participant stories

Performing Pictures ~ Patricia

Posted on 02 March
In February 2011, young people from the indigenous, Polish and Roma communities in Margate came together for Performing Pictures. During five full-day workshops, they worked with Create’s professional dancers to devise and rehearse an original dance piece based on a timeline of Margate from the 1920s to the present day, using dance influences from each era (such as mods vs rockers, Charleston, jive). The dance was performed in front of a visual backdrop created in October 2010 by the young people.
Here, 17 year old Patricia talks about the project:

“I was born in Slovakia, where I lived for 13 years. I’ve lived in the UK since then. We moved because there weren’t enough jobs. I like it here, I have loads of friends now and I’ve got a boyfriend. I miss my family and my friends from home, but we go to visit them during holidays and stuff.

Performing Pictures

I’ve done a lot of dance before. I’d been dancing in Slovakia for about five years, and then I had to finish because we moved out here, and now I’m dancing again. I took part in Create’s dance project last year, it taught me new dance moves and to be more confident. I’ve now been teaching dance classes at the Quarterdeck in Margate for half a year, and then I got a job with Kent Community Organisation and was asked whether I wanted to teach dance.

Read the rest of this article

creative:u~turn ~ Marie

Posted on 10 December
Marie* has been attending U-Turn Project in Tower Hamlets for three years. U-Turn is a charity that works with vulnerable and hard to reach women of all ages who have been trapped in cycles of prostitution, drug addiction, physical abuse and homelessness from a young age.

One of three daughters, Marie was chosen by her mother to be sold to men from an early age. After revealing that she liked women, she was forced into a physically and emotionally abusive marriage by her family to ‘cure’ her of being a lesbian. When her husband abandoned her and her daughter, Marie became a sex worker. Her daughter and second child were taken away from her by her family. Marie is now addicted to gambling.

Here, she talks about her experience of taking part in Create’s creative:u~turn project, which is taking jewellery making, art, creative writing and music workshops to U-Turn on Mondays between September 2010 and April 2011.

creative:u-turn

“I come to the U-Turn Project up to four days a week. It’s a lovely centre, and keeps me occupied and from going to certain places I really shouldn’t go. I’ve made friends here and Rio [the manager] helps us a lot. She was the one who told me about the Create project. At first I didn’t think it would be interesting for me, but Rio told me to try it – if I don’t like it, I don’t have to carry on. I’ve never done any art or jewellery before, nothing. But it sounded good. The jewellery was a bit hard because of my hands [Marie has arthritis], and I couldn’t do it on my own, but in the end I made loads of pairs of earrings. It made me move my hands and all that, it was a nice feeling.

Read the rest of this article

Celebrating Diversity

Posted on 08 October
During September 2010, 58 children from Queensmill School (a school for children with a diagnosis of autism) collaborated with eight children from nearby Langford Primary School. During the three week Celebrating Diversity project, they created original music using voice and percussion instruments from around the world. The aims of the project were to breakdown barriers between the participants and enable them to develop their creativity, teamwork and communication skills, and grow in self-confidence and self-esteem. Here, Claire Gibb, Queensmill School’s music therapist, reflects on the project:

“Celebrating Diversity was spine-tinglingly awesome! When Create came last year to do Junk Rock, it was brilliant; and because the children knew two out of the three musicians this time, and got used to Genevieve [Create’s percussionist] really quickly, it meant that there was no real ‘getting to know you’ phase. They could get into the children’s understanding even deeper than last year.

Celebrating DiversityPeople are still singing some of the songs from last year. I’ve even incorporated some of them into what I do because the children want to hear them! I was much more involved in this year’s project. During Junk Rock I was more an observer, watching, listening, taking photos. This year, the project fit in with what I was doing, so I actually got to be part of it, which for me took it to a whole other level.

Having the kids from Langford Primary School was really important. They were amazingly open to our children and their slight eccentricities, and our children liked mixing with children that they didn’t know. Initially, there was a reaction of ”what are you doing in my school?”, but then genuine, caring friendships built up. One student from Langford was really kind and caring to one of our children and I thought that was just amazing! He really reacted to a peer who could help him, because sometimes the peers in his class aren’t necessarily behavioural role models! The children really integrated well. It helped that there was music – it was offering a hand of friendship, but without being too ‘in your face’ for our kids. Sometimes when contact is too direct, that’s when they can have difficulties.

Read the rest of this article