Choreographer and dancer Sandra Mifsud recently collaborated with performers from Opening Doors, an association which works with adults with learning difficulties, on an original dance piece. She discusses the process with Charlotte Stafrace

Participants took to the project with ease of movement. Photos: Alexander SobollaParticipants took to the project with ease of movement. Photos: Alexander Sobolla

Freelance dance practitioner Sandra Mifsud is well known in ballet, modern and Spanish dance circles. She is also well respected in the world of contemporary dance and has left a mark with her work in choreography.

Having garnished her Masters in Dance, she has since contributed to dance pieces as well as dramatic works. Mifsud is very patient and is a great artist to watch at work and to collaborate with. I was intrigued to hear about her experience working on Opening Doors, collaborating with adults who have learning difficulties and are mostly non-dancers.

“This was the first time I led dance classes and devised a choreography for a group of students with varying learning and physical difficulties, though I did have previous experience assisting a similar project last year,” Mifsud says.

However, crafting the piece was not unlike many other pieces she had devised with other groups of dancers and non-dancers.

Every time Mifsud is asked to choreograph, she works with the identity of the group or individuals and focuses on their strengths and abilities. “And this is how I worked this time too. The varying strengths and characters of the individuals that made up Opening Doors was my starting point and most certainly my inspiration.”

In this case, the group comprised 11 individuals aged 19 to 36, three males and eight females. But surely there would be diverse challenges in such a project. Mifsud did not shy away from saying that in reality the biggest challenges were facing up to her own demons – fears and doubts of working out of her comfort zone.

“I was almost expecting things to go wrong because I wasn’t 100 per cent certain that if I used my usual creative technique it would work. But it did.”

Mifsud’s doubts about the project’s success gave her some sleepless nights. “Up till the fourth week, I still had no clear direction, though I was juggling some thoughts in my mind. Opening Doors artistic director Lou Ghirlando wanted the group to perform independently, in order to allow a growth process, and this presented an extra challenge.

As the weeks rolled on, Mifsud felt elated and stimulated, spurred on by the enthusiasm, eagerness and sensitivity of each member of the group, including the five co-leaders who were helping and supporting throughout the process.

Mifsud was pleased to find out that two of the female performers had been trained by Alison White. They showed confidence and focus and encouraged the others. White has been teaching dance locally to groups of varying abilities for over 28 years, through her own school and through The Guardian Angel School in Ħamrun.

Dance often can also convey issues like trust, commitment and respect, in a non-verbal manner

I asked Mifsud how much influence she had when it came to the choice of music, which can be crucial in a piece of dance. “I was lucky to be introduced to French composer Rene Aubry by my fiancé, Douglas Comley, who is also a dance practitioner. Rene immediately knew the kind of music the performance needed.”

Luckily for Mifsud, Aubry’s music was the right fit. She fell in love with the atmospheric music which presented a rich backdrop to the developing ideas. One particular student, intrigued by Aubry’s Le Vent, asked to hear the piece again. He went on to improvise a solo. This solo turned into a mesmerising duo in the performance.

The theme of the piece, I discovered, came through after discussions with the group. Mifsud delved into the students’ thoughts. They chatted about their inspirations and favourite topics. Many fairy tales were revisited and those, together with various other ideas, started taking shape. The story which was portrayed was dream-like, where two men are led into a journey through their subconscious.

Opening Doors is an auto-nomous, non-profit arts association operating at a national level for the promotion and active involvement of adults with learning disabilities in the artistic and creative sector.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.