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Description
Be Part! is an artistic community project that uses the artistic process as a tool to support the development of civil society, a sense of belonging and the visibility of marginalized groups. Professional performers from the Czech Republic and Iceland will get to know the concept and choreographic material of the given group''s performance in the form of a joint creative seminar led by a selected foreign ensemble (Foco alAire – MX / Zerogrammi – IT / Michele Steinwald & 44 Art Productive – CA/USA).
The international team will then apply these principles of creation and performance to selected communities in Brno (2022), Reykjavík (2022) and Prague (2023). Each phase of community work will be led by the 1-2 artistic directors of the visiting troupe, 5 artists of the visiting troupe and 5 Czech and 5 Icelandic artists complete each community work. The implementation in individual locations will always be based on a different performance and will culminate in its introduction. The project will also involve 1-2 local bands, which will accompany the performance with live music.
Brno: Be Part of LOStheULTRAMAR (Foco alAire – MX)
Reykjavík: Be Part of Elegia delle cose perdute (Zerogrammi – IT)
Praha: Be Part of River’s Course (Michele Steinwald & 44 Art Productive – USA/CA)
Cooperation with each community will culminate in a performance to be shown as part of an event hosted by each of the partner institutions: Meeting Brno Festival (Brno), Reykjavík Culture Night (Reykjavík) and Mezi ploty Festival (Prague). Different target groups will be involved in the project at each location. In Brno, the project will engage with the Roma minority from deprived areas, in Reykjavík with the refugee community and in Prague with people suffering from mental health disorders. The entire project will conclude with an international conference moderated by a sociologist or anthropologist and the screening of a documentary that will capture the progress of the work and its outputs.
Summary of project results
The project supported the social integration of selected marginalised groups and the professional development of committed professional artists.
The project was divided into 3 main parts: Be Part of LOStheULTRAMAR (Brno, 7/22), Be Part of Elegía delle cose perdute (Iceland, 1-2/ 23) and Be Part of The River''s Course (Prague, 5/ 23). Each part was aimed at a different target group (Roma community, refugee community, mentally ill) and under different artistic direction. This was preceded by a workshop for professional artists. There was also a conference, which was attended by representatives of all the above mentioned groups to share their experiences. The work with the Roma community in Brno was accompanied by anthropological research. The work with refugees and asylum seekers in Iceland was accompanied by sociological research. Working with the Roma community was the subject of the documentary Protancovat Cejlem, co-produced with Česká televize.
Each stage of the project took place in a different context and targeted a different target group, so it was possible to draw conclusions from the cycle about what worked and what did not work in the project design.
The main findings
/the need to involve the majority as well as the target minority - not to segregate the project
/the target group needs to be communicated with directly, personally, it is challenging but effective in terms of benefits
/a large group of professional artists is beneficial and allows trust to be established more quickly
Summary of bilateral results
Thanks to the cooperation with a partner in Iceland, all those involved in the project - performers, guest artists and producers got acquainted with the field of contemporary dance in Iceland, with the activities of several cultural institutions and activities on a voluntary level. Thanks to the long-term visit to Iceland, everyone had the opportunity to build strong contacts and establish future collaborations. Some of the artists are thinking about returning to Iceland. The performers from Iceland in particular have benefited equally from working in the Czech Republic, where they have gained many contacts not only on a national but also on an international level.