Interview with Agate Bankava on working with communities-tools to increase accessibility of contemporary arts

Agate Bankava from LAUKKU

What does accessibility mean to you in the context of contemporary dance? 

I see accessibility in contemporary art on several levels. On a practical level, it means creating work in environments and forms that are accessible to different groups of society. But it also has a content-based and process-oriented dimension — whether an artist or a group of artists includes not only their own individual interests and experiences in the work, but also the interests, experiences and perspectives of broader groups, communities or society. For me, accessibility also means creating the possibility for different people not only to experience an artwork, but to recognise themselves, their experiences and their questions within it. 

Contemporary dance is often perceived as an art form for a relatively narrow audience. What barriers do you think prevent more people from engaging with it? 

I actually think that contemporary art does not have as many barriers as we sometimes make it seem. I believe contemporary art can be very accessible when there is an opportunity for artists and audiences not only to experience the work, but also to meet and talk about it. Contemporary art is about the moment, about being here and now. It is not like classical art, where we have already encountered many established interpretations and ways of experiencing the work. With contemporary art, we experience something anew — together with the artist, in the present moment. 

What methods or creative tools have proven particularly effective in making contemporary dance more approachable for people with little or no previous experience? 

One of the most effective methods I have experienced for engaging new audiences is giving people the opportunity to get to know and experience the creative process itself. I believe that, just as in many other fields, people are naturally curious to see what an artist’s everyday working process looks like and how ideas emerge and develop. This kind of engagement can later create greater interest in the finished artworks and open up space for new conversations and dialogues. 

How do you ensure that community participation is meaningful rather than symbolic? 

When working with communities, I believe time is very important. I do not really support approaches where artists simply arrive, teach people a few dance steps, and leave. I am more interested in processes where artists and communities have time to build relationships — relationships in which both sides can inspire each other and exchange ideas. In my experience, working with communities requires listening and creating space. It is important to slow down, to listen to people and to give them the time and space to open themselves up to art. I believe that meaningful collaboration grows from this kind of mutual attention and trust, rather than from simply bringing a finished artistic method into a community. 

Looking back on your experience with iCoDaCo, what have communities taught you as an artist that you might not have learned in your traditional environment? 

Working with communities was already familiar to me before the iCoDaCo project. However, one of the most interesting experiences was when we visited the Mazsalaca City Library and developed ideas for artworks together with its visitors. I was both surprised and delighted by how creative, innovative and interesting the ideas were coming from people whose everyday lives are completely unrelated to creating art. For example, one of the ideas was a site-specific work about werewolves, set in a park, where the performers would crawl through the roots of an old pine tree, while the audience would be given red balls with which to catch the werewolf.