Saturday 20 July, 10am-3pm

Yorkshire Dance, 3 St Peter’s Square, Leeds LS9 8AH

Applications close Tuesday 16 July 2024, 5pm

Have you experienced queer joy in Leeds?

Dance artist Melanie Whitehead Smith is inviting members of Leeds’ LGBTQIA+ community to tell us your story and join us at a free dance workshop as part of HERE MARKS THE SPOT.

After sharing your moments of joy, you’ll work with Melanie to transform your story into a piece of solo choreography.

This will be recorded and later developed into a short dance film.

The films will be projected in the locations they’re inspired by as part of Compass Festival 2024.

Workshop information

  • Saturday 20 July, 10am–3pm
  • Yorkshire Dance, 3 St Peter’s Square, Leeds LS9 8AH
  • There are limited places – selected participants will be contacted by email
  • No dance experience required!

Each participant will receive:

  • £5 travel allowance
  • £10 food allowance
  • If you’d need time off work to attend, we can offer an honorarium at UK Living Wage (£11.44 an hour).

Apply for a free workshop place

There are limited places on the workshop and selected participants will be contacted by email.

If you’re interested in sharing your story and joining the workshop, please complete the form here.

If you have any questions about the project or the Google form, please emaiI Jennie at: producing@compassliveart.org.uk

Access

  • The workshop space is wheelchair accessible.
  • For more information about access at Yorkshire Dance, visit their website.

About the project

HERE MARKS THE SPOT is a screendance project by emerging choreographer and dance artist, Melanie Whitehead Smith, commissioned by Compass as part of our upcoming edition of Compass Festival (1–30 November 2024).

This workshop is the first part of the project and takes place on Leeds Pride Weekend 2024. Melanie is inviting members of Leeds’ LGBTQIA+ community of all ages (16+), abilities, and with little to no dance experience to come together for a free one-day movement workshop at Yorkshire Dance.

“This project explores what a queer space can be – highlighting LGBTQIA+ experiences in Leeds. I am particularly interested in exploring communal spaces that may not immediately be recognised as queer and celebrating queer identity in unexpected places”

MELANIE (Dance Artist)

What to expect from the workshop

A small group of participants will be invited to come together for a one-day movement workshop on Saturday 20 July 2024 at Yorkshire Dance (the day before Leeds Pride!)

At the start of the workshop, Melanie will create a safe space for each person to share a story of queer joy experienced in an unexpected place in Leeds. As a group, you will then be guided through a physical storytelling workshop. Absolutely no dance experience is required. This project is all about finding fun and liberating ways to tell stories of queer joy through movement! After lunch, each participant will have the chance to work one-to-one with Melanie to turn your story into a short piece of choreography, which will be recorded and developed into your very own dance film.

Working collaboratively with Leeds-based queer production creatives between July and September, Melanie will transform the films into a series of outdoor projection installations, each presented at the story location, illuminating the city with queer histories, narratives, and joy.