Full project report:in2it 2016

PROJECT REPORT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 11-15 October, all roads led to Sunndalsøra, where In2IT International Dance Festival was officially launched. The main objective was to built strong dynamic bridges between people of different backgrounds, cultures and continents, using dance as an art form. The festival promoted cultural integration, introduced innovation and showed excellency through a wider variety of workshops and performances led by professional dancers and choreographers.

We were very proud of Jo Strømgren Kompani from Norway, which opened the festival with a flying and dynamic start, with their phenomenal and well know production “A Dance Tribute Tribute to the Art of Football. The week continued with unique and powerful images of Jerahuni Movement from Zimbabwe, Moving Facts from Greece, Compassion 2Dance from Norway, Kompani Raande-vo from Sweden and Tavaziva Dance Company from England.

In addition, we had special guests teachers who worked with different age groups ranging from 8 - 45 years in the workshops. On the teachers list was Sergey Pidoprygora (Ukraine) and Nikita Kistochka (Ukraine), Regina Wiellingen (Netherlands), Camilla Ullsakerhagen (Norway), Elisabeth Ludwig (Germany), Jimu Makurumbandi (Zimbabwe), Tendai Makurumbandi (Zimbabwe), Yvonne Senn (Norway) and Stine Valde (Norway).

The workshops program consisted of Traditional Hip Hop, Break Dance, Modern Dance, African Dance, Choreography, Afro-contemporary, Modern Jazz, Modern pas deux, commercial Hip Hop, House, Improvisation, Drums and rhythm course.

To touch, to move, to inspire, that is the true gift of dance;- Abraham Lynch.

Yes indeed, the workshops and performances did touch people`s lives. The festival brought movement to the society at large and many got inspired including the festival itself. It was an amazing experience to bring all these people of different nationalities and backgrounds together, to celebrate the beauty and the diversity of the dance culture. The total estimated number of people we reached through workshops and performances was 712 people.

So for that alone, we would like to thank; Norwegian Arts Council, Sunndal Næringsselskap, Møre og Romsdal Fylkeskommune, Sunndal Kommune, Fond For Utøvende Kunstner, UDStøtteordninger for internasjonalt kunst, Sunndal Næringsforening and AMFI Sunndal, for making it possible to build this cultural bridge bridge.

IN2IT INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL 2016 FULL REPORT

Together we can build strong cultural bridge that can unite, educate and delight all the residents and citizens of the world! - Tendai Makurumbandi.

Opening Ceremony On the Tuesday 11. October 2016, was the official opening for both the sponsors and the public. All the sponsors were invited to a private opening ceremony which was held in Sunndal kulturhus/Støgu. At 1800, all invited guest arrived and were warmly received by the festival director, Tendai Makurumbandi.

The speakers for the ceremony was Ole Magne Ansnes (Sunndal Kommune kultursjef), Per Helge Malvik (Sunndal Næringsselskap Daglig Leder) and Heidi-Iren Wedlog Olsen (Møre og Romsdal Fylkeskommune kultursjef). Their speeches were really encouraging and i felt that they could clearly see the value in this project.

-I am impressed with everything you've managed to do Tendai. This is a program of high quality. You have created something really great and we are proud to have you in Sunndalsøra, said Ole Magne Ansnes, quoted by Driva avis.

-Also Per Helge Malvik from Sunndal Næringsselskap expressed that he was really impressed with Makurumbandi and wished him good luck with a festival that has the potential to grow; quoted by Driva avis.

http://www.auraavis.no/kultur/dans/sunndal/pangstart-for-dansefestival/s/5-5-58721 On the opening ceremony program was a duet performance by Mcintosh Jerahuni from Zimbabwe and Yvonne Cathrine Senn from Norway. In this short performance, Mbira music met modern dance, where the two built a colourful bridge that brought some warm sun into the room. Food and drinks were served before all moved to the main stage of Sunndal Kulturhus/Hovshall.

It was really a good start of the festival. There were 15 delegates who came to represent different organisations that has been financially supporting us.

