Access, inclusion and equity are the heartbeat of our work at Turned On Its Head. During a recent tour of our work The Delights we noted that the majority of our audiences were of global majority heritage**. We therefore decided to set out, supported by experienced and passionate advisers, to re-work the choreography and imagery of our next show to tour - ‘Shiny’ to better represent, reflect, respect, welcome and value these audiences.
And one of the key ingredients in this, naturally, will be to offer them performers who look and feel familiar to them.
Though the work already exists in one form we will be re-visiting its movement, look, sound and props with regular guidance from our advisers, to make the work more recognisable and relevant for our audiences. We imagine that the dancers we work with will also be a pro-active part of this process actively sharing some of their cultural knowledge and lived experience during devising. This includes meeting and supportive interaction with our advisers, the Culture and Equity Group (CEAG)- who are from a range of global majority heritage backgrounds and share our passion for arts, dance, education, creative parenting and social change.
Turned On It’s Head is not global majority-led, therefore whilst still holding and taking responsibility for the whole process, we are keen to learn from generous, patient and positive dance artists/performers who are excited about and open to the idea of what we are setting out to do and similarly value inclusion, access and equity with an authentic interest in co-creation and collaborating with very young children.
In other words, we want to welcome this cast of ‘Shiny’ into the company as fellow creatives first and foremost yet also with a shared understanding that cultural background and personal experiences are crucial to the new life of this work.
Our commitment is to treat them and our cast with respect, support and courageous listening, rising to the challenge of genuine, committed, long-term allyship.
Job Description
Essential Qualities
Turned On its Head’s unique and highly developed approach needs dancers who can value & be receptive to, the play of very young children, able to enter into improvised dance with them through performance. Essential qualities are being:-
-
Adaptable and approachable with a strong sense of fun and adventure
- Perceptive and able to ‘tune in’ to other people
- Able to work in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary creative team
- Open to learning and committed to developing their craft/ practice
Essential Skills/Experience
We are looking for two dancers any gender expression and age group with:-
- Experience of contemporary dance technique/devising processes
- Experience of working with young children (By young children we mean under 6 years old - this could be in regular classes you teach or assist with or single significant projects which built your skills in this area)
- Contact improvisation skills and/or experience in dance involving disabled people
- Professional dance training/performing experience in shows/projects/works
- Skill in a percussive rhythmic practice e.g. Kathak, Gum Boot, Tap.
Timeline
Dancers must be available for all of the dates for the project/s applied for.
Performance/creation dates:
23rd-27th March 2026 1st residency Pen Green, Corby, Northamptonshire
5-10th October 2nd residency Stretford, Manchester
23rd-27th Nov Rehearsals (Manchester)
1st-4th Dec Rehearsals (Manchester)
5th and 6th Dec Performances Wonder Arts (St Helens)
9th Dec Rehearsal (Manchester)
10th Dec Tech and get in Z Arts, Manchester
11th-13th Dec Performances Z Arts
17th-20th Dec Performances Z Arts
22nd-24th Dec Performances Z Arts
5 and 6th Feb 2027 Performances Made With Many, Corby
10th-14th Mar 2027 Performances Polka Theatre, London
17th-21st Mar 2027 Performances Polka Theatre, London
12th-16th Apr 2027 Performances Playground, Kent
Fee & Expenses
Our rates of pay are £800 per full week plus travel, per diems and accommodation are provided when on tour/working away from home.
Weeks that are less than 5 days will be worked as a day rate of £160 a day.
How to apply.
Turned On Its Head is an LGBTQIA+ friendly organisation and we welcome applications from D/deaf, disabled, neurodivergent dancers and groups of people who have be traditionally under-represented in the arts.
Please send us:-
1. A CV, headshot and show reel showing your performance experience/skills
2. A short statement of 500 words maximum OR video/vimeo/audio link of 5 minutes total (separate from your showreel) telling us about yourself in relation to the essential qualities and skills listed above and answering the following questions:
- What draws you to this role?
- What would the 3-year-old you liked to have seen in a participatory performance for children?
- Tell us about the connection you see between our project vision and your cultural heritage/practices? What do you want to share with our audiences?
Please send to liz@turnedonitshead.org
We encourage you to get in touch to discuss any access needs and if there is anything further we can do that would make applying easier.
Recruitment timeline:
Mon 2nd Feb 9am
Deadline submit above documents (or video)
Mon 9th Feb 5pm
Notification
Stage one - early Feb
Selected dancers will be invited for video call with Liz Clark, Artistic Director of Turned on Its Head and Louise Katerega, TOIH Cultural Ambassador & CEAG lead . Times to be arranged with individuals
Notification mid Feb.
Stage two - 23rd-27th March
Selected dancers invited to paid residency work with Turned On Its Head, spending time immersed in our working methods and interactions with children 0-4 and their adults
30th March
Decision and job offers made.
More information
A downloadable version of this blog is here
A document outlining our vision and information about our Cultural Equity Advisory Group is here
The audio file of this blog is here
The audio file outlining our vision and information about our Cultural Equity Advisory Group is here
**By global majority heritage we mean: People who identify as having full, partial or mixed heritage/s from indigenous peoples of the global south, the African Diaspora, MENA+ (Middle East and North African + adjacent countries/SWANA (South West Asian and North African) region and/or who may describe themselves as dual or mixed heritage, Black, Brown, South Asian, Latinae, East and South East Asian (ESEA).
We understand that not everyone uses the same terminology in this sphere and in our communications we aim to happily embrace the verbal or written language dancers prefer to use to describe themselves and their identities