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Stopgap Dance Company
Stopgap Dance is an integrated Disabled and non Disabled Dance Company. They began in 1995 as a Community Dance project. Brining together disabled and non-disabled dancers, they began to work towards a performance at the first edition of Working Dance 1997. The choreograph was led by founding artistic director Vicki Balaam. Integration through collaboration is at the heart of Stop gaps Ethos and philosophy.

1997-2006

Stopgap is known for being the first UK based dance company to integrate Learning disabled, physically disabled and non-disabled dancers. It began as a community based dance project and slowly transformed into a professional dance company 2004. Founded with the assistance of David Toole and Kudlip Singh-Barmi. Founded in 1995 they began working towards producing work to be presented at first edition of working dance in 1997. The choreography was lead by founding artistic director Vicki Balaam. Chris Pavia joined as an apprentice in 1997, Laura Jones and Dan Watson in 2001 and Lucy Bennett in 2003. Stopgap began to receive regular funding in 2006. The company evolved the practice collaborating with various visiting choreographer, described as the company as the repertoire model. As the work progressed gained recognition, they moved towards an in house approach. In 2012 the company became focused on creating the own work under the direction of Artistic Director Lucy Bennet. Stopgap became the first integrated disabled and non disabled dance company to nationally and internationally tour it's own work.