Case Study – Building Dance

College
College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities
School / Department
Lincoln School of Creative Arts, School of Architecture Design and the Built Environment (Nottingham Trent University)
Lead(s)
Tessa Palfrey
Team Member(s)
Nikoo Nikkar, Nottingham Trent University
Start and End Dates (where applicable)
September 2023 - January 2024
Innovation Case Study Categories
Case Studies - Academic Experience
Case Studies - Employability
Case Studies - Student Engagement / Student As Producer

The project enable students to practically investigate how human movement interacts with designed spaces and encouraged students to create a theoretical proposal and design a performance space responsive to movement. Facilitated through the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities Teaching & Learning Innovation Fund 2023/24, this cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional project fostered a working collaboration between students from the Dance degree at the University of Lincoln and students from the Interior Architecture degree at Nottingham Trent University (NTU).  

As part of the ‘Collaborative Performance Making’ module, Dance students at Lincoln are required to create performance pieces. This year, the project extended to include NTU Interior Architecture students, who designed a set inspired by the artist Antony Gormley. The project drew inspiration from renowned choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, known for collaborating with Gormley on large-scale set designs, such as in Babel. This Lincoln/NTU student collaboration explored the relationship between movement and the built environment, echoing similar partnerships in dance history, including Anna Halprin and Lawrence Halprin, or Martha Graham and Isamu Noguchi.

Photograph showing students performing on set

Initial meetings between students from both universities facilitated early planning and discussion. NTU students presented their design ideas to the group, followed by a two-week consultation and development phase. This process allowed for feedback and refinement of the final design, ensuring a cohesive integration of both disciplines’ creative input. The Lincoln Arts Centre’s technical team then constructed the design, while students from the Dance programme shadowed the design and build, gaining valuable industry-related skills. 

Image showing theatrical set designs

Many University of Lincoln Dance graduates pursue interdisciplinary careers that rely on their ability to work in diverse environments. This project enabled students to develop communication skills through working with peers from different artistic disciplines and within different learning environment. The ability to express ideas in non-specialist language is crucial for securing funding and choreographic proposals, and this project directly enhanced students’ employability. The Lincoln/NTU collaboration emulated real-life industry situations, including working across institutions and navigating different educational environments. 

Photograph showing students performing on set

Students feedback included: 

“Working with the other students was very beneficial as it gave a different perspective. It was interesting how a different art form interpreted the same artist in a completely different light by highlighting different aspects. This led to me having a wider and more enlightening view of both the artist and the project we were undertaking”. 

“Working with the NTU students allowed there to be a fresh viewpoint on artistry. Having an insight into the work behind creating a structure that pinpoints the idea of the dance piece was interesting and super cool to be a part of. It has sparked an appreciation of interior architecture, the detail and thought that goes behind it which allowed our piece to come to life”. 

This project provided an innovative and exciting opportunity for students to work across disciplines and institutions. It allowed them to gain practical experience and build their confidence. Through working closely with NTU Interior Architecture students to review design practices and processes, Lincoln Dance students were able to follow an idea-to-product journey, gaining invaluable experience in a project that closely reflected the working practices of the industry. 

Photographs showcasing the groups of students whop were involved in the activity