FRONTLINEdance

12/03/2026

Performance makers, filmmakers and creatives — what happens when video becomes an access tool?

Join Nua Dance- Neus Gil Cortés for an in-person workshop exploring how video design and dance can work together to expand accessibility for Deaf and hard of hearing audiences.

👉 Thursday 19th March 2026
👉 9:30am–12:30pm
👉 St John’s Centre, Stoke-on-Trent
👉 Pay What You Can
👉 Book here: https://shorturl.at/PM1hs

This session dives into six years of R&D integrating dance and technology — from NOISE to their newest production Bending Reality.

We’ll explore:
🎥 How video can shape dramaturgy
📝 Creative captions as an aesthetic choice
💡 Integrating access from the start of a project
🌀 The interplay between live performance and screen

Expect practical exercises, short video excerpts, discussion and experimentation.

Facilitators:
* Ben Glover — Deaf video designer specialising in creative captions, collaborator with Stopgap Dance Company, Graeae Theatre Company and Deafinitely Theatre.
* Neus Gil Cortes — Artistic Director of Nua Dance, integrating dance and technology since 2020.

You’ll also get to experience access tools like a Woojer vest (haptic sound technology).

If you’re interested in pushing your creative practice further — this is for you.



ID: A white female with white short hair, wearing a turquoise jacket and headphones placed around the back of her neck, is looking towards a black male, wearing a black bandana and a black top. Both are standing in front of a mirrored background, and their reflections can be seen.

11/03/2026

👋 Curious about what’s coming next in our creative community?

Join us for a FREE online webinar on Wednesday 18th March, 11:30am –1:30pm, where we’ll introduce our Connect & Collaborate Artists for 2026.

Hear:
✨ What the project is about
🎭 Who the artists are
🤝 How future collaborations might take shape

Featuring artists working across dance, film, theatre, poetry, radio, journalism, and movement — including Lucy Haighton, Caroline Butterwick, Stuart Waters, Brannon Yau, Shaun Fallows, Kayleigh Price, Louise Stones, Mel Osborne, and Holly Thomas.

💻 Online via Zoom
🎟 Book your free place on Eventbrite
💛 Donations welcomed

Book your spot here:https://shorturl.at/nV86z Once you register, we’ll send you the meeting link.



We’re an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, which means funding thanks to taxpayers play a huge part in supporting our work.

ID: A collage of nine headshots: two women and two males on the top row, and one male and four females on the bottom row. Top left is the FRONTLINEdance logo black and "2026" and the text in a large black font "connect & collaborate"

09/03/2026

Access practitioners: let’s rethink where audio description begins.

Join us ONLINE for Embedding Audio Description into the Creative Process and Performance with Stuart Waters and Willie Elliott.

👉 Monday 16th March
👉 1pm–4:15pm
👉 ONLINE (Zoom)
👉 Pay What You Can
👉 Book here: https://shorturl.at/6E3Y4
With Stuart Waters (Head On Theatre) and Willie Elliott (WE Voices).

Since 2021, Stuart and Willie have been developing a practice of embedding audio description from the outset of devising, rehearsing and touring — rather than layering it on at the end. Drawing from their touring work A Q***r Collision, they’ll share reflections from research, rehearsal room practice, and live performance contexts.

This session is particularly relevant for:
* Audio describers
* BSL interpreters
* Captioners
* Access consultants
* Creative access practitioners

Together, we’ll explore: 🔎 What shifts when access is embedded from day one 🎭 The relationship between describer and creative team 🛠 Practical experiments in integrated description 💬 Dialogue between lived experience and professional practice

The workshop includes practical tasks, peer discussion, experimentation and Q&A. It’s an opportunity to expand your toolkit and critically reflect on current methodologies.

All sessions are inclusive and accessible, with built-in breaks and offline working time.
Let’s move from “add-on access” to co-created access.



We’re an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, which means funding thanks to taxpayers play a huge part in supporting our work.

ID: A collage of two images, first: Willie is a white male, with light blue eyes and a light brown beard with streaks of grey is holding a slight smile with a steady gaze. He wears tortoiseshell glasses and light blue v neck tshirt in front of a brick wall. Second: Stuart is a white male with short cropped hair who is seated on the floor in a studio space looking over to the side. An open notebook lies on the floor in front of him and he is wearing a black vest top and navy blue tracksuit bottoms.

09/03/2026

DON'T MISS OUT!
Book your tickets now, three upcoming events focused on access, creativity, and inclusive practice. Whether you’re an artist, access professional, or bringing lived experience, your voice matters.

