Same Dance, Different Song

Presentation of a new Indepen-dance commission with Flannery O'kafka: Representing Scotland's Disabled Community through Dance.

The series Same Dance, Different Song is part of a wider project exploring the make-up of modern Scotland. National Galleries Scotland commissioned disabled artist Flannery O’kafka to take some new portraits of Indepen-dance, an inclusive dance company based in Glasgow. With support from Art Fund, Flannery spent months getting to know the dancers, hearing their stories and dancing with them to authentically capture and celebrate who they are in their portraits.

This photograph captures the joy of being part of Indepen-dance. To convey the unique energy of the group, Flannery alternated between using digital and analogue cameras during her sessions with the dancers. Photographs made on film like this have a special quality. If you look closely, you can see the grain of the film in this beautiful image.

This exhibition is a part of the Season of Photography 2026 -  a celebration of photography in Scotland running from 1 September – 20 December 2026.