Laura Sarah Dowdall is pleased to offer workshops on an ongoing basis, based on the concepts and ideas explored as part of Running Blind.

The integrated workshops inspire all ages and abilities to dance!

Encouraging people to reconnect with their bodies, their senses and natural creativity! It improves self- confidence, body-awareness, social skills, physical and mental wellbeing.

This workshop programme has been developed in collaboration and exchange with members of the deafblind and blind communities.

Dance for All Integrated Workshops featured as the cover story of Health & Living in the Irish Independent newspaper in 2018-

“Dancing in the dark – A pioneering dance workshop is helping people experience the world without sight.”

Workshop Content

• discover and express themselves through dance, 
• increase self-confidence and body-awareness, 
• improve strength, coordination and stability, 
• learn practical skills to help in everyday life experiences and in social interactions,
• provide a supportive outlet for self expression and creativity, 
• encouraging new friendships and social skills
• improved physical and mental wellbeing
• enjoy opportunities to create and perform

In addition, these workshops:

Facilitate supportive friendships and an opportunity to connect as a community

Provide a safe environment that enable a sense of genuine freedom and creative expression rarely found in day-to-day contexts.

*All benefits are based on direct feedback from participants of a post programme focus group.

Read Participant Feedback by clicking here!

‘My self-confidence has improved…through this session, I feel good about myself.’ -Workshop participant, Eugene

The programme consists of dance exercises inspired by Contact Improvisation and Contemporary dance practices. The use of touch is essential to the work so participants develop skills in sensing and communicating through touch, enabling them to feel confident in dancing. 

Dance participants will be introduced to Social Haptic Touch, a non-verbal language that was developed as a short hand form of communication for people who are deafblind which offers additional value for those who are blind especially in relation to giving and receiving directional and environmental information. Laura has had training and direct mentoring from the developers of this communication model.

 

 

 

Workshop participants taking part in a ‘mapping’ exercise.

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Each workshop is customised to the participants’ needs and abilities. The existing programme has been developed through extensive collaboration with blind participants, including Walei Sabry (New York). Participants to date have cited increased self-confidence, heightened spatial awareness, and a strengthened ability to ‘listen’ through their senses (especially through their feet) which has dramatically improved and supported their daily lives.

Who are the workshops suitable for?

• Everyone of all ages and abilities who wish to explore dance and it’s breadth of communication possibilities, the subtlety of the senses and social haptic touch; this includes people of all levels of visi

FORMAT-

Classes and Workshop content are bespoke to the needs and abilities of each group.

Where sessions are integrated with staff, residents, day-service users, family, carers and community members the workshops offer an additional opportunity for learning, communication and relationship- building within the non-hierarchical structure of the workshop.

Dance for All experiences are available as :

• Six Week Workshop Programs
• Weekend Intensives
• Weekly Classes Online 
• Bespoke Training for Teams Schools, Organisations
• Performance Projects 

Performance projects are a wonderful opportunity for a community of participants to learn new skills and apply them to a performance output. Participants learn choreographic skills and structures to support them in the development of a unique group performance that will be shared in the final workshop with community, friends and family.

Enquiries:

If you would like to book a workshop with Laura, simply send an email to laura@runningblind.ie

To read about past and upcoming workshop events click here!