Second Hand Dance

☕ Announcing our next Zoom Café: 💬 'Disruption as Catalyst' - Hosted by @elliegriffiths34 (Oily Cart) and @rosie.heafford (Second Hand Dance) 🗓️ Tuesday 9 June 2026 🕙 10:30 – 11:30 AM 💻 On Zoom (link in newsletter) How we make shows is shifting - and children are leading the way. We want to talk about the runners and the outsiders. The ones who need the chaos and the ones who need the quiet. The sideways thinkers, the under-the-table-ers, the won't-come-in-the-roomers, the wander-all-arounders. The sensory seekers. The absorbers. What happens when we celebrate, rather than tolerate all responses equally, letting this disrupt our ways of making. As a PYA community in a moment of profound disruption - to funding, to policy, to what "audience" means and how artists can work – hosts Ellie and Rosie want to gather and ask: • How are our practices evolving? • What are we learning from, and how are we adapting to, the disruption around us? • And what becomes possible when we stop trying to smooth it over and start treating it as the creative catalyst? Come be disruptive with us.

We’ve been selected as one of @weareunltd 11 commissioned disabled artists for the 2026 Open Awards, with our new work Water (working title). We’re honoured to be recognised alongside such talented artists. “…We’ve long admired Unlimited’s pioneering leadership in supporting, commissioning and advocating for disabled artists to make the work that matters to them on their own terms… This award means we can keep pushing the boundaries of what and how we create for young audiences, giving us the time, resources and confidence to take more creative risks.” – Rosie and Claire Read the full announcement: Link in bio @aceagrams Image 1 alt text: Performer seated in a dark space, wrapped in a colourful, crumpled sculptural costume with arms outstretched. A roundel reads: “Commissioned to create. Unlimited Open Awards.” Photography: Foteini Christofilopoulou, The Sticky Dance Image 2 alt text: Two people standing together holding flower bouquets, smiling in front of a brick wall with a quote overlaid on the image. #WeAreUnlimited #UnlimitedCommissions #UnlimitedOpenAwards #DisabilityArts

✨ Belfast, you were brilliant! We had the best time sharing The Sticky Dance at Belfast Children’s Festival this month with @youngatartbelfast , from little leaps to big wiggles, the joy was real. Thank you to every child, grown‑up, and festival friend who joined us, supported us, or got wonderfully stuck in. Your spark keeps this show moving. “The most transformative early years show I have ever seen! I saw my child’s artistic confidence grow in front of my eyes!” – Parent feedback. Until next time, Belfast 💛 #TheStickyDance #DisabilityArts #EarlyYearsDance #BelfastChildrensFestival

Dancer Call Out! We are recruiting dancers for future national & international touring of our existing productions and upcoming projects including Water (working title), our new immersive performance for disabled, neurodivergent and non‑disabled children and their families. We’re seeking dancers with: ✨Strong contemporary technique & musicality ✨Experience in devising, improvisation & partner work ✨Sensitivity and care when working with diverse collaborators and young children ✨3+ years professional experience Key dates: • Application deadline: Tuesday 24 March, 12am • Audition: 15 April, London • Callbacks: 27 or 29 April, Surrey Fees: £695 p/w + holiday pay, plus travel, per diems & accommodation when touring. Full details & how to apply → link in bio Please note - applications cannot be considered without a showreel or improvised movement video. #DanceAudition #DancerCallOut #ArtsOpportunities

The Sticky Dance is heading to Belfast Children’s Festival 2026! Saturday 14 March - @Youngatartbelfast Three dancers’ shimmy through the audience weaving a tapestry of sticky tape. They invite you to stick and groove or be still, watch and listen. You’re encouraged to explore this tactile dance performance freely, where the rules are turned upside down. “Take a space, add dancers, beautiful lighting and music, small children and tape: it all adds up to an overwhelmingly joyful, empowering and creative experience”. Unmissable - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ @everytheatre , 2025 Early Years: 10am & 2pm Location: @lyricbelfast Tickets: /whats-on/the-sticky-dance (link in bio) #TheStickyDance #DisabilityArts #EarlyYearsDance

