Restless Dance Company
Encyclopedia
Restless Dance Theatre is a contemporary dance
company based in the South Australia
n capital of Adelaide
. Founded in 1991, it comprises young performers with and without a disability
. It conducts workshops and tours throughout Australia. Restless Dance Company changed its name to Restless Dance Theatre in 2008.
However, dancers may also be in wheelchair
s, be partially blind
and have a physical disability
or mental illness
. It performed at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Arts Festival.
People with a disability are powerful, expressive and distinctive performers, creating beautiful and dynamic dance theatre. The dancers’ skills are complemented by those of musicians, set, costume and lighting designers, to ensure that the performance is supported by high production values.
In an integrated dance company, the art is made by young people with and without a disability working together. Rehearsals are structured so that the content and the expression of the dance are led by the people with a disability. Restless is a place where it is an advantage to have a disability. Dance is a mode of expression which allows people who may not have a verbal facility to speak eloquently to everyone.
The Guiding Values which underpin the company’s work are:
Peter Burdon
The Advertiser, November 2010
That the result would be a success, few doubted. But for it to be quite so good, quite so competitive by any standards, makes it something special.... Expressive powers of this quality remind us of the transcending power of the arts.
The Advertiser – August 2 2005
Restless Dance Company is without question a leader in the field of youth dance and working with young people with and without a disability.
Lowdown Magazine – April 2005
In the choreography of Rebel Rebel, I saw dancers becoming artists for the future. RealTime June-July 2007
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...
company based in the South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
n capital of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. Founded in 1991, it comprises young performers with and without a disability
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
. It conducts workshops and tours throughout Australia. Restless Dance Company changed its name to Restless Dance Theatre in 2008.
The Company
Restless Dance Theatre is an integrated company that works with young dancers with and without a disability. Restless works primarily but not exclusively with dancers with an intellectual disabilityIntellectual disability
Intellectual disability is a broad concept encompassing various intellectual deficits, including mental retardation , deficits too mild to properly qualify as MR, various specific conditions , and problems acquired later in life through acquired brain injuries or neurodegenerative diseases like...
However, dancers may also be in wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
s, be partially blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
and have a physical disability
Physical disability
A physical disability is any impairment which limits the physical function of one or more limbs or fine or gross motor ability. Other physical disabilities include impairments which limit other facets of daily living, such as respiratory disorders and epilepsy....
or mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
. It performed at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Arts Festival.
People with a disability are powerful, expressive and distinctive performers, creating beautiful and dynamic dance theatre. The dancers’ skills are complemented by those of musicians, set, costume and lighting designers, to ensure that the performance is supported by high production values.
In an integrated dance company, the art is made by young people with and without a disability working together. Rehearsals are structured so that the content and the expression of the dance are led by the people with a disability. Restless is a place where it is an advantage to have a disability. Dance is a mode of expression which allows people who may not have a verbal facility to speak eloquently to everyone.
The Guiding Values which underpin the company’s work are:
- Innovation: through exploration and artistic risk taking
- Participation: through accessible and inclusive creative experiences
- Collaboration: which creates mutual ownership of achievements
- Quality: setting a high standard for the aspirations and the governance of the company’s work
Reviews
‘Duets feature apparently effortless feats of balance and support that would tax any dancer. Yet you’re entirely unaware of the varying physical abilities of the individual performers; an impressive achievement in an ensemble where disability might otherwise be regarded as a bridge too far. This has been Restless’ hallmark for some time and Channells has embraced it fully.’Peter Burdon
The Advertiser, November 2010
That the result would be a success, few doubted. But for it to be quite so good, quite so competitive by any standards, makes it something special.... Expressive powers of this quality remind us of the transcending power of the arts.
The Advertiser – August 2 2005
Restless Dance Company is without question a leader in the field of youth dance and working with young people with and without a disability.
Lowdown Magazine – April 2005
In the choreography of Rebel Rebel, I saw dancers becoming artists for the future. RealTime June-July 2007