The Signdance Group, based in the UK and Croatia, is led by a team of Deaf, disabled, and diverse producers/artists.

 

From 1986- 1987, based in London, Signdance Collective U.K. began work in Signdance Theatre.

 

SigndanceTheatre fuses sign-theatre, dance, and live original music.

 

The Signdance Group is the pioneer of Signdance theatre.

 

 SIGNDANCE THEATRE blends sign language, dance, and theatre to create a unique art form. Sign language theatre—the theatrical language of the Deaf Community—forms the foundation for developing visual narratives, movement, and choreography. This approach uses dynamic and spatial sign language elements to convey vivid emotional expressions through dance and gesture.

Sign Dance Theatre's vocabulary combines sign language with contemporary dance, bringing clarity and beauty to emotions expressed on stage. This fusion enhances artistic expression and fosters mutual understanding between Deaf and Hearing communities, bridging communication through shared human experiences. 

 

 In 2001, the directors started redeveloping Signdance Theatre into an international touring group. Initially, we worked from an Old Dutch Barge in Amsterdam, Holland.

 

Beginning in 2005, the UK company  Signdance Collective became company -in -residence at Wycombe Arts Centre  in High Wycombe, South East England. The company began collaborating with artists worldwide from these two bases, and the touring grew exponentially.  Signdance Europe/Znakovni Ples was established in Pakostane, Zadar County, Croatia, in 2020.  

 

The Signdance Group is now comprised of a UK company with David Bower leading  a team of diverse artists and Signdance Europe Znakovni Ples led by Cuban dancer choreographer Isolte Avila .

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 The organisations undertake cultural exchange/international collaborative practice from their UK and European bases, producing, collaborating, and touring with Signdance Theatre nationally and internationally. 

 

 As company-in-residence at Wycombe Arts Centre, Buckinghamshire, England, and at Dalmatia Adventures in the coastal village of Pakostane, The Dalmatians, we engage with local artists and residents through workshops, transnational community projects, and company performances.

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Signdance Collective UK and Signdance Europe/Znakovni Ples exist to develop, tour, and engage with communities worldwide, utilising our powerful, inclusive, entertaining way of creating performances, Signdance Theatre.