Candoco Dance Company has been commissioned for Unlimited, a project celebrating disability, arts, culture and sport as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Choreographer Claire Cunningham is working with Candoco making a new work for the company of 12 disabled and non-disabled dancers, including dancers invited from Rio de Janeiro and Beijing.
I was invited to join the company to draw the dancers in rehearsal
The day began with a morning class
Claire immediately creates a sharing and sensitive atmosphere by asking everyone in the studio to speak in turn for 1 minute about anything they want, the only limitation is that the words spoken most go no further than that room. Many of the 1 minutes are filled with very personal heart felt words, I find I talk very fast tripping over my words, so much I want to say – how many words can be spoken in 1 minute? At the close I feel light headed was it because I haven’t taken a breath or because I released the words instead of boxing them up inside my head?
The dancers were each given a crutch to work with in the rehearsal
The first performance will be at Trinity Laban on 29th February
Just a small selection of the many drawings I made of the dancers during the rehearsal
Read a preview of the show in the 
Tommy Franzen, Jenny White, Dickson Mbi, Ella Mesma, Carys Staton and Thom Gulgec warm up before the rehearsal
Carys, Ella and Jenny
Dickson 
Thom and Tommy
The pace is quickening and their muscular bodies begin to fly through the air as if they have internal springs that are suddenly and without warning uncoiling at tremendous speed.
For the next 2 days I draw movement inspired by breakdance, contemporary dance and popping, and it is just stunning. These are a few of my drawings.
Morning class led by Russell 
Rehearsal 
Out of the many drawings, I have selected 3 speedy charcoal drawings on prepared Fabriano paper, drawn during a run on the last afternoon.
