A Profile of Full Radius Dance

Atlanta Company is a Leader in Physically Integrated Modern Dance

Dec 30, 2008 Andrew Leibs

Since the mid-1980s, the graceful movements of ballet have been redefined and now enfold those with differing abilities, including dancers in wheelchairs.

Full Radius Dance (FRD) explores diversity through dance with programs that involve broad sections of the community with an emphasis on the disabled. FRD seeks to examine the essence of our shared humanity to affect positive change.

Full Radius Dance is a leading practitioner of mixed-ability or physically integrated dance (dancers with and without disabilities), a small but distinguished sector of modern professional dance that developed in the US and Great Britain in the 1980s. Some of its dancers use wheelchairs, which lend performances new possibilities for movement.

Other US mixed-ability dance companies include: Axis Dance Company (Oakland, CA); Dancing Wheels (Cleveland); Dance Detour (Chicago); Infinity Dance Theatre (New York City); and Light Motion (Seattle).

A Brief History of Full Radius Dance

The company began as Dance Force, Inc., an able-bodied modern dance company, in 1990 and has evolved to realize founder Douglas Scott’s vision of changing the way modern dance was created and supported in Atlanta. Dance Force now encompasses:

Full Radius Dance, created in May 1998 with the merger of Dance Force and E=motion. Full Radius Dance creates, commissions and performs work that:

• Challenges prevailing attitudes about disability and dance
• Performs mature, complex works celebrating technique and physicality
• Presents inventive new movement possibilities.

The Modern Atlanta Dance Festival (MAD), Atlanta's only professionally adjudicated modern dance event which, since 1995, has provided performance opportunities to Atlanta-based dance companies and individuals

Positive Motion, which promotes Atlanta’s modern dance community and culture with education and service programs, workshops, technique classes, and lecture demonstrations.

In its performances, Full Radius Dance presents mature, choreographically complex works celebrating technique and physicality. But the company also likes to have fun, as it did in its 2008 Holiday Spectacular, inspired by Bing Crosby-style TV Christmas specials that also included revivals its Nutcracker Sweet, a big-band version of the famous ballet, and Fluff, a romp through 60's pop songs.

About Full Radius Dance Executive Director Douglas Scott

Douglas Scott holds a B.F.A. in Performing Arts from Western Kentucky University. His dance career began in Atlanta with the Ruth Mitchell Dance Company, where he performed in works by Mitchell, Ron Cunningham, and Monica Levy before founding Dance Force in 1991. He began his exploration of mixed ability dance technique in 1993, which led to his co-founding (with Ardath Prendergast) of E=motion in 1995. Scott’s awards include a Mayor’s Fellowship in the Arts and a Creative Loafing Critic's Choice Best Choreography award, both in 2001. He has led workshops for numerous organizations, including: the Coalition for Inclusion in the Performing Arts; the MS Society: the Lakeshore Foundation, and the Edith Upchurch Forum on Innovative Recreational Programming.

The copyright of the article A Profile of Full Radius Dance in Accessible Recreation is owned by Andrew Leibs. Permission to republish A Profile of Full Radius Dance in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Photo from Full Radius Dance's

Full Radius Dance Company Logo

What do you think about this article?

---

NOTE: Because you are not a Suite101 member, your comment will be moderated before it is viewable.

post your comment

What is 9+10?