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Arts Council England has announced “Open Dialogo”, a new project with the Italian Ministry of Culture, the Italian Culture Institute of London and British Council to encourage conversation about dance and disability between artists, producers and venues in England and Italy. Stopgap Dance Company, based in Farnham, have been commissioned to design, curate and manage the project.

Open Dialogo will invite English and Italian colleagues to share their knowledge and experiences of dance and disability through a series of online seminars and artist residences.

The seminars will take place on 10 and 17 May, and 7 and 14 June, and will explore the relationship between dance and disability in England and Italy, and give participants the chance to discuss how dance in both countries can better include disabled people as artists, leaders and audiences.  Speakers and chairs will include disabled leaders in dance such as Jo Verrent from Unlimited Dance Company, Laura Jones from Stopgap Dance Company, and Italian dancers and choreographers Giuseppe Comuniello and Aristide Rontini. Find out more about the seminars >

The artist residencies will take place in England and Italy in September and October, and will give host organisation and dance artists the chance to explore different approaches to making dance more inclusive for disabled people. Stopgap Dance Company will announce the details of these residencies and how to apply in May.

The residences will further explore the topics raised in the seminars, so people and organisations hoping to apply for the residences will need to have participated in the seminar series.