Everyone in the room got an In2IT limited edition Tshirt and a free ticket to Jo Strømgren Kompani performance, as a gesture, to say thank you very much for the support!

Around 1845 hours, 115 people poured into the theater and they were really excited about the main performance of the night which was “A dance Tribute to the art of Football” by Jo Strømgren Kompani. Before the show started, we had the privilege of having our special guest; Heidi-Iren Wedlog Olsen, who officially opened In2IT International Dance Festival with a few words.

In her speech, she expressed the importance of dance culture and what impact it has on the region. She was really proud and happy that such an event is taking place in Møre og Romsdal and that she would like to see it grow.

We were really happy and honoured to have her officially open the festival. Not only did she open the festival but she also helped all the residents to welcome this new cultural international cultural bridge that carried inspiration, innovation and excellency.

Professional Performances On Tuesday 11. October, at 1900hrs, Jo Strømgren Kompani took the stage with, “A dance tribute to the art football”. The theme for the day was “When two cultures meet”.

It is said that this production has conquered time both home and abroad since its premiere in Bergen in 1997. Many people has been inspired by the show, and it's not hard to understand why . It's almost as words are inadequate when it comes to describing the feast of dance and football that this production represents. The show was a pure example of how different cultures can collaborate and inspire one another, building development bridges.

The dancers were excellent, in addition to the music and light, as it made the whole performance a beautiful piece of art. Those who came to watch the show were really satisfied with the quality and expressions that this company brought.

115 souls went home inspired, and it was really a good opening night for the festival.

On Wednesday 12. October at 1830 hrs, was a double bill performance where Moving facts from Greece and Jerahuni Movement from Zimbabwe, shared the stage.

The theme for the day was “ Heritage”

Moving facts - “Sudden showers of silence”, was presented as two speechless bodies facing the body of an epic speech. As Iro Konti and Sergio Mendes confronted the heavy weight duty of a man's transformation into a Hero, and a woman’s transformation into an endless lament. It was like the living and the dead were fighting each other, like children playing the warriors in the middle of a battlefield. With the knowledge of despair and the agony of knowing, their own evident condemnation, their sentence to death unified them. It had both beautiful and heavy images, fighting with sticks, body combat in modern dance. It was full of strong and unique expressions that made the piece powerful beyond words.

Jerahuni Movement Factory took the mysteries of the Zimbabwean known pool by the name Chirorodziva and portrayed them on stage. It was both educating and entertaining as he showed us the Shona culture from Zimbabwe. He says that down in history the ancestors used the pool as a sacred place, a place that demanded absolute respect.

When we went into the holy ground, we were advised to behave so as not to disturb and anger the spirits. We heard stories about talking apes, snakes with legs, and the people who vanished because of bad behaviour on the holy ground.

The pool is more beautiful than words can express. The sun's rays penetrate into the large black throat and lit up the water in a beautiful blue color. The water so quiet, peaceful and so inviting, but no one dared to go near it. It was just as strong as Jerahuni described it though his perfomance.

Wednesday 12. October was really a special evening where artists on stage gave their all, emotionally, physically in connection with their cultures and origins. We had 38 people in the audience who were lucky to be taken on quite a journey.

Thursday 13. October, the theme was “Life seasons”.

At 1900hrs the local artists took the stage with a double bill. There was Yvonne Cathrine Senn with her solo production “get inspired” It was about the cycle of life and transitions we go through as human beings. Done in silence, with both physical and quiet moments, the audience were engaged as she demonstrated the circle of life. Yvonne choreographed this piece in 2014, and found a core in it which has followed her since.

After that, Compassion 2Dance Company took the stage with a new work in progress “When I see”. The creation was inspired by a portrait created by Bergliot Hals.

The production was based on time, space and thoughts on a journey into the past and future. It was about going on a spiritual journey. Everywhere you go today will be somewhere you’ve never been. Yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream. But if in you thought you must measure time into seasons, let each season encircle all the other seasons, and let today embrace the past with remembrance and the future with longing.

It was a choreography by Tendai makurumbandi and danced by Hege Lauritzen, Pia Lauritzen(Apprentice), Mcintosh Jerahuni and Tendai Makurumbandi.

