Cambridge Junction - Views From The 'Bridge' (BLOCK)

http://www.junction.co.uk/views-from-the-bridge-autumn

November 16th 2015

An evening of work in progress including the BLOCK project. 

BLOCK 
A DDT (Dance Dramaturgy Turbulence) Project (Paul Sadot)

Displacement, balance, obsession, social loss, gentrification, hip hop dancers, disorder, in the space of theatre, imbalance, community, compulsion, beneath the modern day precipices, rubble and memory…Turbulence. 
Supported by Arts Council England.

Athens Institutions, Politics, Performance, Conference

Return from Athens today. It's been an experience on many levels...the location of the conference at Green Park, and seeing humanity on its knees each day in Victoria square: but also seeing humanity in small gestures of giving and tolerance rise in response. The academic conference and the 'performance' of the academic within the hierarchies that impose themselves in and on that. How the high art/low art paradigm also exists in the field of academic political discourse, with all its assumptions about and acceptance of stereotypes....Inspiring ideas, provocations, thoughts - much other stuff and more to contemplate..Thanks to Gigi and Hypatia for organising the event.

Full ensemble in place for BLOCK project

Feeling very inspired to have the full collaborative ensemble in place at last. 

Collaborating Artists
Dancer: Lisa Rowley (Tavaziva, Joss Arnott)
Dancer: Joseph Nash (Far From the Norm, The Company)
Dancer: Christina Dion (The Company)
Dancer: Jordan James Douglas (Far From the Norm, The Company)
Scenographer: Xristina Penna
Words and Sound: Martin Stannage (aka Visceral)
Blogger: Donald Hutera
Dramaturg: Paul Sadot

https://paul-sadot.squarespace.com/block/     

Shockout Arts Manchester

I am really pleased and excited to be joining Shockout Arts in Manchester as the new Programme Leader / Senior Lecturer for the  B.A. (honours) Professional and Commercial Dance Course.

Nurturing and developing creative and thinking dancers.

"Don't just do something: stand there and think about it."

BLOCK - DDT Project gets funded

A big thank you to The Arts Council who have awarded funding for my 'BLOCK' project: Hip hop dancers in the space of theatre, an agent of turbulence, gentrification, OCD, a blogger, two incredible scenographers and the one and only Martin Visceral on words and sound! Exploring an engaged dramaturgical methodology in the creation of new choreographic performance. Thanks to Daniel Pitt and Cambridge Junction for the support.

Watch this space.

Contemporary Negotiations: Presenting in Athens September 2015

I am really pleased and excited to have been invited to present my paper

Contemporary Negotiations: Dramaturgy, Turbulence and Breaking Conventions with UK Hip Hop Dancers in the Space of Theatre

at the 'Institutions, Politics, Performance' Conference in Athens September 24th-28th 2015

Many thanks to the artists who have been working with me on this research so far, sharing their practice and thoughts: Jonzi D, Benji Reid, Lee Griffiths, Botis Seva and Samriye Aden-Dirie

 

 

Botis Seva is auditioning for dancers

AUDITION NOTICE!!!!!!!!!!

Botis Seva is seeking dance artists to join him for a two week creation period in August for his Sadler’s Wells Wild Card evening ‘InNoForm’ on Thursday 24th September alongside his company Far From the Norm. 

The selected artist will be required to join Botis and Far From the Norm on a full time two week research and development period as part of the creation process for his upcoming night at The Lilian Baylis in September. 

Ideally the dance artist will have fundamental skills and knowledge within hip hop dance and an understanding of a contemporary practice. Also, the dance artist must have a strong ability in improvisation and experience with responding to creative tasks.

This is a paid position.

Audition will be by invitation only. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to a workshop on Thursday 23rd July 2-5pm. Recalls will be held on Monday 27th July 7-10pm. 

Please send a cover letter, current CV and showreel/footage to farfromthenorm@hotmail.co.uk

Dates:
Creation Period:
Monday 3rd August – Friday 7th August - 10-6pm 
Monday 10th August – Saturday 15th August - 10-6pm 
(Flexibility in August/September is preferred) 

Performance week commencing Monday 21st September

The Start of a Documentary

The start of a documentary:

I have been fortunate to spend time recently, interviewing Botis Seva (Far From the Norm), Lee Griffiths (The Company) and Benji Reid for my research. Having the time to talk in depth, to debate, and to discuss ideas and the process of making work in the UK with artists who evade and challenge categorisation has been a blessing.

