CandoCo
Encyclopedia
Candoco Dance Company is a contemporary dance company of disabled and non-disabled dancers, founded in 1991 by Celeste Dandeker and Adam Benjamin. Dandeker, who had previously trained with the London Contemporary Dance Theatre
, suffered a fall whilst dancing on stage. The resulting spinal injury prevented her from dancing until choreographer Darshan Singh Buller persuaded her to dance again, albeit from her wheelchair, for the subsequently award-winning dance film The Fall.
From this, Dandeker took inspiration to create Candoco, which, since its inception, has been creating an inclusive dance practice, and has subsequently won many awards.
Celeste Dandeker has commissioned work by many established choreographers including Rafeal Bonachela, Fin Walker, Siobhan Davies
, Javier De Frutos, Stephen Petronio
and Nigel Charnock amongst many others. In 2007 Celeste retired and Stine Nilsen and Pedro Machado have been appointed as her successors. In 2008 Candoco took part in the Handover Ceremonies at the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games, representing Britain. It was the first time disabled artists were present in both events in the history of the games. They are based at Aspire National training centre in Stanmore, North London.
Candoco is part of a larger physically integrated dance
movement, which seeks to increase opportunities for artistic expression through movement for a wide spectrum of physical attributes and disabilities. The physically integrated dance movement is part of the disability culture movement, which recognizes and celebrates the first-person experience of disability, not as a medical-model
construct but as a social phenomenon, through artistic, literary, and other creative means.
London Contemporary Dance Theatre
The London Contemporary Dance Theatre was a contemporary dance company, based at The Place, founded by Robin Howard with Robert Cohan as its Artistic Director....
, suffered a fall whilst dancing on stage. The resulting spinal injury prevented her from dancing until choreographer Darshan Singh Buller persuaded her to dance again, albeit from her wheelchair, for the subsequently award-winning dance film The Fall.
From this, Dandeker took inspiration to create Candoco, which, since its inception, has been creating an inclusive dance practice, and has subsequently won many awards.
Celeste Dandeker has commissioned work by many established choreographers including Rafeal Bonachela, Fin Walker, Siobhan Davies
Siobhan Davies
Siobhan Davies CBE DLitt was a dancer with the London Contemporary Dance Theatre during the 1970s, then becoming one of its leading choreographers before founding her own company — the Siobhan Davies Dance Company — in 1988.First training in art, Davies was one of the first year's intake of...
, Javier De Frutos, Stephen Petronio
Stephen Petronio
Stephen Petronio is an artistic company founder/director, choreographer, and an American dancer based in New York City.Born in Newark, New Jersey, on March 20, 1956. Petronio received a B.A. degree from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he began dancing in 1974...
and Nigel Charnock amongst many others. In 2007 Celeste retired and Stine Nilsen and Pedro Machado have been appointed as her successors. In 2008 Candoco took part in the Handover Ceremonies at the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games, representing Britain. It was the first time disabled artists were present in both events in the history of the games. They are based at Aspire National training centre in Stanmore, North London.
Candoco is part of a larger physically integrated dance
Physically integrated dance
The physically integrated dance movement is part of the disability culture movement, which recognizes and celebrates the first-person experience of disability, not as a medical model construct but as a social phenomenon, through artistic, literary, and other creative means.Examples of dance...
movement, which seeks to increase opportunities for artistic expression through movement for a wide spectrum of physical attributes and disabilities. The physically integrated dance movement is part of the disability culture movement, which recognizes and celebrates the first-person experience of disability, not as a medical-model
Medical model of disability
The medical model of disability is a sociopolitical model by which illness or disability, being the result of a physical condition, and which is intrinsic to the individual , may reduce the individual's quality of life, and causes clear disadvantages to the individual.It is today specifically...
construct but as a social phenomenon, through artistic, literary, and other creative means.