YDance project Look Up, Look Under, Look Out gets underway in eight primary schools in Renfrewshire
The 12-week project aims to develop children’s creative dance skills and engage their imagination to enable them to explore the history of the architectural wonders that lie in their communities, and to express this through dance.
Look Up, Look Under, Look Out will explore the People, Place and Environment Experiences and Outcomes from Curriculum for Excellence. The children taking part in the project will have the opportunity to rediscover their town and history, and reflect on their own connections with these places.
Pupils from eight Renfrewshire primary schools each selected a local building or piece of architecture to focus on. A specialist dance worker visits the school each week and uses the selected building as a stimulus for learning.
The historical visits, cross curricular lessons and creative dance classes will culminate in a performance inspired by what the children have discovered. The final showcase will be held at Johnstone Town Hall on Thursday 30th March and will involve all eight schools.
Jean Cameron, Paisley2021 Bid Director, said:
“Renfrewshire’s Culture Heritage and Events fund was created to support the Paisley 2021 bid by getting people involved in culture and unlocking the area’s creative potential. It’s great to have a national organisation like YDance working on a project which will put young people from Renfrewshire front and centre, as well as being a great learning experience and a lot of fun.”
She added:
“Dance is a strong feature of the bid – the rate of participation locally is well above the national average. Renfrewshire also has some fantastic architecture and it’s great to see the children being asked to use that as their inspiration for the performance. I can’t wait to see what the pupils come up with at the final showcase.”
The schools taking part in the project are St Fillan’s Primary School, Arkelston Primary School, Howwood Primary School, Inchinnan Primary School, Lochwinnoch Primary School, Fordbank Primary School, St John Bosco Primary School, and St Paul’s Primary School.
