the national conference on dance and dementia

 

  
Diane Amans CV


Address 25 Hawk Green Rd Email d.amans@ntlworld.com
Marple, Stockport. Telephone **44 (0)161 427 5093
England SK6 7HU Date of Birth 17.11.49

I have thirty five years experience of leading dance activities with diverse community groups both in the UK and Europe. I am founder of Freedom in Dance – a company offering accessible opportunities for people of all ages to participate in dance activities. The organisation facilitates opportunities for building relationships through dance and works in partnership with Arts Organisations, NHS providers, Housing Associations, Community and Leisure Services, Social Services and Voluntary Agencies. I am a professional member of the Foundation for Community Dance and the International Consortium of Intergenerational Programmes.

In 2006 Freedom in Dance became part of Lincolnshire Dance and this enabled me to focus on working as a freelance choreographer, trainer and consultant offering professional development, evaluation, mentoring and project management work. Current and recent work includes developing and delivering an accredited training programme for dancers wishing to work with older adults and delivering the Discovering Common Threads project to promote participatory arts.

Publications
2010 ‘Passport to Practice’ An Induction to professional practice in community dance published
by Foundation for Community Dance
2008 ‘An Introduction to Community Dance Practice’ published by Palgrave Macmillan
2006 ‘Taking ourselves seriously’ in Animated Journal of Foundation for Community Dance
2005 ‘Policy into Practice’ in Animated Journal of Foundation for Community Dance
2003 ‘Doing things differently – dance in dementia care’ in Dementia Care Journal
2002 ‘Giving Value?’ in Animated Journal of Foundation for Community Dance
1998 ‘Meeting whose needs?’ in Animated Journal of Foundation for Community Dance
1992 ‘Shall we Dance?’ in Therapy Weekly
1989 ‘Discovering a voice’ in Making Connections, Hodder and Stoughton
1987 ‘Parachute Games’ in Therapy Weekly December 1987
1985 ‘Coming to Terms with Pipe Dreams’ in Special Children, April 1985

Papers Presented at Conferences

2009 Time to Move Conference Take Art Somerset
2007 Marks of Time – International Conference on Dance and Ageing Liverpool
2006 Dancing with Grandma University of Victoria, Melbourne. International Consortium of
Intergenerational Programmes
2005 Viva – Arts and Health Conference Blackpool
2005 Mature Movers Advance Dance 4 Conference Nottingham
2004 At My Age’ University of Victoria, Canada. Consortium – Intergenerational Programmes
2004 Intergenerational dance practice – Nexus Conference for Dance North West
2003 Older People Dancing – Blackpool Arts and Health conference
2002 Tanz in der Gemeinschaft Reutlingen, Germany. (cultural activities with disabled people)
2002 Evaluating Dance Foundation for Community Dance Conference ‘Dancing Differently’
2000 Creative Movement and the Healthier Older Person Dance 4 Conference
1999 How was it for you? Foundation for Community Dance Conference ‘Ways of Knowing’ – Measuring the Impact of Community Dance
1998 Community Dance Practitioner – Artist with People Skills? University of Surrey
Conference on Community Dance – Current Issues in the Field
1989 Opportunities for Young People with Learning Difficulties University of Keele

Qualifications

1997 MA Dance Studies (University of Surrey)
1988 MA Psychology of Mental Handicap (University of Keele)
1986 Diploma Special Educational Needs (University of Manchester)
1983 BA (Open University)
1971 Certificate in Education Edge Hill College (University of Liverpool)

Employment History

Stockport College of Further and Higher Education

1996 –2002 Equal Opportunities Co-ordinator responsible for developing, implementing and monitoring policies on Equal Opportunities, Diversity, Harassment.

2000-2002 Programme manager for Leading Dance with Older People

1988 – 1996 Senior lecturer - Creative Skills and Performing Arts
Programme Manager –BTEC Continuing Education Creative Therapy
Member of working party to produce university submissions for Cert.Ed and BA Professional Studies.
Joint responsibility for delivering Initial Teacher Training
Responsibility for design and delivery of management training for the college training company

1983 – 1988 Lecturer in teaching and learning strategies, creative and performing arts, personal relationships, counselling

1979 – 1983 Part time lecturer creative and performing arts

1977 – 1979 2 years out of employment following birth of son

Manchester Education Committee

1972 – 1977 Primary School Teacher – Wilbraham Junior School
Scale 1,II,III Responsibility for Girls Games

Freelance Community Dance Work

1993 – date Wide range of work as a trainer, project co-ordinator, facilitator and
choreographer. Work includes:

? Delivering CPD sessions for dance artists at FCD summer school 2009, 2010
? Project managing intergenerational performance for Big Dance 2006
? Devising and delivering training and quality assurance for JABADAO national centre for movement, learning and health
? Directing intergenerational dance video At My Age (Awards for All 2004)
? Devising and delivering roadshow for Older People Dancing project (RALP 2002)
? Delivering training for Lincolnshire Dance and Dance 4 (2001-2)
? Training session on evaluation for More Dance 2002
? 12 month dance project with elders in Bolton (2001)
? Intergenerational dance project (Awards for All 2000)
? Mentoring young dance artists as part of Lincolnshire Dance at Blazing 2000
? Disability dance project with deaf teenagers (1999)
? Choreography for Landscape Rhythms 2 (Awards for All,1998)
? Dance in the National curriculum INSET dance training for Stockport MBC (!996-7)
? Mencap projects with people with learning difficulties (1993–96)


1991 – 2006 Director of Freedom in Dance
2004 Caretaker Artistic Director of Cheshire Dance

Dance Co-ordinator for Stockport Arts Team (Part Time)

1994 – 98 Organised programme of community classes and taster workshops
Delivered weekly adult class
Choreographed work for community showcase events
Delivered residencies for children, special needs groups, elders and intergenerational groups

Dance Leaders in the Community Training (DLC) Yorkshire Dance

1992- 99 Member of National Steering Committee for DLC
1992 – 99 Moderator for DLC
1992 Piloted DL level 2
1989 –95 Delivered DLC courses in Greater M/C

European Community Dance Work

1995 – 2004 Part time lecturer delivering community dance as part of the undergraduate social work programme at Darmstadt Fachhochschule, Germany
2000 – 2004 Part time lecturer in creative dance work with young people for the CJD Institute in Eppingham, Germany

Open University Experience

1994 Monitor for Health and Social Welfare Course Mental Handicap – Changing Perspectives
1990 – 94 Staff Tutor and Tutor Counsellor for Mental Handicap – Changing Perspectives
1988 –91 Tutor for Special Needs in Education











Paintings by
Noelle Williamson
of Bisakha Sarker and Diane Amans rehearsing their piece for this conference.



















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