Last week, our Learning and Engagement Officer, Emily Davies, and Learning and Engagement Manager Rebecca Stephen-Denby, took members of Brewery Youth Dance (BYD), Mature Movers, and Act Your Age to watch a piece of professional contemporary dance performed by the Gary Clarke Company alongside five local LGBT+ participants in Blackpool’s Victorian Grand Theatre.
The performance, titled Detention, explores the impact of Section 28, a law that “prohibited the promotion of homosexuality” in UK schools and local authorities from 1988 until its repeal in 2003.
Reflections from Mature Movers Member, Jules Boswell:
“Detention was a powerful, moving remembrance of Section 28 and of the attack on the LGBT+ community led by the Thatcher Tory government.
We watched as a series of powerful dances unfolded, linked by a narrator and set to the backdrop of visceral music. Section 28 had a devastating effect on so many: those in single-sex relationships, gay and lesbian parents, and individuals ostracised by their families. We were shown how the LGBT+ community experienced fear, shame, isolation, violence and suicide.
However, there were positives: a sense of community, solidarity, heroism, activism, protests, and even unlikely alliances with remarkable individuals and organisations of the time.
The final speech reminded us that although there have been changes and the horror of Section 28 is behind us, there is still homophobia both in this country and throughout the world. Sadly, there are always people who will want to persecute those whom they perceive as being different.
I believe that we, the audience, were left with a sense that we had just experienced something deeply important and deeply sad, and it had been presented to us as an inspiring and beautiful show by some magnificent and talented performers.”
Thoughts from BYD attendees:
“Very inspiring movement material, set to music that complemented it really well”
“The combination of choreography and personal stories created a hard-hitting piece that demonstrated the theme so clearly”
“It made you think, it was raw, parts of it were uncomfortable to watch, but in a good way. Everyone should watch it, regardless of their views”
Emily reflected on the experience, saying:
“I thoroughly enjoyed the work, and was so pleased we could facilitate the group viewing such high-quality contemporary dance – the kind of work that inspired me as a young dancer myself. Witnessing very relevant themes, expressed in such an embodied way, was incredibly powerful. A great reminder of why the arts are so important – to be moved, to understand the experience of others and to feel inspired.”
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