More to come.....

 

 

 

Just Us Dance Theatre Platform this Friday & Saturday

Really looking forward to going to this on Friday. It promises to be an inspiring event!

Just Us Dance Theatre presents an evening of hip hop,contemporary dance, spoken word and DJing bringing some of the UK’s freshest and emerging talents to The Place.

See Just Us Dance Theatre’s newest duet It’s Between Us, an emotional piece on original score by emerging hip hop composer Orin Norbert.

The programme will also premiere works by the Let's Shine Mentorship scheme along with the New and Notable artists Gianna Gi, Haseeb Hearn and Lee Griffiths (The Company) and a new duet created by Ricardo Da Silva and Botis Seva (Far From The Norm) and special guest Dickson Mbi who will also be performing. 

Times: 8pm  
Venue: at The Place 

 

Unfinished Business perform It's Like He's Knocking

This is a unique show and experience. Intimacy in an age of homogenisation, a small group of individuals sharing the same small space for a short soulful time. This show, out of the many things I have seen and experienced in the past few years, stays with me. So try to experience it if you can and I promise you will leave with more joy than you arrived with. London, June 12th and 13th, details on source link below.

Dancing (trans)national memories: June 20th, Senate House, London

The symposium will include presentations from Dr. Cecilia Sosa, Prof. Theresa Buckland and Prof. Danielle Robinson as well as opportunities for dialogue in consideration of the following key questions:

  • How and why have popular dance forms become nationalised? What happens to ‘pre-national’ memories in this process, and how are new national memories constructed?
  • What are the relationships between states, individuals and communities in the construction of national memories via popular dance forms?
  • What is the relationship between popular and high art forms when constructing nationality/nationalism?
  • In performing national memories, whose memories become nationalised?
  • What are the relationships between national memory and racialized identities? How are these performed?
  • What determines the gendering of national memory/identity? How is this embodied?
  • How are national memories constructed across empire?
  • When/why are national memories constructed as embodied forms, as opposed to non-embodied representations?
  • (How) do popular dance forms carry national memories across generations?
  • What are the politics of the choice to validate, or not to validate, popular dance forms as intangible cultural heritage?
  • What is the difference between cultural memory, ‘tradition’ and ‘heritage’? What if any of the pitfalls associated with those much debated terms are hidden in the notion of embodied cultural memory?
  • How are national dances employed in relations with other countries? Is national memory deployed/transformed in these interactions? E.g. tourism, cultural diplomacy (e.g. Cold War), World Fairs/Expositions.
  • How are popular dance forms employed for mnemonic purposes in diasporic and postcolonial contexts?
  • How are cultural memories and popular dance forms transmitted across the ruptures inherent in transnational/postcolonial/diasporic situations?
  • How does popular dance act as a site of resistance for marginalised groups? How does this engage bodily memory?
  • How are popular dance practices associated with transnational/postcolonial/diasporic contexts archived? Do they fall in the gaps between national archives?

The New Collective from Tblisi in Georgia: Young artists not rich enough to be allowed into this country.

I wanted to post this message to support the Flare Festival and also because I think the behaviour of the Immigration agency a little paranoid and prejudice.

Hi all,

The New Collective from Tblisi in Georgia, selected to perform at the Flare International Festival of New Theatre in Manchester 13-18 July, have had their visa applications refused by UK Visas and Immigration, on the grounds that their financial situations at home are not  sufficient for them to resist the temptation to become illegal economic immigrants when they get here. 

They are basically young artists not rich enough to be allowed into this country.

As a new young theatre company, they were very excited to have been selected, and are devastated by this decision.

Please sign the petition to Theresa May, accessible by clicking the link below…

https://www.change.org/p/rt-hon-theresa-may-mp-grant-visas-to-the-new-collective-from-georgia-so-they-can-perform-at-the-flare-international-festival-of-new-theatre-in-manchester-13-18-july-2015?recruiter=34190556&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_page&utm_term=des-lg-share_petition-no_msg

Thank you!

Neil

Neil Mackenzie

Axis Arts Centre/Flare Festival

Department of Contemporary Arts

Manchester Metropolitan University

Crewe

Cheshire CW1 5DU

United Kingdom