Monday 16th March (1pm – 4:15pm) ONLINE
Embedding Audio Description into the Creative Process & Performance!
Find out more & get your tickets: https://shorturl.at/6E3Y4

Wednesday 18th March (11:30am – 1:30pm) WEBINAR
Meet the Connect & Collaborate Artists and hear about their journeys so far.
Book your tickets here: https://shorturl.at/nV86z

Thursday 19th March (9:30am – 12:30pm) In-person Workshop
Video Design, Dance & Accessibility -
A practical session exploring access for Deaf and hard of hearing audiences.
Venue: St John's Centre.Trent Vale. ST4 6QD
Get your tickets and register here: https://shorturl.at/PM1hs

Visual Description: In black lower case letters (top left) connect & collaborate. Top right in an uneven royal blue circle - EVENTS MARCH 2026. Underneath are three images of each event

07/03/2026

Arts organisations, access providers and third sector leaders — ready to deepen your accessibility practice?

Join Nua Dance- Neus Gil Cortés and Deaf video designer Ben Glover for a practical in-person workshop exploring how accessibility for Deaf and hard of hearing audiences can be embedded into creative development — not retrofitted at the end.

👉 Thursday 19th March 2026
👉 9:30am–12:30pm
👉 St John’s Centre, Stoke-on-Trent
👉 Pay What You Can
👉 Book here: https://shorturl.at/PM1hs

Drawing on six years of research (from NOISE to Bending Reality), this workshop shares real-world approaches to integrating video design, creative captions and haptic technology into both live and filmed work.

This session is ideal for:
* Arts and cultural organisations
* Access consultants and BSL interpreters
* Funders and commissioners
* Venue managers
* Community and third sector organisations
* Educators and producers
* Those with lived experience

You’ll explore:
📊 How to move from compliance to creative inclusion
🛠 Practical tools and models you can adapt
🤝 Collaboration between artists and access professionals
🔍 Technology as a strategic accessibility tool

Facilitators include Deaf video designer Ben Glover (collaborator with Stopgap Dance Company, Graeae Theatre Company and Deafinitely Theatre) and Neus Gil Cortes, Artistic Director of Nua Dance.

The workshop will be BSL interpreted. Free parking available on site.

If your organisation wants to level up its accessibility thinking — this is a space to learn, test and reflect.



We’re an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, which means funding thanks to taxpayers play a huge part in supporting our work.

DEAFvibe Deaflinks Staffordshire Def Motion Deafblind UK Sense Stoke & North Staffs Deaf Childrens Society Arts Council England Sign Point BSL Action Deafness VAST VAST Volunteering Community Foundation for Staffordshire The Stoke 2000

Image Description: A white female with white short hair, wearing a turquoise jacket and headphones placed around the back of her neck, is looking towards a black male, wearing a black bandana and a black top. Both are standing in front of a mirrored background, and their reflections can be seen.

Exploring Video Design, Dance and Accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing audiences

06/03/2026

Discover our Connect & Collaborate Artists for 2026, hear about the project’s vision, and explore opportunities for future collaborations.

Join us for an online WEBINAR
🗓 Wednesday 18th March
⏰ 11:30am–1:30pm
✨ FREE (donations welcomed)

🎟 Register via Eventbrite: https://shorturl.at/nV86z
Once registered, you’ll receive the Microsoft Teams link.

Our Connect & Collaborate nine artists:
* Lucy Haighton – Independent multidisciplinary movement artist
* Caroline Butterwick – Freelance journalist, writer, community artist & researcher
* Stuart Waters – Dance artist, performer & teacher
* Brannon Yau – Filmmaker
* Shaun Fallows – Performance poet
* Kayleigh Price – Freelance dance artist, choreographer & Director of Company K
* Louise Stones – Commercial radio presenter, broadcaster & reporter
* Mel Osborne – Local theatre maker
* Holly Thomas – Dance artist, choreographer & Co-Director of Half Light Project

Schedule:
11:30am: Welcome and Project Overview
11:40am: Artists’ Introductions
12:00pm: Five-minute screen break
12:05pm: Group 1 Sharing
12:20pm: Group 2 Sharing
12:35pm: Group 3 Sharing
12:50pm: Five-minute screen break
12:55pm: Key reflections and guidance
13:15pm: Questions and answers
13:30pm: Close



We’re an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, which means funding thanks to taxpayers play a huge part in supporting our work.

ID: A collage of nine headshots: two women and two males on the top row, and one male and four females on the bottom row.

05/03/2026

Thank you also to New Vic Theatre for hosting us as part of Connect and Collaborate. Lots of exciting conversations, ideas and shared practice coming together.

Find out what we've been up to!
Join us for an online WEBINAR
🗓 Wednesday 18th March
⏰ 11:30am–1:30pm
✨ FREE (donations welcomed)
🎟 Register via Eventbrite: https://shorturl.at/nV86z
Once registered, you’ll receive the Microsoft Teams link.



