Momentum - all posts

Initium (Where Dreams Begin): South Asian Dance performance by Akademi

2009-10-01T08:47:27+00:00

Start Date: October 01, 2009

See Kensington Town Hall courtyard transformed by a vivid contemporary South Asian dance-led spectacle. Initium brings the lyricism of Kathak together with modern dance, circus and the south Indian folk theatre form, Yakshagana. Punctuated by special effects, this vivid performance emphasises the way dreams can change in an instant, combining elements that clash at first glance, but ultimately work together to create a new reality.

Conceived by Mira Kaushik in collaboration with Tony Charalambous. Remove this line

1 to 1.30pm
Outside Kensington Central Library, Phillimore Walk. W8 7RX

FREE. No booking required
Supported by Kensington and Chelsea Arts Grants Scheme

Part of:
ACROSS THE STREET AROUND THE WORLD
Sept – Dec 2009
Celebrating cultural heritage and community in Kensington and Chelsea
Please visit http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/acrossthestreet to download a full brochure of events.

Brazilian Paraiso Samba and Bateria workshop

2009-09-28T08:44:15+00:00

Start Date: September 28, 2009

Become a mover and shaker and learn about the roots and history of Samba in this exciting dance workshop from one of London’s leading Samba schools, Paraiso Samba.

Alternatively, if you have the rhythm but don’t want to dance the moves, then why not join the Bateria workshop. Bateria means ‘drum set’ and is the band of percussion players who accompany a samba school. Come along and learn the beat and, for the last half hour of the workshop, accompany the samba dancers.

6PM to 7.30PM: Bateria percussion workshop
7PM to 8.30PM: Samba dance workshop
The Tabernacle, Powis Square, W11 2AY

FREE but booking essential on 020 7361 2062 or arts@rbkc.gov.uk
Organised by Kensington and Chelsea Arts Service.

Dundunkini brings you a new, exciting weekly class in traditional, West African dance.

2009-09-18T08:53:04+00:00

Start Date: September 18, 2009
End Date: November 06, 2009

Vanessa Guevara hails from Mexico! She is an experienced and versatile female dancer with a strong African Dance background and is a qualified Physical Education Teacher.
After training and studying African Dance with some of the most renowned African Dance teachers and soloists in Africa, Cuba, San Francisco and New York,Vanessa trained in Mexico to become a professional dancer and teacher. Vanessa will bring
together all of her professional dance experience in this exciting course that incorporates various African Dance styles!

Through her training, Vanessa has found and developed a fun, systematic way of passing on these uplifting styles to people of all levels, not only exercising the body, but also the challenging the mind. And all of this takes place in an atmosphere of FUN…!

Vanessa will be teaching 8 exhilarating classes at Paddington Arts, and promises to provide a challenging and yet accessible class, whether you are a beginner, or an experienced dancer. Come along and see for yourself!

Live drumming by Karamoko Musique. AND A BLOW OUT JAM AND SHOWCASE TO END IT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!

BOOK NOW!8 week-in-advance deal-£60
(OR £10 per class)Every friday from Friday 18th September, 7.30-9.30pm, Paddington Arts,32 Woodfield Road,LondonLondon.www.paddingtonarts.org

Info + bookings dundunkini@gmail.com tel: 07949 761 589

African acrobat, dance and drum performance with Frititi

2009-09-10T07:24:13+00:00

Start Date: September 10, 2009

A spectacular, high-energy, outdoor performance of African music, dance and breath-taking acrobatics by the multi-talented Frititi troupe. Featuring an array of African instruments, infectious beats and dazzling costumes this event is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and a shimmy to your hips.

Plus a chance to try out African dances from across the continent with an uplifting morning dance workshop with Frititi’s best dancers and drummers.

11.30AM- 12.15PM: African dance workshop, Essex Unitarian Church, 112 Palace Gardens Terrace, W8 4RT
FREE but booking essential on 020 7361 2062 or arts@rbkc.gov.uk

1.30PM- 2.15PM: African acrobat, dance and drum performance, outside Kensington Central Library, Phillimore Walk, W8 7RX
FREE. No booking required.

Organised by Kensington and Chelsea Arts Service

Active Aspiration’s Successful Dance Project

2009-06-24T11:05:19+00:00

Hypnotick becomes the 2009 UDO British Street Dance Champion and are now more than ever unstoppable !

Active Aspirations is a non-profit organization whose main objectives are: “to assist young people to follow their dreams and achieve their goals” in the words of one of the Directors, Tekla Galova.

Last February, the organisation took young people who perform under the name Hypnotick, to Pontins in Somerset to compete in the annual British Street Dance Championship. They were accompanied by Miss Galova and the lead choreographer Mr. Taofeeq (Taz) Sanusi. The group of young dancers absolutely mesmerized the jury and the visitors of the British Street Dance Championship. The jury was left with no choice but to grant the 2009
Championship Title to Hypnotick for their absolutely stunning performance.

As a visitor said: “It was amazing! There are plenty of dance groups, but you can see here that, Hypnotick is more than just a dance group, they aim to go much further!” This echoes with the vision of Miss Galova and Mr.
Sanusi “Our vision is deeper; the aim of this group is to get together young people from all walks of life and show that there can be no boundaries for people to work together and create something nice and positive”.

The group was founded only last year. The project started with only two dancers and managed to build up a group of 20 young talented dancers. With origins from around the world, Hypnotick is a truly multicultural group that represents the spirit of London right now. As Miss Galova and Mr. Sanusi say: “We believe in teamwork, regardless of the backgrounds. If people work together, they can create and achieve something great and
positive. Hypnotick is not only about dancing, it represents and promotes values, such as Love, Respect, Multicultural Integrity, Forgiveness, Individuality & Teamwork.”

