Southwark based Arts Odyssey has secured Arts Council England funding to work in partnership with Canada Water Culture Space to deliver its cross arts and intergenerational participation and performance project In Curious Company.

What makes us curious? Curiosity, a human quality which pushes us to inquire, explore and learn inspires this project. Arts Odyssey will be exploring the curiosities of their local Southwark community through contemporary and creative dance, storytelling and creative writing.

Initially, Arts Odyssey will offer free taster workshops for families, disabled and non-disabled youth and adults.

Participants will learn new creative and technical dance, writing and storytelling skills whilst having fun and meeting new people.

Arts Odyssey will then work regularly with a group of youth and a group of adults, building towards an evening of performance, sharing and entertainment at Canada Water Culture Space.

Participants will work with professionals and be given the opportunity to create their own movement with others in friendly and enjoyable weekly sessions.

The newly formed youth dance company and Odyssey Community Adult Dance Company will start rehearsing in April ready to entertain an audience of 150 people at Canada Water Culture Space in June. Using Canada Water Library as a resource they will creatively explore what interests them, what they find peculiar, funny or bizarre.

Louisa Pestell, artistic director of Arts Odyssey, said: “Arts Odyssey prides itself on offering high quality dance opportunities accessible to all. In Curious Company is particularly exciting for us because working in partnership with Canada Water Culture Space and creative writer and storyteller, Sandra Agard, enables us to provide access to fun and free cross-arts participation opportunities for a wider range of people regardless of their age or previous experience.”