Author Archives: ffinadmin

Exciting new job opportunity

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Outreach Coordinator | 6 Month Contract
£2,083 pcm | hours tbc

FFIN DANCE
The Beaufort Theatre, Beaufort, Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, Wales UK
Commencing 1st October 2020

FFIN DANCE is seeking to find an Outreach Coordinator.
The post will maintain all community outreach activities and create new ones in response to the lack of community confidence and fear of social interaction due to COVID-19. The Coordinator will work with the Artistic Director and Board of FFIN DANCE, the workers and the volunteers to develop and implement initiatives that increase visibility within the surrounding community.
Responsibilities will include:
– maintaining a calendar of outreach activities, including community events, workshops, appearances and other communication opportunities
– preparing an annual budget for community outreach activities
– nurturing new and old relationships with collaborative partners
– scheduling regular outreach exhibitions in the community and supporting volunteers on community responsibility
– preparing accurate records and reports on the goals of the fundraising plan
– overseeing a donor management system
– assisting in the organisation of special events, including donor/volunteer appreciation events and other fundraising initiatives

This is an exciting opportunity for a highly energetic and motivated individual who has previous experience in working with the community through dance based activity.

If you wish to have an informal discussion about this opportunity before applying, please contact Sue Lewis, Artistic Director FFIN DANCE 07854 910926

Please submit your CV and expression of interest to Sue Lewis via email info@ffindance.co.uk by September 21st 2020

The FFIN DANCE zoom school

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the FFIN DANCE zoom school

We’d like you to be the first to hear all about our new inititiatve – the FFIN DANCE zoom school.
Following on from our highly successful dance classes throughout the Covid-19 lockdown, we have launched our new term of classes starting in September.  In addition to our weekly classes and videos,  we are introducing short courses which last 3 or 4 weeks aimed at an intensive learning experience.

The timetable will be out very soon, so keep keen …

ZSLOGO

The New Normal

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As we move further towards life back in the normal lane, I take the time to reflect on how things have been over the past few months during lockdown.
We have been most fortunate to get support from The National Lottery Community Fund, Community Foundation in Wales and more recently from GAVO to keep in touch with our community and find new ways of working together.

Children and young people from our dance faktry have written and sent postcards to members of the community who have been self isolating, those who have been in hospital, those who may have needed a bit of “cheering up” and those who are alone.
Our company dancers and teachers have filmed dance classes and exercises to do at home and they have been posted on social media.  We are now in our ninth week of online dance classes via Zoom, having taught 30 classes in that time.  The classes are free for the community and we have had some wonderful feedback from parents and the young people themselves.
I think that we are one of the first professional dance companies in the UK to announce our virtual summer dance school.  This is free to participants of all ages and abilities and will involve the creation of a new dance film to be screened on August 7th.
We have plans to reopen our café with a take away service as our first step to resuming activity in our beloved Beaufort Theatre
We have found new ways of working and will continue to do that, already we have found that many things can be done differently to good effect.

However, nothing can take away the feeling of being together in a studio – creating, learning, dancing together.  Nothing can be as good as the thrill of seeing our Main House full of people coming to watch live performances, maybe for the first time.  Nothing can beat the feeling of family that we have at FFIN DANCE

We hope that we will all be together again soon, in whatever way the new normal dictates.  Stay safe everyone and keep dancing …

IMG_0888

sue lewis

Lifeline Support

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CFiW Logo

We are delighted to share with you that we have been awarded a grant from the Community Foundation in Wales Coronavirus Resilience Fund to connect with our community through a series of online dance and exercise classes.  Our team of professional dancers at FFIN DANCE will be starting this Thursday and Friday (April  30th) with free online classes to the community.  The classes will be aimed at all ages and all levels and will be joined through Zoom.  In addition to this our dance faktry will be sending cheery post cards to vulnerable members of our community as a way of connecting with those who are isolated or in care homes and hospitals.  We are truly grateful to the Community Foundation in Wales for giving us this opportunity to keep our vital work going in our community throughout lockdown and during the period following that: a time of uncertainty for us all.

Look out for details on our social media sites:

Twitter @ffindance
Facebook Ffin Dance

 

Easter dance faktry festival 2020 – postponed

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Easter dance faktry festival 2019 Image Paul Trask

Easter dance faktry festival
2019
Image Paul Trask

This year our Easter dance faktry festival will be held on Saturday April 18th at 7pm.
In addition to a performance by our professional dancers, we will be sharing the work of our community dance and musical theatre classes with you.
Our resident performing arts academy Lybec Arts will also be performing as will local community group Toppers School of Dance & Drama.
Tickets are out now in our weekly classes and also by calling in person at our Café @ The Beaufort between 10-2pm

Here’s a look at some images from the edff 2019 by Paul Trask

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Onwards and upwards

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It’s been almost 3 years since we took over the management of The Beaufort Theatre, and I’m delighted to to tell you that we’re going from strength to strength.

I’d like to introduce you to our latest partner Lybec Arts Performing Academy who has become artist in residence with us. We are delighted to welcome the Academy to The Beaufort. Lybec Arts is a qualifications academy offering weekly skills development in a range of performance pathways, all groups are fully subscribed at the moment with new students able to apply in the summer term.

Image Paul Trask

Image Paul Trask

Our dance faktry classes are an absolute joy!  The recent winter dance faktry festival provided an opportunity for our children and young people to showcase the work that they had created throughout the term. The young dancers also got the opportunity to watch each other which is always a most valued and valuable experience. The High Sheriff of Gwent came along to the event and was thrilled to see such energy and commitment.

It’s been a few years since we toured our professional work as our priority has been establishing a stronghold in our own community, however now we are firmly bedded in,  we will be touring to Holyhead in North Wales next month. Canolfan Ucheldre has always been one of our favourite places to show our work and we get a great welcome on the island.  We will also be working with community groups including the Barton Dance & Drama Academy with whom we have had a strong working relationship for many years now. We will be making a curtain raiser performance for the students to perform with us.  We are hoping to make new friends too with other community groups of all ages.

On a personal level, I’m happy to say that I can now see properly after having cataract surgery.  One of my greatest joys is that I can now see the faces of the children whom I teach and see the expressions on their faces in dance class. I am most grateful to the fantastic team at Emersons Green Treatment Centre in Bristol for this miracle.

Now that I am able to see to complete more extended writing, you’ll be hearing a lot more from me. Thank you for sharing my FFIN experiences with me, see you in Holyhead …

sue lewis

Image Paul Trask Design Julian Lewis

Image Paul Trask
Design Julian Lewis