48 people sat in the auditorium, reflecting on the images portrayed live on stage by different bodies, accompanied by abstract light and music.

On Friday 14. October, Kompani Raande-vo from Sweden took the stage with “What is the definition of Home” The theme of the day was “Identity/Origin”.

The show raised a lot of questions which made people think.

We say: Here I belong, but what do we mean? What does the word home for you? Can a feel at home while being on the road? Must a home for walls, ceilings and floors? Or can I find a home within myself? Can I be at home in someone else's home? Can my home be in someone else's country? Are there places you I get and not get to know me home?

In a moving play between music, words, choreography and sign language are the people we meet. Each others partners, friends, companions and toys. The story was played in English and Swedish with tittle "What is the defination of home?�

This production had more meaning especially for all migrants. I think it created a bridge of thoughts, of understanding, between the natives and migrants. The performance raised question that were directed to everyone according to individual situation and status in life.

Many could relate to the stories told, reflections, humour and life situations.

We had 99 people in the audience and 30 of them were from Asylmottak.

The performance was intense, fun, entertaining, educating, colourful and innovative.

It was one of the best performances i have seen;- Tendai Makurumbandi.

Saturday 15. October was the energetic and powerful performance by Tavaziva dance from England. This production turned out to be more vibrant, energetic, distinctive and unique. The theme for this day was “integration�.

The choreographer, Bawren Tavaziva really wanted to integrate local dancers and students of different background together with his dancers. On the 1st of October we had auditions in Sunndalsøra looking for dancers that could be integrated in this production. We enrolled 5 students and 3 professional dancers which then worked together with Tavaziva Dance.

What i liked about this project was the idea of mixing students and professional dancers, building an inspirational bridge, allowing exchange of experiences and innovational ways of moving.

I was so impressed with how hard the students worked and what Bawren Tavaziva managed to get out of them. I noticed transformation from the way the students thought and danced. They became totally new amazing dancers.

Africarmen was absolutely mesmerising. Fantastic energy, strength and focus, the intensity in each dancer was incredible. The choreography was absolutely stunning. Through a synthesis of ballet, contemporary and African dance, Bawren Tavaziva’s interpretation of the Carmen story was strikingly fierce yet sensual and very beautiful to watch. It was an amazing spirit on stage, sharing experiences, building bridges. This was one clear example of how important it is to move, to touch and to inspire.

This magical moment was witnessed by 77 people who came to watch the performance. It was really a great finishing of the festival and it is engraved to our hearts, because this was the biggest gift i could ever give to my students, dancers and the audience.

Culture school performances During the festival, we invited Sunndal kulturskole, Surnadal Kulturskole, Molde Kulturskole and Operaen i Kristiansund balletsenter to participate during the festival in form of taking workshops and actually performing their own production.

This was a platform we made for all the students to create their own dance network within themselves as well as with the professional dancers and companies. The goal was to contribute to a vibrant and rich dance environment for children and youth.

All the students participated in the workshops of their own choice, performed their productions and watched other professional dance perfomances. So it was a theory, visual and physical practice as a performer.

Workshops From 11.10.16 to 15.10.16, the children and the youth were living in a dance paradise, where they took workshops everyday from 10am - 4pm, with different teachers and different styles.

Among the teachers we had ; Sergey Pidoprygora - Break Dance, Nikita Kistochka - Hip Hop, Regina Wiellingen - master classes in modern dance, Camilla Ullsakerhaugen - Commercial Hip hop/House, Tendai Makurumbandi - African Dance, Elisabeth Ludwig - Choreography, Yvonne Cathrine Senn Improvisation, Jimu Makurumbandi - drums/rythmn and modern pas duex.

In addition, we had the performing companies who gave workshops based on their work and specific production to be performed at the festival. We had Jo Strømgren kompani, Jerahuni Movement, Moving Facts, Kompani Raande-vo and Tavaziva Dance Company.

It was a really rich and wider program. We were happy with the way all the instructors and performers behaved professionally, leading by example.

