What can be created when college students work with professional dancers to respond to a museum object?
In January and February 2026 students from four local colleges – Big Creative Education, Leyton Sixth College, Monoux College and New City College – took part in a series of 6 workshops in the first half of the spring term which culminated in a performance in front of Le Train Bleu at V&A East Storehouse. Le Train Bleu, created in 1924, was a front cloth for a Ballets Russes performance of the same name. It is a copy of Pablo Picasso’s The Two Women Running on the Beach (The Race), painted in 1922.
We were excited to partner with Studio Wayne McGregor and Art Explorer to deliver this The Art Explora Performing Arts Programme, which will continue for an additional two years at V&A East.
An internationally renowned company pushing the frontiers of dance, technology and design, Studio Wayne McGregor fuels the breadth of Sir Wayne McGregor’s creative work including the development and touring of signature works on his ensemble of world-class dancers. Art Explora is a non-profit arts organisation founded in the UK in 2021. Their mission is to tackle the social, economic and geographic barriers that prevent many people from having the opportunity to take part in the arts. They increase access to arts and culture through innovative programming and partnerships, new approaches to engagement and by taking cultural projects into the heart of communities, schools and care settings.
V&A East has been built on collaboration with young people, and now that our doors are open it’s important we continue to work alongside them to create content that is meaningful and relevant to their lives. For this project, the young people were encouraged to create their own unique responses to the object while being supported by professional dancers throughout the process. This allowed us to explore the impact of learning experiences that take place outside of the classroom and in the heart of museums.
We want V&A East to be an inclusive space for all and so it was especially important that young people studying performance subjects at College take up space within our institution and see themselves reflected in it, whilst having the agency to create something meaningful to them.
Project Aims
- Engage college students creatively through dance, in response to a museum object.
- Foster collaboration between professional dancers (artists), students, and the museum context.
- Support young people’s confidence, creativity, and cultural connection.
- Enable young people to work directly with creative practitioners in the dance sector and understand more about careers in the creative arts and museum context.
- Support professional development through performing in a live production at V&A East Storehouse.
Outcomes
Students shared that working with the object influenced and inspired their creative process, and we are excited to see how this will develop in future years of the partnership. Another key outcome was the connections forged between students during the rehearsal process. It was particularly rewarding to hear participants describe a growth in confidence that came through collaboration, creativity and friendship.
Those who took part also reported that their experience working with professional dancers gave them the chance to understand the physical and mental resilience needed to be in the profession.
The final performance, named by the young people as Blue Motion, brought together movement pieces from all four colleges, woven into a single work by Studio Wayne McGregor’s Artistic Director, Odette Hughes. The project was a successful starting point for our three year partnership.
Art Explora shared these reflections on the project:
‘Our mission at Art Explora is to encourage new creative opportunities for everyone – especially young people. The V&A partnership not only gives participants the chance to connect with the wonderful objects in the V&A collection but also to develop their own expressive response.’
We look forward to working with the colleges, Studio Wayne McGregor and Art Explora over the next two years to see what the students create next.
Watch the film about the project here:
