Who we are

Braena is an interdisciplinary performance company; we create original performance work and facilitate inclusive-movement based workshops in the community alongside artists from different disciplines including music, visual art and film.

Who we are

Who made it happen Purity Knowledge

Experience

Passion

Wisdom

Perspective

Drive

Brent

Anna

Tracey

Braena aims to......

Provideopportunities for individuals with learningdisabilities.

Improveindividual’s health and well being

Enhance the quality of life for Young people and adults who have learning disabilities in the North East.

Influence mainstream provision to incorporate dance as a form of intervention forhealth and wellness.

To work as a collective that is supported by highly recognised artists with a common goal.

To deliver a culturally rich and diverse high quality artistic performance to audiences.

Empower individuals and involve them in the management of the service.

Offer person centred creative activities.

Who helps Braena be the company it is today

Tracey, Brent and Anna

Project manager Susie Tate.

Our families.

Support from Arts Council England through The National Lottery

The communities we work in.

The participants we work with.

Support from Arts Centre Washington and Dance City.

Support from Artists regionally and nationally.

Collaboration with Musician Nick Williams.

Braena delivered two terms of inclusive creative movement

based workshops in

partnership with Sunderland

Museum and Winter Gardens.

What we have done

We are company in residence at Arts Centre Washington

In 2011 Braena received a research and development grant form Arts

Council England through the national lottery, to develop a methodology and framework for co-facilitation, to support and enable Brent to Co facilitate workshops and to support Braena’s practice.

Image Slideshow http://vimeo.com/38131378

Braena's creative process to develop a methodology and framework for co facilitation captured in pictures.

Captured in the images are workshop participants from Braena's Creative Summer residency at Dance City.

In September 2012 Braena were company in residence for 3 months at Arts Centre Washington and were supported by Arts Council England to work with internationally renowned performer, choreographer and genetics councillor Caroline Bowditch and musician Nick Williams to research and develop their first full length performance work ‘There are 3’.

‘There are 3’ is a trio about choice, experiences, relationships, journeys and stories;

exploring love, dreams, hopes, fears and beingbrother and sister.

As part of the research project for ‘There are 3’ we delivered creative music and movement workshops in the community and educational settings through out the region. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEXhPNSqOjg

And shared our research through improvised performance at platforms in the North East. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ikDd430Umw

There are 3 – Research

Our work• Braena’s practice is accessible, it gives participants a choice, and we work with

authentic movement practices and contact improvisation.

• We improvise the moment we cease to know what is going to happen, improvisation provides us with a means to excavating layers of experience, sensation, character, feelings that we normally rush through or suppress.

• Through Braena we want to give people choices and opportunities for creative growth.

• Through improvisation Braena explore the body and its surroundings in movement with solo warm ups, working in pairs and groups improvisations.

• We work with improvisation as a source for original material, to develop a piece of work and within performance.

• Braena support people who have a creative talent but cannot follow the conventional routes, through work placements, creative workshops, and apprenticeships.

‘People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel’

Author Maya Angelou

A trio about choice, experiences, relationships, journeys and stories; exploring love, dreams, hopes, fears and beingbrother and sister.

• Braena’s first performance work.• Choreographed by Caroline Bowditch.• Working with musician Nick Williams and moving image

artist Lyndsey Duncanson.• Working with families who have a sibling who have Downs

Syndrome. • Outreach workshops for people in the community and

students in education and professionals.

There Are 3

• To develop high quality performance work to tour

regionally, nationally and internationally. Working with professional renowned Choreographers.

• To develop a series of inclusive creative movement based workshops based in Sunderland and the surrounding areas for professionals, people with learning disabilities in the community and students in education.

Braena’s Future Vision

•Movement play for young children with learning disabilities.

•Develop partnerships with schools to develop inclusive groups across Sunderland and surrounding areas.

•Work closely with specialist schools to create opportunities for school leavers who have a creative talent or an interest in dance.

•Create opportunities for disabled and non-disabled artists to join Braena.

•To develop a Braena youth company.

•Create opportunities for work placements , apprentices with Braena.

•Support disabled artists in developing new work and applying for funding.

Images byOran Milstein,James Froment

andBetty Brown