The below blog is part of a series of blog posts that Commotion Dance and Guests are writing this year to address the importance of being creative. This is in response to the BBC article published early this year about creative subjects being squeezed out of schools.

Creativity to me, means I can be completely free. Movement and ideas can flow and I can find myself absorbed in my body without having to think too much. Sometimes these movements and ideas shift and change, making me realise I do not need to be precious about what I have previously thought about or created.

Creativity, to me as a community practitioner, means nothing is ever wrong. Working mainly with 4-19 year olds, there can be at some ages, a loss of confidence or an apprehension of getting it wrong. By letting go and being completely free to move in any way, in any direction, gives children an outlet to be in their body and not have to think and analyse themselves. It also offers them a chance to express themselves and become confident in opening themselves up to new experiences which they can take into their lives.

Creative light bulb moments happen spontaneously and unexpectedly, especially with working with children and young people. Its a magical moment, when a small seed of an idea can bloom and the children grasp it with both hands; its from their passion and love for dance that helps me mould my creativity.

Through the youth group I teach, we recently held a show in March 2018 which involved around 100 children and young people from the immediate and surrounding areas of Bridport, Dorset. In one particular dance piece, I was stuck for costume ideas. Within my teaching, I fully advocate that this is their choreography as much as it is mine so their opinion and ideas matter and can help contribute to the dance. I opened up to them about this dilemma about costume, and shared my thoughts with them. By bouncing ideas off from one another we established a different theme, which altered the beginning, which also impacted the meaning and ending of the dance. I felt so proud to have been a part of this creative journey with them. They also in turn, took ownership of this dance and their performance quality shifted as they felt empowered about their choice of creativity.

To help me stay creative in my community practitioner role, I take ideas from all around me. Sometimes this is music, or a prop, or even something that is recent in the news or is important to me. These small seeds over time and contemplation shift into something that I can start with. Sometimes I need to use a few ideas to get a ball rolling. If it does not seem to be working, I’m adaptable enough to shelve these ideas for another time.

My next project is wishing to create a piece using a variety of ages within the community. There are many community groups within Bridport that do not necessarily interact with each other. To aim towards a performance, and bring together dancers, musicians and perhaps even artists from many disciplines and ages, to showcase how diverse the community is, would be fantastic and exciting. Perhaps this may even become an outdoor piece who knows!

I firmly believe it would be incredibly difficult to live without creativity. Our lives, our
environment, our friends and loved ones are constantly filled with creativity. Just appreciating beauty within something or someone is looking at something that is creative.

My world is a better one because being creative allows me to be myself. With no inhibitions and wishing to find depth and beauty in most things, I find being creative liberating, exciting and something I want to be a part of.

Aimee Symes

Performer with Commotion Dance and Freelance Dance Artist

Commotion Dance Website