Please follow this link for our program ; http://issuu.com/christineblass/docs/in2itprogram/1

Integration program Funded by Fond For Utøvende Kunstner, was an integration program during the festival. It was a collaboration between IN2IT, Sunndal Kommune and Sunndal Asymottak.

This project proved to be very important as it allowed the festival to integrate the youth and adults form Asylmottak by making it possible for them to participate in the workshops and watch professional dance perfomances. It brought pure joy to most of them, and the fact that they looked forward to the next day of the festival was touching. It was just a bit sad when the festival ended as they had to go back to their normal routine, clearly many of them really wanted to continue.

On Wednesday the 12th, arranged Sunndal Asylmottak a lunch gathering where all the migrants and people from Sunndal kommune were invited. There was food from different countries including Eritrea, Somalia, Turkey, Syria and Ethopia.

The lunch was opened with a welcome speech by the festival director followed by a short dance performance. It was really amazing to see the room so colourful and lightened up by beautiful smiles. Every one in the room got to taste food from different countries and danced to music from different countries. This was just a simple celebration of humanity which should happen more often.

In2IT brought people together of different nationalities and backgrounds . It gave them a sense of belonging and freedom of expression. Dance is a universal language. It has the potential to break down barriers and bring people together. The festival highlighted the cultural diversity the city holds, and it strengthen the identity and affiliation of those who live in Sunndal.

Skrevet av Hanne Veronica Lie Asp (Miljøterapeut / Sunndal asylsøkermottak) «Beboere fra Enslig mindreårige avdelingen ved Sunndal asylsøkermottak var så heldige å bli invitert til å delta på «international dance festival» 2016. Dette var en uke flere av beboerne satt pris på!

Uken bidro til innblikk og læring i forskjellige dansestiler, men også samspill med personer utenfor mottakets vegger. Uken var full av aktivitet, derav dans, kulturlunsj og flere show på kvelden.

Vi takker for opplevelsen, den har bidratt til utfordring og mestringsfølelse, samt en glede for dans som kan bygges videre på ved andre anledninger. Håper på gjentagelse neste år.»

Music concerts During the festival we had late night music concert to bring variety to each day of the festival. We used Ă˜ra kafe as our music concert venue.

On Tuesday the 11. October was Chakra Band from Oppdal which played funk/jazz.

On Wednesday 12. October was Evergreen sounds which played pop/ afro music from Zimbabwe.

On Friday 14. October was Zimbabwean traditional music (Dandemutande) by Tendai Makurumbandi, Jimu Makurumbandi and Mcintosh Jerahuni.

On Saturday 15. October was a reggae night celebration party at Ă˜ra Kafe, where there was a DJ fro Trondheim, Mathias Julius (Singer) from England, Fjor og Fjell and some local artists.

These music program was made so as to create a relaxed place to mingle for both international and local artists.

Objectives and results

- The festival aims to work towards development of a professional danceenvironment. Through programming of professional dance companies of high artistic calibre, the festival is slowly on its way. Our program gave the audience and other professional dancers an insight of what we really intend to achieve in terms of activity and quality that will therefore contribute to a good dance environment.

- The festival aims to contribute in making Sunndal cultural center for dance. Sunndal has so much potential for cultural development, as it is a very integrated town full of people from different backgrounds. The festival managed to bring these people of different origins, nationalities etc. together, through workshops and performances.

- In2IT aims to create new networks and partners for future projects and development. From meeting all these artists, our network keeps growing stronger and stronger. It is very important to grow our network for future collaborations. Especially now that we are initiating a dance residency program “LIN2IT”, that will be directly linked to the festival.

- The festival has more focus on contributing to a vibrant and rich dance environment for children and youth. The children and the youth are the future. We would like to expose them to different dance styles and cultures promoting open minded artists through workshops and performances. We also managed to integrate professional dancers and students in the same performance and created role models whilst nurturing young talent. This was from the collaboration we did with Tavaziva Dance from England with their production “Africarmen” - In2IT would like to create a cultural diversity and pave the way for new artistic expression and activities in Sunndal. Through bringing different artists each year, it maintain a flow of creativity, inspiration and innovation. The festival brought a wider variety of activities to

Sunndal and it plans to bring even more next year! With the new doors opened by Lin2IT Dance Residency, this will be a good partner for the festival to achieve these goals.

