The Caroline Plummer Fellow 2009 | Sean Curham

Caroline Plummer Fellow in Community Dance 2009

Four Legs Better Than Two – dogs, dance and community

'Four Legs Better Than Two' is a community arts project based on the experiences of dog walking. Reflecting the diversity of this community a number of small and medium sized projects have looked to capture the experiences of 'walking the dog'. Key to the project is participation – and so the main event has been many, many shared walks. And yes, I have a dog – her name is Tippy. Alongside these walks have been numerous smaller events – some light-hearted - “Good dog, bad man”, “Dog Park Karaoke” and “Commune” - a project being developed in collaboration with the Dance Studies programme.

Over the last few years I have been looking for opportunities to shift my work from a theatre/gallery context into the 'real' community. This reflects my changing interests and desire to explore more directly the value of ideas in a practical way. It also reflects a change in focus from producing 'things' – artefacts or performance events to an interest in participation. The fellowship has presented the ideal opportunity to work directly within the community. I believe that the knowledge and experience of the community represents an unequalled resource and provides the ideal site for experimentation and the development of ideas.

This will be a challenging project – I am always working away on questions to do with the body and movement. Central to the work is an engagement with the critical and philosophical ideas that question the way in which we come to 'know' or experience the world.

Proposed within the project is the idea that there is a relationship between the potential of dance and the shape and activities of the dog walking community. It is suggested that dog walkers share a unique experience of place and time – and that this experience is manifest in the fluid and ever changing network that is the dog walking community.

The final event for the project will be on Friday 31 July, in the School of Physical Education. All the stories and records will be presented as an installation and will include “Dog Park Karaoke” a light-hearted interactive game designed to make the dogs the stars of the show.