Image: Photograph of Hattie Worboy

Body Talks Movement CIC (BTM) is a Community Interest Company that runs an international dance film workshop programme, creating films and art installations for the wider public. The project builds bridges through dance, using technology in a positive way to connect children with peers, within and beyond their local community. Ahead of their new installation, The Body’s Voice, at IKLECKTIK we caught up with Director and Founder Hattie Worboys to see what it’s all about.

Run Riot: The Body’s Voice is your new installation; can you tell us a bit about it?

Hattie Worboys: With pleasure! A few years back, whilst developing a documentary about the programme, I was advised to give myself the luxury of creating a document of it in whatever format I feel best. After months/ years of thought and incubation – here it is - an audio-visual immersive experience! I want everyone who watches it to remember how it feels to surrender to your emotions and lose yourself in movement. You may never make it to an improvised dance workshop but let this remind you that you don’t need to be intoxicated at a night club or a wedding to find your groove!

This installation illustrates the work we are developing in the BTM programme. Body Talks Movement is a Community Interest Company that gives voice to ‘the unheard’ and harnesses the healing potential of movement and other expressive digital art forms. The company runs an international children's dance film workshop programme, whilst creating films and art installations for the wider public. 

For The Body’s Voice, we are surrounded by large moving images of the children expressing themselves and connecting through movement. These children – one a group of children from alternative rural communities in Glastonbury and the other a group of children from a school in Newham, East London - have recently taken part in our programme with a series of improvised dance workshops. They tuned in with their bodies, learnt to understand subtle expressions and the infinite variety of movement. They were encouraged to play, to listen to themselves and connect with each other and were reassured that there’s no right or wrong when it comes to improvised movement. It’s beautiful to witness the children as they touch on something meaningful, as they move around the studio and expand from their default ways of moving and become more confident to express their uniqueness. The magical moments are when their humour, their seriousness and indeed their authentic soul shines through. THIS is what I’ve tried to capture on film, and THIS is what I am really excited for the audience to witness. 

Image: Photograph of Abeer by Oliver Schofield

Run Riot: That sounds really exciting, so why is this installation so important, particularly now? 

Hattie Worboys: The Body’s Voice (and the BTM programme) celebrates and gives value to meaningful connection, uniqueness, acceptance, and empathy. As communities dissolve and polarisation and feelings of isolation increase, this is a reminder of the value of communal acceptance in our contemporary world. As we all become more and more addicted to our screens and manipulated by algorithms and the silent, sinister powers of the corporate tech giants, this is a call to our bodies and our wild and authentic natures. 

Run Riot: The use of technology in your work is something that also seems important to you. Do you feel technology can help the arts?

Hattie Worboys: The Body’s Voice is also an exploration into the positive potential of technology as it shows how children can create community virtually through movement and screens. We are in the process of developing a network where participants of Body Talks Movement (BTM) can connect and communicate meaningfully through movement and screens. Having been through the workshop programme, the children have learnt to trust more and to feel safe to express themselves through movement. 

Run Riot: You are collaborating with a lot of brilliant artists to achieve this project. Who are the other artists that you are working with on the installation? How is it to collaborate across artforms?

Hattie Worboys: I am collaborating with a brilliant team of artists to realise this project. Firstly, with Director of Photography Oliver Schofield who works predominantly with the BBC. We have an incredible Sound Designer, Tom Slater from Call and Response, who has created the score for the installation, and we are working with Projection Designers Insight Lighting who are our video installation and exhibition partner.

Image: Photograph of Amanata by Oliver Schofield

Run Riot: What do you hope to achieve with the Body Talks Movement project? 

Hattie Worboys: The workshops that we run as part of BTM explore the potential of SEI (social, emotional and intercultural) learning as well as universal, expressive non-verbal communication systems that enable people to heal and connect meaningfully through movement and film. The programme’s aims and objectives include celebrating the unique qualities of each child, building their confidence to express themselves, increasing their ability to listen to, understand and accept themselves and others through movement.   

Our long-term aim is to establish an evidence based BTM curriculum that children all over the UK and the world can benefit from (inclusive to children from all backgrounds and situations around the world). We are also creating ongoing teacher training so that we can facilitate more children participating on a regular and ongoing basis. The programme is particularly aimed at children who don’t normally have the privilege of taking part in this kind of activity. We are also planning more installations with children participating from different countries around the world. We have run the programme in the past with children from economically deprived areas all around the world. We want to continue this, having established an evidence-based curriculum and teacher training. 

Run Riot: And finally, what can people expect to come away with from the exhibition?

Hattie Worboys: An uplifting, insightful and joyful experience. To come away either wanting to dance or to remember how our bodies and are not just mechanisms that carry our heads around and reproduce, they contain so much intelligence if we tune in and listen. 

The installation will take place at Iklectik from Tue Jul 11 - Mon 17 Jul 2023. This project is ‘supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England’. The installation is sponsored by Insight Lighting. Other partners include One Dance UK, National Youth Dance Company (NYDC), Salisbury Primary School, The Redbrick Building, The ZigZag Building.

For more information go to bodytalksmovement.com

Image: Photograph of Zbabaji by Oliver Schofield