Income vs Expenses The festival was funded by Norsk kulturrådet, Fond For Utøvende Kunstner, Møre og Romsdal Fylkeskommune, Sunndal Kommune, Sunndal Næringsselskap (SUNS), Sunndal Næringsforeningen, AMFI Sunndal, UD-Land i sør, and Bunnpris Sunndal.

We are really happy that we had very good support from all these sponsors. Our downfall on the income was the ticket sales from the workshops and performances. We did not manage to get the anticipated public and participants. So that did put a strain to our budget.

On the other hand, we had unexpected expenses such as hiring a mini-bus, taxi to Sunndal from Molde airport, costumes for our integrated performance of Africarmen and hiring of extra lights.

So on Income vs expenses, unfortunately we went over budget, meaning that, i as the Director/Administrator of the festival, i will not pay myself so as to balance the budget. What is important for me is that the festival was a success and now it is no longer an idea. People now understand what i have been talking about.

The work still continues. I have to work on building audience and enrolling a good team that can really help me develop the full potential of this festival.

Obstacles and Solutions The most challenging part of the festival was stuff/Administration team. We had shortage staff and volunteers, meaning that i had to do everything myself from marketing, public relations, stage management, co-ordinator, just to mention a few.

The situation became like this because no one was willing to work for free and the fact that we had missed out on the deadline for arrangørstøtte funding from Kulturrådet, we could not afford to hire extra help needed.

The team i had was a group of volunteers whose time got limited due to their own work and family travel. When time came, i was alone with a lot of responsibilities! But i am glad i managed to juggle and made sure that the program went smooth as planned and that all our invited artists were safe and comfortable.

For next years edition, I plan to apply for funds that will make it easier for me to hire people who can help me organise the festival using their different competences.

From this festival i made a new network of people who can actually do the job and proved to be reliable.

We had problems with ticket sales. We did not get as much audience like we anticipated.

Reasons being; it was during an autumn break so many people were travelling.

Some people are not really used to go to the theater and watch dance performances.

So we would like to do change the dates for the festival and do it when people are not travelling on holiday. On the other hand, we plan to collaborate with culture schools in Møre Romsdal for the workshops program, that way we will be guaranteed income from workshops as well as our invited artists will have audience and participants in the workshops.

On the other hand, we have to work on audience building as well as to educate the public about modern dance. I know it will take time but that is the job to be done. We will do that by doing more activities like workshops, performances, flashmobs, seminars, open rehearsals etc.

We used Facebook to send out information to the public but i think it was not efficient enough. So we will make an official website that will have all the information for the the public to have.

Workshops and performances in numbers Perfomances

Tickets sold

Jo Strømgren Kompani “A dance tribute”

Free tickets sponsors

Free tickets Integration program

80

15

20

8

0

30

Compassion 2Dance (When I see)

28

0

20

Kompani Raande vo- “What is the definition of home?”

69

0

30

Tavaziva Dance “Africarmen”

47

Double bill “Chirorodziva and Sudden showers of Silence”

Workshops

Tickets sold

30

Free tickets sponsors

Free Tickets Integration program

Hip Hop workshops

5

0

25

Break dance workshops

4

0

18

Modern dance workshop

0

0

16

African Dance workshop

5

0

25

Pas des duex workshop

5

0

0

Choreography workshops

3

0

0

Improvisation Workshop

5

0

0

Kompani Raande vo workshop

5

0

0

Jo Strømgren kompani workshop

0

0

8

Jerahuni Movement workshop

0

0

9

Moving facts workshop

0

0

2

Advertisement and media exposure On advertisement and media exposure, we did a lot of activities and participated in local arrangement so that people can understand what the festival was about.

In June 2016, i made a presentation of the festival at Sunndal Konferansen. There were about 350 business people in the audience. http://www.suns.no/default.aspx?menu=84 We have been using Facebook to reach people with our arrangements. That was also our daily base of marketing and we reached a total number of : 2769.