We have so many exciting projects coming up including a workshop and performance at the launch of Brent Dance Month at Brent Respect Festival taking place Sunday 5th July 2009.

To join or get in touch please visit - http://www.hypnotick.org or http://www.activeaspirations.com and for further information on Brent Respect Festival and Brent Dance Month 2009 please go to http://www.brent.gov.uk/festivals. Or listen to Westside Radio 89.6FM from 3-4pm on Friday 26th June.

Project Volume learning-disabled dancers research

2009-03-17T10:22:44+00:00

The company Project Volume has been set up to address the gaps in training for learning-disabled dancers and to extend cultural access.

We are currently working on a funding bid (deadline end of March) with the company Corali. The bid is to begin to address gaps in the provision of cultural leadership skills.

One aspect, which could be of interest and relevance to young learning-disabled dancers, relates to choreography.

We are looking at the training of creating 'visual scores' so that learning-disabled dancers/choreographers can express and translate their ideas onto paper and therefore learn greater skills in leading and directing their own work, through supporting their ideas visually with the people they are working with.

We are currently looking to evidence the demand for this. If you work with young people with learning disabilities, please ask some of your dancers whether learning these skills would help them direct their creative ideas and let us know what they say!

If you are interested in being involved in this research, please contact Susan Norwood at:

theprojectvolume@aol.com

Youth Dance at Aspire, Stanmore for 14-25 yrs

2009-03-14T17:43:35+00:00

with Candoco Dance Company

Candoco are the leading contemporary dance company of disabled and non-disabled dancers and were recently seen performing at Handover Ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Sessions take place at Candoco's own studio in Stanmore at Aspire, the National Centre for Spinal injuries Candoco runs their weekly Youth Dance Company every Friday from 6.00-8.00pm.

£4 per session

Aspire
ANTC
Wood Lane
Stanmore
Middlesex
HA7 4AP

To book Tel our Education Manager on 0207 704 6845

Candoco Youth Dance Company Term Dates Spring 2009

2009-01-17T13:39:50+00:00

All groups are for disabled and non-disabled young people 14-25 yrs.

Sessions at Siobhan Davies Studios and Aspire are for young people with a range of experiences interested in Contemporary Dance.

Please see attached PDF for more information.

Sessions at the Place are for those with more experience interested in performing and making dance work.

PLEASE NOTE THERE IS A SPECIAL ONE OFF SESSION
FOR ALL YOUTH DANCERS ON TUESDAY 24 FEBRUARY
AT THE SOUTHBANK CENTRE.

Overture 2012

2008-09-26T09:24:28+00:00

Over the last three decades Dance Umbrella has gained an international reputation for producing unique dance events, with its declared mission to “bring dance to people and people to dance.” This November, they will bring 120 young Londoners to the stage of the legendary Royal Albert Hall, in its most ambitious project to date.

The 8 to 17 year olds are drawn from 31 of the capital’s 33 boroughs, with a once in a lifetime opportunity to work with a world-class choreographer and a world-renowned orchestra. In a matter of a few weeks under the tutelage of Royston Maldoom and his creative team, the youngsters will have become a cohesive, disciplined dance company ready to deliver two remarkable performances on the vast stage of the UK’s most iconic venue.
The piece is set to Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony, a complex 50 minute work exploring the composer’s turbulent relationship with Stalin and the Soviet State, performed live by the London Symphony Orchestra.

Maldoom is considered one of the founders of community dance in the UK.
Anyone in doubt of Maldoom’s ability to turn such a challenge into an overwhelming success should look at the inspiring documentary Rhythm Is It!.
The film documented his work with Sir Simon Rattle – another artist well known for his passionate and successful community outreach work –, the Berlin Philharmonic and 250 young people in Berlin. The individual transformative journeys of the young people taking part are astounding to watch, as is their final performance of The Rite of Spring.
His perception of ‘community dance’ is “to dance with anyone, anywhere, at any time” regardless of their experience, age, gender or social or ethnic background. He particularly enjoys working with groups that are intercultural, differently-abled, and inter-generational.
Of Overture 2012 he says, “It’s great to be working in London again. Dance Umbrella and Youth Dance England have between them created an extraordinary project, which allows me to do what I enjoy most: create challenging, serious dance for young people. It’s not easy. I am extremely demanding. But I also have an unshakeable belief in the potential of every young person and they never let me down.”

With support ranging from the City of London to over one hundred individual donors, this world premiere event has been especially commissioned by Dance Umbrella as part of the festival’s 30th anniversary celebrations. Dance Umbrella’s Artistic Director Betsy Gregory is emphasising the role of dance in London’s Games and their legacy: “In the year that the Olympic flag passed from Beijing to London, Overture 2012 will make a major statement about the impact dance can have on the lives of young people, providing them with a physically demanding, rigorous, non-competitive alternative to sport. Dance Umbrella received almost 500 applications for the 120 available places and I want to congratulate London’s youth for their commitment, enthusiasm and dedication in coming forward.”

OVERTURE 2012
Sat 1 Nov 2008 @ 7.30pm and Sun 2 Nov 2008 @ 3pm

Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London SW7
Dance Umbrella Ticket Line: 0844 412 4312
Tickets: £5 - 35

http://www.danceumbrella.co.uk

West London Festivals Calendar

2008-09-25T16:26:36+00:00

The Western Wedge Partnership is publishing the Winter 08/09 edition of their excellent West London Festivals Calendar at the end of this month; the printed version will be distributed across west London, and an online version will be available from http://www.westernwedge.org.uk. It will hold information about arts events from Oct 08 - March 09.