📚 Artificial Things — 6a.2
Style & Dancers
Who performs · How they move · What makes Stopgap unique
📚 What you'll learn on this page
- Describe the dance style and its key characteristics accurately
- Name all four dancers and identify their roles within the company
- Explain what makes Stopgap Dance Company distinct from other companies
6a.2.1 Dance Style & Characteristics
The correct AQA term for the style of Artificial Things is:
Inclusive
Contemporary
Contact work
Floorwork
Bare feet
Expressive
Flexed feet
Wheelchair as choreographic tool
Contemporary
A modern style characterised by freedom of movement, expressive quality, use of floorwork, contact work, bare feet and flexed feet. There are no rigid rules — movement is shaped by the choreographer's intent.
Inclusive
Brings together disabled and non-disabled artists as equals. The wheelchair is not a limitation — it generates unique movement vocabulary that standing dancers then translate.
Contact Work
Dancers share weight, use each other as a ledge, lean, push and pull. Central to the opening duet — Dave and Laura use the dismantled wheelchair and each other's bodies as support structures.
Expressive Quality
Movement communicates emotional states — tenderness, isolation, resolution. Dynamics range from slow and delicate to sudden and expansive. Focus and facial expression are as important as the body.
Examiner's Eye
Always write "inclusive contemporary dance" — not just "contemporary" or just "inclusive." Both words are needed. The AQA mark scheme expects precise terminology.
6a.2.2 Number & Gender of Dancers
4 dancers perform in Scene Three: 2 male, 2 female — 2 disabled, 2 non-disabled. Tap a card to see the detail.
Dave Toole
Male · Disabled
Dave is a double amputee. His movement — performed entirely from the floor and from a seated position — creates a unique physical vocabulary. His solo closes Scene Three with a tribute to his father.
Laura Jones
Female · Disabled
Laura is a wheelchair user. Her movement in the chair is the primary source material for Scene Three — the standing dancers build their vocabulary by translating what she does into their own bodies.
David Willdridge
Male · Non-disabled
David is one of the standing dancers who translates Laura's wheelchair movement. In the Gliding Trio, he takes responsibility for propelling and guiding the wheelchair, working in close partnership with Laura and Amy.
Amy Butler
Female · Non-disabled
Amy is the second standing dancer. Like David, she finds her own version of Laura's vocabulary — her wide pliés and floor-level movement demonstrate how standing dancers adapt to an inclusive choreographic approach.
Did you know?
The exam will often ask for the precise split — always write 2 disabled / 2 non-disabled and 2 male / 2 female. Both facts can earn marks independently.
6a.2.3 The Company
💃
Stopgap Dance Company
Founded: Farnham, Surrey · Touring nationally and internationallyStopgap Dance Company creates exhilarating dance productions for national and international touring. It employs disabled and non-disabled artists who find innovative ways to collaborate. The company is committed to making discoveries about integrating disabled and non-disabled people through dance — and to nurturing both disabled and non-disabled artists in making inclusive works.
Lucy Bennett has been immersed in Stopgap's work since 2003 and has been Artistic Director since 2012. She is also the choreographer of Artificial Things.
"Difference is our means and our method" — Stopgap Dance Company
Examiner's Eye
The motto is examinable. It tells you everything about the company's ethos — difference is not a barrier to overcome, it is the material the work is made from. This connects directly to intent, approach and style.
6a.2.4 💜 How Does the Style Shape Your Reading?
Below are three specific moments from the clips you have watched. Each one shows how the inclusive contemporary style connects to the intent and stimulus.
The Opening Duet — Style showing limitation
Dave and Laura's ground-based contact work is only possible because of their specific bodies. The dismantled wheelchair becomes a prop, ledge and partner. No non-disabled company could create this movement — the style emerges directly from who is in the room.
The Gliding Trio — Style showing translation
David and Amy don't mimic Laura — they find their own version of her wheelchair movement. Wide pliés, circular arm gestures, fluid pathways. This is the 'Unison of Textures' in action: one source, multiple expressions. It makes the inclusive style visible.
Dave's Solo — Style showing resolution
The solo is built on small, personal gestures — the kind that belong to one person's lived experience. When the group joins in the lip sync, the style shifts from solo to collective. The inclusive approach literally enacts the intent: resolution through coming together.
💜 Your Personal Response
Use these prompts to reflect on what the style means to you as an audience member.
Prompt 1
Watching the clips, does the inclusive style change how you relate to the dancers? Does knowing about their disabilities affect what you see?
Prompt 2
Which moment most clearly shows you that this is inclusive contemporary dance rather than any other style — and why?
Prompt 3
How does the style support the intent? Does the way the dancers move help you understand what Bennett wants you to feel?
💡 Copy your response into your ePortfolio or revision notes — it is not saved automatically.
📌 Revisit This — Key Points from This Page
StyleInclusive contemporary dance — expressive, contact work, floorwork, bare feet, flexed feet
Disabled dancersDave Toole (double amputee) and Laura Jones (wheelchair user)
Non-disabled dancersDavid Willdridge and Amy Butler — translate Laura's wheelchair vocabulary
Split4 dancers — 2 male / 2 female · 2 disabled / 2 non-disabled
CompanyStopgap Dance Company — Lucy Bennett, Artistic Director since 2012
Motto"Difference is our means and our method"
6a.2.5 Revision Check
✍️ Revision Check
8 questions covering style, dancers and company. Answer all eight, then submit.
1. What is the correct AQA term for the dance style of Artificial Things?
2. Which of these is a characteristic of the contemporary style used in Artificial Things?
3. Which of the four dancers uses a wheelchair?
4. How is Dave Toole described in the source documents?
5. What is the precise dancer split in Scene Three?
6. Who has been Artistic Director of Stopgap Dance Company since 2012?
7. What is Stopgap Dance Company's motto?
8. In the Gliding Trio, what do David Willdridge and Amy Butler do with Laura Jones's movement?
Take a screenshot of your score and paste it into your ePortfolio document so your teacher can see your progress.