We’re Hiring: Finance and Administration Officer 0.5 £28,000 - £30,000 pa pro rata (0.5 FTE: £14,000 - £15,000) Are you passionate about supporting artistic work through clear, efficient finance and administration? We’re looking for a Finance and Administration Officer to play a vital role in the smooth running of Second Hand Dance. We’re looking for someone who can support our team with the smooth and effective running of the company across finance, administration and reporting. If this is you, please visit the link in our bio to download a copy of the job description. Closing Date for applications: 10am Monday 9 February #AdministrationOfficer #FinanceOfficer #JobSearch #ArtsCareers #CreativeIndustry

🚨Extended Deadline - Friday 23 January🚨 We’re Hiring: Head of Resources 0.8 £50,000 pa pro rata Are you passionate about supporting artistic ambition with robust processes and systems? As we enter an exciting new chapter and we re-imagine our leadership structure we’re looking for a Head of Resources to join our team. We’re looking for someone who can help steer the organisation through a dynamic period of visioning and growth and centre care for our people and our values at the heart of who we are and how we operate. If this is you, please visit the link in our bio to download a copy of the job description. Closing Date for applications: 10am Friday 23 January 2026 #HeadOfResources #Hiring #JobSearch #ArtsCareers #CreativeIndustry

That’s a wrap on 2025! 💫 From sticky dances and sensory joy to new team members, international tours, and community magic! ✨ 122 performances ✨ 6 countries ✨ 3207 audience members ✨ Countless moments of learning, laughter, and growth A huge thank you to our dancers, designers, technical teams, producers, collaborators, board members, audience ambassadors, photographers, videographers, venue staff, funders, families and every child and adult who joined us along the way. You made this year unforgettable. Here’s to more joy and dancing in 2026! #InclusivePerformance #SensoryDance #CreativeCommunity #DisabilityArts

We’re Hiring! Second Hand Dance has TWO exciting opportunities to join our journey of care, creativity & collaboration: ✨ Head of Resources We’re looking for someone to help shape our future with care, equity, and vision. Deadline: 12 Jan 2026, 9am 🎨 Designer Call-Out We’re seeking freelance designers/collectives to collaborate on a striking, accessible set for our 2027 premiere. Deadline: 6 Jan 2026, 5pm Find out more and apply 👉 link in our bio #ArtsJobs #CreativeLeadership #SetDesign #TheatreDesign #CreativeCollaboration

Designer Call Out! We are looking for a freelance designer or collective for Water (working title), our new 2027 show. Our process is collaborative, placing the audience experience at its heart. We create immersive, often durational, dance experiences that tour (inter)nationally which require an accessible and flexible approach. This is paid position, above equity minimum, and to be agreed once the scope of the design work is agreed. Apply by 6 Jan — receive the full brief from Tosia - [email protected] or download via the link in our bio. Interviews: Wednesday 14, Friday 16 or Wednesday 21 January Supported by Arts Council England. Photos by Foteini Christofilopoulou, Sadler’s Wells East #DesignerCallOut #TheatreJobs #SetDesign #CreativeIndustry #JobOpportunity

🇳🇴 26–29 NOV | Elefantteateret, Stavanger, Norway For our final stop of the autumn tour we’re in Stavanger, with our Norway premiere of The Sticky Dance at Elefantteateret! First, local schools get an exclusive preview of our playful performances, then we open the doors for everyone to explore, stick and play. Don’t miss your chance to be part of the magic, grab the last few remaining tickets today! Photos by Sachyn Mital, Lincoln Centre for Performing Arts #TheStickyDance #DisabilityArts #EarlyYearsDance

We’ve been shortlisted 🎉🎉 Our new interactive performance Water (working title) is on the shortlist for an @weareunltd Open Award 2025/26. Still in its stages of R&D, Water is our third interactive performance created with and for disabled, neurodivergent and non-disabled children and their families, due to premier in 2027. From epic waves to delicate ripples, from playful chaos to slow, landscape-like transformation, Water invites audiences into a world where sound, movement, and space are experienced not just with the eyes and ears, but through the body. The Unlimited Open Awards are about commissioning disabled artists, pushing boundaries and changing the world through art. We are proud to be part of the 5.8% progressing to the second stage of 530 eligible applications whilst acknowledging just how competitive this, and other funding streams, are. ALT Text - A black square with text inside that reads ‘I’m on the shortlist. Unlimited Open Awards 2025/26