TYPE OF WORK
Performance and participatory work across a range of contemporary and multicultural styles.

TARGET GROUPS
Members of the community from all cultural backgrounds, young people attending youth centres and schools in areas of social exclusion, black and ethnic minority groups.

GEOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT
UK, North America, South America, Western and Southern Europe

COMPANY POLICY
To explore and express an identity through dance which reflects the growing cultural fusion of contemporary society, drawing upon a rich variety of styles combining contemporary techniques with street dance and martial art, particularly Capoeira. The company seeks to challenge audiences' perceptions of movement styles and to make dance more accessible to a culturally diverse audience.

Union Dance aims to innovate, to create and to motivate participation from young people, regardless of previous dance experience. As second generation immigrants, they have a clear understanding of the skills needed to adapt to another country.

SCALE OF PROJECTS
Number of practitioners: 6 average
Number of participants: 25 average
Preparation time: Varies
Contact time: 2-25 hours/week

PERMANENT STAFF
Corrine Bougaard, Artistic Director
Alison Kourtellas, General Manager
Michael Joseph, Rehearsal Director
Rachael Attfield, Education Co-ordinator
Susanna Cole, Education Officer
Garry Benjamin, Assistant Rehearsal Director

Hip Hop Boys (UK, 2003)
This project was designed to encourage more boys to take part in dance projects, especially Union's youth group Union Too. Participants were recruited from Westminster youth clubs with a series of workshops. Those that signed up to do the project attended a week-long residency in a local college working with two dancers from the company, renowned for their expertise in B-boying dance style.

The project attracted participants that could not otherwise afford to take part and Hip Hop Boys included tickets for the boys to see a performance of Union Dance.

The project was concluded with performances back at the youth clubs where the initial workshops took place as well as at youth platform performances.

The project was supported by the City of Westminster's sponsorship and self-fund, Voluntary Action, Westminster's neighbourhood renewal and The Paul Hamlyn foundation.

Cambridge Dance Agency (UK, 2003)
This tour was organised by rural touring in Cambridgeshire and consisted of five residencies in rural Cambridgeshire schools, with students from two local schools working together in one school for a three-day residency. The dancers created a five-minute piece based on Union Dance's performance, Dance In House, reflecting ideas both from Union's work as well as the students' own ideas. Each of the pieces created by the school groups were performed by the students before the company's performance in the participating schools at the end of the week.

Hip Hop Boys
Union is working closely with Westminster's youth services in London to develop new audiences and take dance into the clubs to support and improve the services that already exist, as well as introducing new participants to Union. Union will offer Westminster schools support throughout 2003/4, targeting two schools continuing the work that took place in 2002. Other projects in the borough include summer and easter courses, Union Too youth project and a special project to celebrate Black History Month. (London, UK, 2003-4)