while still being inclusive of all. 
Ngā mihi nui to the team at Stopgap Dance.