About Us

StopGAP is a dance company that challenges traditional notions about dance by using each dancer's physical and intellectual potential as a starting point for creating new work.

The company leads a huge range of activities which cover workshops, education residencies, talks, creative exchanges and performances locally, regionally, nationally and internationally from village halls to middle scale venues.

StopGAP are also actively involved in the national disability arts debate. During 2006 and 2007 the StopGAP team presented a huge range of activity which included:

• 38 performances throughout the UK and 3 other countries (including the USA) watched by 4,347 people.
• Creating 2,644 dance workshop experiences for young people and adults, which also involved 865 people with disabilities.

Above all StopGAP aim to be entertaining and accessible to everyone and to ensure that audiences leave the theatre uplifted, with the feeling that their preconceptions have been challenged.

Artistic Policy

StopGAP aims to attract first time dance audiences and people who are interested in the disability field or are disabled themselves. Our work engages families and is inviting for a non-dance audience whilst maintaining artistic integrity and interest for the dance connoisseur.

Pioneering – To present work crafted by the best choreographers.

Challenging – To create high quality, dynamic and entertaining dance that challenges preconceptions and evokes emotion.

Balanced – To create a balanced programme of accessible and amusing dances, and introduce our audience to slightly more challenging work.

Integrated – To celebrate the richness that comes from the diversity within the company.

Honest – To use the experiences of each dancer as inspiration during the creative process.

Fair – All our dancers, either with or without disabilities, are of equal importance to the company. It is not our intention to politically promote predominantly disabled issues.

Engaging – For the dancers to be portrayed as people on stage, not abstract moving sculptures. The company has particular strength for performing character based pieces and has an engaging humanity in their work.