27 April, Shoestring Theatre, 6pm
Hidden Impact
Magpie Present a condensed version of the companies show Hidden Impact. This was part of the WW1 to commemorate the First World War armistice centenary, Magpie Dancers studied stories of people with learning disabilities in the First World War along with our research partner Prof. Lee Humber from Ruskin College, Oxford. The piece shows the roles people with learning disabilities played during the conflict.
4 dancers with 2 musicians will be playing live – drum kit and keyboards
Magpie provides high-quality contemporary dance experiences, supporting people with learning disabilities to develop dance skills, build their artistic voice and meaningfully engage in the mainstream public, arts and professional communities through a lifelong engagement with dance.
Formed in 1985, Magpie Dance is a contemporary dance charity for people with learning disabilities. The work of the charity unlocks individual potential and ability by giving participants space to make their own choices and take ownership of what they achieve. Based in Bromley, Magpie Dance delivers workshops throughout the UK and the participants gain opportunities through high-quality programmes in participation, performance and training.
Magpie Dance’s company dancers, all of whom have learning disabilities, performed a stunning ritual interpreting the stories of people with learning disabilities, their journeys and contributions to the First World War. From those displaced when asylums were requisitioned as war hospitals, to the journeys some made to the front line.
Marking 100 years since the end of the First World War, Magpie Dance was delighted to tour excerpts from their flagship performance ‘Hidden Impact’ exploring the stories of people with learning disabilities, their journeys and contributions to the First World War.