"In my heart I think if you can do it, I can do it too and I want to
tell disabled people all over the world to be strong, not to be sad and
to have confidence and to do whatever you want to in life."
Pon Nadenh - VTP Student
"I'm excited to teach. I love circus, puppetry, dance – I love all of it!
I want to be a performer and teach little children art, performance and doing giant soap bubbles..."
Mom Dara - VTP Student
"When I perform I get really excited, my heart beats but it doesn't matter,
I'm not scared, I feel strong. In the future I'd love to work teaching dancing,
I'd like to teach deaf and hearing children, everyone together, integrated.
I love all art forms, I love dancing, I love doing song-signing, I love theatre, I love the
monkey dance, I love all art forms...games...I like everything!"
Yim Marie - VTP Student
March 2009 saw the beginning of the Vocational Training Program - a two-year full time course in arts facilitation and performance for young people with disabilities. Eleven students, all with outstanding talent in the field of performing arts, are enrolled on this exciting new course. They study art forms as varied as theatre, visual arts, circus skills, puppetry, mask work, traditional and contemporary dance, stage fighting and set design. Already we have seen enormous progress in the students' skills and confidence, and they have worked with both local and international practitioners on a wide range of exciting projects.
In the future, these young people will be fantastic ambassadors for Epic Arts, as both teachers of creative and performance arts, and as professional performers. The example they set is an inspiration to other young people with disabilities, and is helping the wider community to see ability, not disability.
As well as working on their own creative development, these young people are instrumental in helping to facilitate Epic's daily After-School Workshops. These sessions are open to disabled and able-bodied children and community members, and focus on confidence-building, team-building and creative expression whilst encouraging the integration of all physicalities. A huge range of art forms are taught, including dance, drama, art, craft, music, photography, animation and puppetry.
