Pictures: Graduation ceremony for inclusive dance programme held in Cork

“Dance is for everyone” said Rhona Coughlan, the artistic director of Inclusive Dance Cork, after 21 people graduated in Dance Cork Firkin Crane last Sunday.

Inclusive Dance Cork is a pilot training programme open to dance and movement practitioners interested in learning inclusive dance methods.

The training programme is Ireland’s first professional qualification in inclusive dance and is aimed at professional artists, teachers of dance, and dance practitioners, inclusive of people with and without disabilities.

Ms Coughlan said the graduation ceremony was a great success.

“They are people of all ages and mixed abilities and from all different parts of the country. They are a real snapshot of society.

“The graduation was a great success. The Lord Mayor of Cork was there, which was lovely. All the different partners were there.

“This includes Dance Cork Firkin Crane, Cork Education and Training Board, Cope Foundation, and UCC.

“All the facilitators who taught on the programme were also there,” she said.

The pilot programme was held over an eight-month period which ran from September until July, said Ms Coughlan.

“It is held one weekend a month and it is co-facilitated by myself and another facilitator that I bring in each month.

“It is held in Dance Cork Firkin Crane. It is a weekend workshop. It is held from 10am to 6pm on a Sunday and a Monday.

“It is for people with and without disabilities.

“There are some people there who don’t have any disability and there are people who have a physical disability or are on the spectrum.

“It is the pilot year of this programme. We are hoping that it will keep running,” she added.

“The arts are for everybody,” Ms Coughlan said.

“They are basically learning the skills to work inclusively for people with and without disabilities.

“We aimed it really at people who have a background in dance and who wanted to experience another way of doing dance inclusively.

“We had it for dance teachers who might have students coming into their class and making it accessible for everybody.”

Perspective students can access the programme via three methods, said the artistic director.

“There are three ways that people can access the programme.

“There’s the UCC route through the department of theatre studies where a student can get a formal qualification with two micro credits, through Dance Cork Firkin Crane where students receive a certificate of participation or through the Cope Foundation where the qualification is granted by the Cork Education and Training Board.”

Ms Coughlan said there are many benefits to securing a professional qualification in inclusive dance.

“It is the first of its kind in the country. Up to this point, there hasn’t been a professional qualification in the area of inclusive dance at all. The benefits are that they now have a qualification in inclusive dance, and they are the first group of people to get this qualification.

“They are a group of people who have been working and dancing together over the academic year. They have all become great friends.

“There will be a lot of collaboration of different work come out of this,” she added.