Indepen-dance Members Stories

Indepen-dance is an inclusive dance company for disabled and non-disabled people to enjoy, express, and fulfil their potential through dance.

The project captured the personal histories of longstanding members of Indepen-dance and placed these into the wider historical context of how disability and policies within Scotland have changed since the First World War. Particular themes were:

• protest
• the end of asylums
• performance

Members with learning disabilities engaged with local archives and consulted with historians to gather research. Non-verbal members took part in classes to interpret heritage through movement, while open classes allowed the wider community to engage with heritage in this way.

To create a lasting record of members' stories and share stories with the wider community, a film was created featuring interviews. This was archived at the Glasgow Image Archive and made available at film festivals.