freewheelerstheatre.co.uk

Audacity is our big project in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

We are developing a number of works together that combine digital arts and live performance under the umbrella of “Audacity of Resistance”. The individual elements can stand alone or form part of a larger performance. The idea is to create works that are inspired by and reflect Olympian and Paralympian values of excellence, friendship and respect. We already have an Inspire Mark for some of our dances.

The Freewheelers have been transformed in recent years - growing out of an independent living foundation into a separate flourishing community interest company. 2012 provides us with a fresh opportunity to take a major step in our development and to create a legacy for disability and inclusive arts through our work.

Why audacity?
Audacity is about being bold, surprising and making people say “wow”. The Freewheelers have always aimed to take people on unexpected imaginative journeys. We want to collaborate with leading choreographers, projection companies, dancers, performers to weave stories that inspire and defy expectation. We don’t want disability arts to be safe – we’re ready to be audacious.

Why resistance?
There has been undeniable progress in attitudes towards deaf and disabled people in this country. Many people are now aware of how society can disable others, but there is still much ignorance and lack of understanding leading to prejudice and perhaps worst of all to pity. The consequent lack of confidence on the part of disabled people adds to the problem.,. This is all a form of “resistance”, as are the physical barriers. Many disabled people in other cultures and countries face a greater challenge in terms of segregation and access.

We are looking to explore the idea of resistance – through dance, movement, projection, live theatre… Using wind and other elements as a force that can run against us, but that we can also harness and use to take people in new directions.

We are meeting Paralympians in training, visiting iconic landmarks, experimenting with dance and film-making techniques as we creatively explore these themes.

View from the Street : : Meeting disabled people

Barriers : : A Freewheelers Discussion

My Experience : : Jo's Story

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My Experience : : Maria's Story

"When I was at primary school, 6-7 years old, we were told that a new girl would be joining us in the afternoon for storytime. I didn't pay much attention until this positively beautiful, blonde, angelic little girl came in - in a wheelchair. I don't remember any obvious physical differences, but I apparantly shamed the whole class by saying 'Oh dear, what happened?' I was shushed, told off and pulled away from where she was, to the other side of the class. Nobody ever did explain anything to me. I remember crying off and on all day, feeling awful and not knowing why. I never saw the beautiful girl again, and felt guilty that perhaps she did not come to our school because I had said the wrong thing. Now I have children of my own and I know that they have kids in their school in wheelchairs and with various disabilities. They would accept without question any child into their class. So I guess society has changed, and thankfully adults views have changed, so now, if a child has differences children are allowed to ask questions without feeling awkward about it."

Our Experience :: From A Motion Theatre Group in Riga...

Our motion theatre group is in Day care centre for mentally handicapped people. Youngsters in the morning are coming to the centre and in the evening they return to their families. Twice a week we have motion theatre classes when we do different tasks, dance and talk about different themes. And we make small performances about different themes, which are chosen by myself or by themselves. I think our performances are similar like your theatre. We use motion, music, costumes to tell the story.

FEELING DIFFERENT
When we talked about feeling different from other people, I was surprised that they could not remember situations like that. They said that did not feel different. (They feel good in this world as they are).

Only one girl told that she is sick and she cannot do all things that other people are doing... because of some operations, she cannot jump and run.

Then I asked them if they have seen "different" people somewhere. And now they answered yes...

One had seen a drunken man.
One had seen a very small man.
They had seen very fat people and very tall people.
They told me that sportsmen are different from other people because they can do things that they cannot.
People are different from each other when they are happy or sad.

SHOWING DIFFERENCE IN DANCE
Then we tried to show this in motions... showing when something is different.

And they show me example:

all participants of group was showing the same motion, and one participant showed the other motion.

And we understood that this different motion is seen as better than similar motions.

SHOWING DIFFERENCE IN PICTURES
And we also try to paint pictures about this theme.

Doreen's Story

I am registered blind and go shopping with my daughter. Cashiers never talk to me, but my daughter, they ask her to do my card and I am quite capable of doing it myself. I just need some help and be told when to input my pin number. I have continually asked that they have training in this and slowly attitudes are changing.

David's Story

When I was an apprentice attending Technical College in the mid fifties, the hearing aids at that time were rather cumbersome so I used to keep it in my case along with my exercise books and just put in my ear plug and switch on just for the lesson, leaving my case open as the microphone and case were inside. One day our regular teacher was ill so a stand in teacher had to take his place.

He started dictating to us and after about 5 mins, my case lid was slammed down causing my ear plug to go flying!  I was told by the teacher that he didn’t allow students to listen to test matches in his class!

The other lads were laughing and one of them said “I think you’ve just broken his hearing aid Sir!”  I opened the case so he could see the microphone whereupon he became very sorry.

We found the earpiece and luckily I had a spare wire for microphone and earpiece connection so was able to carry on with the lesson. When we were leaving the class the teacher took me to one side and apologised again saying he thought it was  radio, to which I replied “fair enough, but I wouldn’t be listening to a test match because I hate cricket Sir!”

Footnote:-

The following year we had the same teacher for maths and he always enquired if I was plugged in before the start of the lesson!