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VDF aims to publish a reference book outlining the general history and background of the art form in addition to more focused writings and testimonies from its members and other colleagues.

VDF testimony

"I was invited by VDKL to participate, assist and perform in the first Vertical Dance Forum, taking place in Pontio North Wales July 2017. Over the past two years, many of my performance work, teaching work and workshop opportunities comes back to the connections I made during my time at VDF Pontio. It was a turning point in my career as an individual dance artist, giving me the confidence to move away from home and extend my vertical dance experiences. The VDF project allows vertical dancers, choreographers, directors and riggers specialized for vertical dance to all come together to share and learn from each other’s practices. Educating dancers on safe practice not only with dancing techniques, but safe practice regarding equipment and rigging. In Pontio I worked creatively with several vertical dance choreographers/directors, learning different processes and techniques, this opened a wider vision of possibilities available to me. I was very much inspired by this gathering, it helped to direct and develop my own vertical dance research project. In January 2018 the Artis Council of Wales funded my research project, creating an art installation through the medium of vertical dance. The short film from my research project has been screened in three of the VDF’s Croatia, Paris and Vancouver. At Pontio I had the very rare chance to work one on one with the highly recognized international vertical dance choreographer Wanda Moretti, she pushed my boundaries and endurance. During VDF I was assisting Kate Lawrence with beginner workshops, this enhanced my confidence to start my own classes. In October 2018 I stated teaching my own beginner classes in Athens Greece. VDKL gave me the opportunity to perform on the last night in one of the company’s works “Porth” this was for a public audience, participants of VDF and the choreographers of the VDF, leading to future performance work with VDKL and propositions of working with other choreographers who attended the event. I was invited to dance in Dublin with Arial Cirque, Ria the director of the company was attending Pontio. Marija Šćekić invited me to assist at VDF Croatia in 2018 and to perform with her company Histeria Nova. I made invaluable connections for the future and I still can see how the doors that keep opening come from these very unique special gatherings."
Despina Goula - Vertical dancer and emergent vertical dance choreographer