ID: A series of images of our Connect and Collaborate artists at the New Vic Theatre in their studio space. They can be seated around grey trestle tables, having conversations, looking at laptops with film equipment on the table. In other pictures they are standing, seated and kneeling in a circle warm up and moving.

04/03/2026

Artists: what if access wasn’t an add-on — but a creative starting point?

Join us ONLINE for Embedding Audio Description into the Creative Process and Performance.

👉 Monday 16th March
👉 1pm–4:15pm
👉 ONLINE
👉 Pay What You Can
👉 Book here: https://shorturl.at/6E3Y4

With theatre-maker Stuart Waters and audio describer Willie Elliott, collaborators on A Q***r Collision (Head On Theatre).

Since 2021, they’ve been exploring how to embed audio description from the very beginning of a creative process — influencing research, devising, rehearsal and touring.

This workshop is for:
🎨 Theatre-makers
🎭 Performers
📝 Writers
🎬 Directors
🎟 Producers
🎪 Cross-disciplinary artists

You’ll:
* Experiment with integrating audio description into live performance
* Reflect on creative decision-making through an access lens
* Explore new relationships between text, movement and description
* Play with form in a supportive environment

Expect practical exercises, creative provocations, screen breaks, discussion and Q&A.

Audio description isn’t just functional — it can be dramaturgical, poetic, disruptive, and expansive. This session invites you to rethink authorship, collaboration and inclusivity in your work.

Access isn’t the final layer. It’s a creative tool.



We’re an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, which means funding thanks to taxpayers play a huge part in supporting our work.

An accessible and inclusive session.

03/03/2026

Big thank you to Westport Lake Visitor Centre for hosting us as part of Connect & Collaborate 2026!



ID: Several images of connect and collaborate artists at WestPort Lake. They are seated on chairs, kneeling on the floor and in wheelchairs in an open community space having discussions and listening attentively to one another. In one, Brannon, a filmmaker is bent over a laptop, whilst another shows two females standing in front of others seated in chairs.

02/03/2026

🎉 You’re invited! 🎉

Join us in celebrating our 25th Anniversary! There will be food, music, dancing and more!

🗓 Sunday 22nd November 2026
⏰ 1pm
📍 The Quarter, Potbank

SAVE THE DATE and keep an eye out for more details coming soon ✨
Let’s celebrate performance, health, community — and you. 💛



ID: a text image with a gold sparkly border, and illustrations of gold stars in the top left and right corners. The FRONTLINEdance logo is top centre, and below is the text "You're invited! Join us for our 25th Birthday Party. Save the date: Sunday 22nd November 2026, 1pm at The Quarter, Potbank" An illustration of a birthday cake with two candles in the shape of a 2 5 is in the bottom right.

01/03/2026

Today we're sharing some feedback from Hospice UK conference in Liverpool last November where we shared the film of our live show Holding On. Thank you to everyone who witnessed our work and shared their thoughts.

"...The response in the room made clear how meaningful the work was to a great number of people."

"For me, it was unquestionably the highlight of the conference. Having worked for many years as a bedside nurse, I’ve often had to keep moving in ways that allowed me to sidestep deeper grief work. This session reached something much more personal, and I know I was far from alone in that."

"Thank you for the generosity and courage involved in holding - and sharing - the grief of missing those you love, and in allowing that grief to be transformed into something held collectively rather than privately. That act alone was powerful."

"…The choreography was extraordinary. The dancers and musicians carried layers of loss, love, exhaustion, tenderness and endurance with such beauty, clarity and restraint. It captured grief in its many forms - personal, professional, silent and shared - without ever simplifying it. It was deeply moving."



ID 1: Audience members seated on wooden pews are watching a dancer with long dark hair seated in a wheelchair as she reaches both arms up above her head to connect with another dancer who is standing. Both are wearing soft floaty costumes in cream, grey and yellow colours.

ID 2: A female dancer with a short fringe and long hair is stretching both hands out in a V shape to connect via fingertips with an older female dancer with short grey hair who is stood opposite and mirroring her. Two further female dancers are stood side by side watching just behind. They are all wearing soft floaty costume in cream, brown and taupe colours.

ID 3: A female dancer with dark hair is seated in a wheelchair and holding the hand of a standing female dancer beside her to make an archway above their heads as they look through. Their other hands rest on the wheelchair wheel. hey are all wearing soft floaty costume in cream, brown and taupe colours.

ID 4: five dancers are leaning on a female seated in a chair in front of a large window in a church. In front are two female dancers kneeling on the floor, on either side two dancers in wheelchairs are leaning in, and behind a final dancer can just be seen leaning her head on her shoulder. The church is dimly lit and wooden benches can be seen behind.