Exim Dance Company is a Plymouth based award winning Dance Company known for their fresh and vibrant approach to making dance accessible for all.
Providing opportunities for ‘At Risk’ people in areas of deprivation in Plymouth to participate in socially engaged dance wellbeing services that build on community cohesion to enrich their lives. Exim works across the city in the most deprived areas, with a high focus on mental health and wellbeing through a person centred approach.
The company works as both a youth referral service and that of social prescribing.
We are passionate about using dance and breaking down the ideological barriers that surround it, to help vulnerable people. Within our work we hope to see improved mental health, increases in confidence and self-esteem and to build on social skills all while keeping participants physically and mentally fit.
Our work centres around our core value that anyone who wants to do something can do it. No matter their background or whether they have any disabilities. We support those on low income by offering our services for free. We seek to unite communities and encourage people to work collaboratively together.
As part of delivering these services we also provide regular high quality training and opportunities to students and professionals wishing to work in the arts or as community dance practitioners.
In 2021 Exim Dance Company were awarded the Sport and Recreation Alliance ‘2021 Mental Health and Wellbeing Award’ sponsored by Active IQ. 2019 has seen Exim selected to be apart of Active Devon ‘This Girl Can’ national campaign and Artistic Director, Laura Nightingale has been selected as a Devon Girls Can ambassador & received professional business development training through Women’s Resource Centre London and was chosen for the 2019 cohort and presented at The House of Lords March 2019. October 30th 2019, Exim Dance Company premiered their new professional work ‘MARKED’; choreographed by choreographer Adam Benjamin with dances at The House Theatre, University of Plymouth then headed to Italy in November to present at ‘Se io fossi te Incontri Internazionali su Arte e Abilità Differenti IV Edizione Festival’. MARKED will be commencing a tour nationally and internationally from April 2020.
Exim professional company toured internationally in 2018 to Spain, Moscow and South Korea. 2017/2018 Exim were selected to take part in the innovation programme through Real Ideas Organisation to develop the company into a social enterprise. In 2015 Exim Dance’s Intern won Intern of the Year at the National Awards for Creative and Cultural Skills. In 2015 Exim Dance were awarded a special commendation from Grads for Growth for their work to develop graduates.
