As cultural education is marginalised across Europe it is even more important for those who make art - producers and artists - to consider how we embrace young people in our work.  Young audiences are curious, demanding and discerning, and the dialogue with them around art and the issues it raises can be hugely fruitful for artists.
Four artists/companies will be invited to participate in a series of events that aim to support them as they reconsider their work for a young audience.

The events include: 

Labs:
Four days of talks, discussions and activities for the selected Shape It artists and ten local artists from each partner organisation, focused on discovering the local context for dance for young audiences.
Residency:
Shape It artists will be hosted for a week by one of the partners to consider how their performance can communicate most effectively with a young target audience.
Touring:
The shows will tour in each of the four countries to arts venues, schools & community centres. 

A selection panel made up of artistic leads from each partner organisation: Comune di Bassano (Italy), Tanec Praha (Czech Republic), Annantalo (Finland) and The Place (UK)  selected work from early-career makers that pushes the boundaries of traditional performance for young people, represents the diversity of young audiences and is adaptable to a range of performance spaces.

The artists selected for year one of the project are:

Viktor Černický - PLI
Czech Republic-based performance maker Viktor Černický has been invited to adapt his show PLI for an audience aged 3-5 years. 

Linda Hayford - AlShe/Me
France-based performer and choreographer Linda Hayford has been invited to adapt her show AlShe/Me for an audience aged 12-15 years.

The artists selected for year two of the project are:

POCKETART/Johana Pocková & Sabina Bočková - The Lion's Den
Czech Republic-based choreographers and dancers Johana Pocková and Sabina Bočková have been invited to adapt their show  The Lion's Den for an audience aged 8+. 

Masako Matsushita - Vibes#3
Italy-based choreographer Masako Matsushita has been invited to adapt her choreographic audio experience Vibes#3 for an audience aged 12 - 15 years.

Shape It
34. edition of International Festival of Contemporary Dance and Movement Theatre TANEC PRAHA
1.6. - 28. 6. 2022
Prague and municipalities 

The realization of the Shape It project as part of the TANEC PRAHA Festival allows the public to see the cooperation of selected artists with children of different age categories. During June, schools, kindergartens, but also the wider public have the opportunity to look at the results of three years of work in the field of creation for young viewers. 
As part of the offer for the selected target group, we offer productions in the comfort of schoolyards, gymnasiums, parks, or squares!

Age: 4+

Viktor Černický (CZ/SK):  PLI 
Children are not the audience of tomorrow. They are the audience of today! Can we look at the world through the eyes of four-, five- or six-year-olds? And what do we lose if the answer is no? Viktor Černický could tell us stories. And he does – in the performance PLI designed just for the age group of four- to eleven-year-olds. He adapted the choreography for 22 conference chairs and himself within the Shape It project with the help of children's audiences, i.e. the most open and honest possible dramaturges.
The performance shows that even ordinary objects of everyday life can be turned into fun and lively companions for play. And that children have something to say about theatre and that giving them the chance to do so is a liberating adventure. The performance is presented as part of the project Shape It.  

WORKSHOP
At the workshop, you will experience the performance PLI first-hand. You will try out the principles of the production, such as working with rhythm and object, take a bit of risk, and develop them according to your own imagination.

(c) Camilla Greenwell

Age 8+

POCKETART / Sabina Bočková, Johana Pocková (CZ): The Lion's Den 
Media, manipulation, social networks.
Today's challenges – an inseparable part of life for the next generation. How do children work with media content? How does it translate into how they move, how they dance? What gestures speak to them? Sabina Bočková and Johana Pocková adapted the original production of The Lion's Den for the 8+ age group as part of the Shape It project with respect for children as active partners. In a dynamic way on stage, they talk about the fact that fun can easily turn into darkness and back again. The encounter with the resulting shape is a unique chance to examine the topic of ubiquitous media content other than through a phone display. And maybe an opportunity to get closer to the world of our own children.

(c) Vojta Brtnický

Age 12+

Masako Matsuschita (IT) : Vibes#3
A somewhat different obstacle course in urban space. We will not compete, but we will dance, listen, observe and move until we are fully sated. And explore the possibilities of our own body and discover the diverse landscape of sounds around us. How do we perceive others and how do they perceive us? The path to a deep connection between body and mind leads through listening to one's own senses, sensitivity to oneself and others.

Ready, steady, go! Join us with joy and a sense of belonging thanks to the Shape It project.

(c) ORBE

The timetable of Shape It as part of the International Festival TANEC PRAHA

30.5. | 10:00 | Prague | PONEC - dance venue | POCKETART / Sabina Bočková, Johana Pocková (CZ): The Lion's Den | Shape It
2.6. | 10:00 | Malovice | The Plum yard | Viktor Černický (CZ/SK): PLI + workshop | Shape It
3.6. | 10:00 | Tábor | Viktor Černický (CZ/SK): PLI + workshop | Shape It 
14.6. | 10:00 | Prague | Primary School Duha | Viktor Černický (CZ/SK): PLI + workshop | Shape It
15.6. | 10:00 | Vimperk | Gramar School T.G.M. | Viktor Černický (CZ/SK): PLI + workshop | Shape It
16.6. | 17:00 |  Prague | Stadion Strahov | POCKETART / Sabina Bočková, Johana Pocková (CZ):  The Lion's Den | Shape It
17.6. | 10:30 | Záluží - Třemošná | ZŠ Inspíria | Viktor Černický (CZ/SK): PLI + workshop | Shape It
21.6. | 11:00 |  Prague | High School Prague 6 | Masako Matsushita (IT): Vibes#3 | Shape It
23.6. | 10:00 + 16:00 | Choceň | The Caste | Masako Matsushita (IT): Vibes#3 |  Shape It