Viv Gordon

I am a dancer and choreographer and I set up Mean Feet Dance in 2003 with a vision of breaking down some of the exclusivity that still surrounds dance. I have worked extensively in community dance, have a passion for inclusive practice and years of experience creating "user friendly" dance opportunities for people aged 0 - 95. I benefited from the most amazing training in Dance and Movement Therapy at Dance Voice, Bristol and I bring this creative and therapeutic approach into all areas of my work. I have worked on a wide range of projects (both with Mean Feet and as a freelancer) in partnership with a broad spectrum of arts, education, health and social care providers. Some of my favorite projects so far include touring old people's homes with a multi-sensory reminiscence piece called The Best Day Ever, working with homeless individuals and families in Somerset and Devon, dressing up as a skinhead and having a bit of choreographed argy-bargy and the large community events we have staged in Glastonbury showcasing the work we have created with local people. I believe that dance has a role to play in all of our lives that it can educate and inform as well as help us grow as individuals and communities and help us have fun and keep fit together.

My mission now is to continue to challenge the age and body bias we see in dance - why do we rarely see dancers that are over 30? Or overweight? This is the 21st century!! People who come on our projects are constantly telling me how they loved to dance until they grew too tall, didn't grow tall enough, got too fat, got too old etc. My work is all about reclaiming our right to dance no matter what. Over the next year I hope to be able to recruit a motley crew of dancers of all ages, shapes and sizes to tour some entertaining and thought-provoking dance work and prove that EVERYBODY can dance.