Faith, Patience and Realities of Co-Design

Our fourth day included Christopher Tendai (founder of CTC Dance Company ) andVeda Harrison each have very different careers, but their talks gave insights into their approaches and shared values.

Christopher embeds education and conversation into his practice – engaging audiences in conversation after performances, and develops work for young people that ensures the development of dancers who engage with identity and anti-racism and creativity. The complexity of developing a sustainable living while managing risk and relationships – deep listening and working to ensure that all involved in the company are given an equitable starting place are key to the process. Chris shared his approach of understanding barriers to success and inclusion in a sector and then working with them or round them to create new business models for the sector – and finding partners who have the same level of integrity and authenticity.

Patience for the time that change might need is a crucial piece of advice from Veda’s experiences – she works to support young people, communities and find ways to use that waiting time to mindfully, or creatively develop work – valuing the journey and the destination equally. Veda spoke about her time as a Goldsmiths student and how she had studied both Sociology and Communication – and this, plus the opportunities to be playful and make mistakes without failing had informed her interest and deep skill in communication. There was reflection on the pressure and complexity of often being the only Black woman in spaces, and how to design for systemic change https://reframingrace.org/data/it-takes-a-system. The importance of faith and that there is potential for change are key to Veda’s optimism – and faith in different forms has been emerging as a theme in this year’s festival.