dancer

Those without rhythm, those who do not have a limb, those who are intellectually disabled. The list of those who cannot dance seems long. But really, who can do it and who can't? What does it mean to be a dancer? Who do we want to see on stage? These questions are explored in the Scottish play Dancer.

Ian Johnston and Gary Gardiner have no dance training and one of them is disabled. Together they perform this work that they created with Adrian Howells, just before the death of the renowned English performer. Dressed as gentlemen, Johnston and Gardiner tell anecdotes and dance to their favorite songs, ranging from Kylie Minogue to Nick Cave, songs they enjoy both on stage and in the kitchen or bathroom. Why do we feel more alive when we dance with enthusiasm?

Inclusion, visibility and opportunities are other themes that arise in the work. The English newspaper The Guardian gave four out of five stars to the production, calling it intimate, tender, "a charming work: simple, generous in spirit, vulnerable and entirely without duplicity. But it is not unsophisticated."

The performance on Thursday, June 15, will feature sign language interpretation.  

Dancer is presented within the framework of Include, Third Meeting of Inclusive Practices in Culture and the Arts, which will also have exhibitions of initiatives, international guests and workshops between Wednesday, June 14 and Friday, June 16. The meeting is organized by GAM, financed by the National Disability Service, SENADIS; and sponsored by the National Council of Culture and the Arts, CNCA.