We made newspaper articles with Aura Avis that reached about 10 000 people from the region.

With Aura Avis we also made an online advertisement which was for 7 days. It gave us a total reach of 2 500 people.

Driva was writing a lot of articles before and during the festival. That gave us a total reach of 10 000 people.

We participated at IdeFEstivalen where there was many stands for different company. This festival was for all students and families from Sunndal who came to get information about what Sunndal can offer. We were among one of the attraction. We reached 1000 people during those 2 days. http://www.driva.no/nyheter/2016/09/23/Idéfestival-heleuka-13482033.ece Tidens Krav avis also covered several articles that gave the festival a boarder audience in Møre Romsdal, with about 5 000 readers.

We made a radio announcement announcement with 1FM from Molde which covers the whole Møre og Romsdal. We got 30seconds air play, 12 times a day for 7 days. We reached about 17 500 people with this advertisement. We also shared on Facebook so as to reach other people who are not from Møre Romsdal. https://vimeo.com/185783311 On the other hand, 1FM Radio made an interview with Tendai Makurumbandi that shed more light to the festival with more than 2 500 listeners.

Advertisement Statistics Aura Avis - Etablerer dansesentrum -

26.11.15

2500

Sunndal Konferansen

21.06.16

350

Aura avis - Dansen skal fylle Øra

23.08.16

2500

Aura avis - Dans som brubygger

15.09.16

2500

Driva - Bygger Brua med dans

21.09.16

2500

31.09 - 01.10 / 2016

1000

1FM Radio advertisement

06.10.16

17 500

Driva - Vil bygger broer mellom mannesker -

07.10.16

2500

Tidens Krav - Moderne danseklassiker

12.10.16

2500

Driva - Åpnet med dansefest

14.10.16

2500

Tidens Krav- En ny Kulturell Hørnestein -

17.10.16

2500

Aura Avis - Magiske sceneopplevelser

18.10.16

2500

IdeFestivalen Sunndal

2500

Driva - Brakte varden til Sunndalsøra 19.10.16 1 FM Radio Interview AMFI Shoppingsenter activities

12.10.16

7000 500

My own personal experience

I had a great experience from both organisation and participation in this festival. I learned a lot, got new experiences, extended my professional network, developed ideas, weighed the potential and most of all brought the of dance to Møre og Romsdal.

From this festival, I feel renewed, energized, inspired! I have a new pair of eyes, I see more possibilities and the true potential for this festival! So definately next year it will be even more bigger as I will be collaborating with

new partners whom are very keen to develop the dance culture in Møre og Romsdal.

From the program's I feel like I touched people's lives especially the people from the assylmottak. When they danced I could see that they felt very free, joyful and it was really an amazing thing to watch!

When each day was over, they looked forward to the next day and the next‌I believe that is what life is all about, learning from your past, enjoying the present moment and looking forward to your next day!

What I am mostly happy about is that this festival brought many people together of different backgrounds and nationalities, building cultural bridges.

With that being said, I feel like I did archieve my goal, building cultural bridges! Now the challenge is to maintain those bridges so that they don't collapse over nite! That is why the festival will be annual and ofcourse compassion 2dance and LIN2IT Dance Residency will keep on maintaining the balance by bringing more activities and dance perfomances until it's time for the festival again!

Feed back In general the festival went really well. Those who came to the workshops and performances were really happy with the quality of our program.

Our guest teachers, companies and choreographers were really happy with the area, theater, hotel, technicians etc.

We now aim to work on building audience for this project to fully flourish. We still have work to do, we are just in the beginning, but i am really satisfied and happy with the start.

Future plan

We plan to do the festival yearly, so we are now in the process of making the program for next year.

We have been granted funding by Møre og Romsdal fylkeskommune for establishing Lin2IT Dance residency program.

The funding we got is for 2 years. This will bring an exciting collaboration between the dance residency and the festival.

From the residency program will be a dance production which will then be premiered on the opening of the festival for the coming 2 years.

We would like to work on a partnership with Sunndal Kommune and Sunndal Kulturhus, to find a way to collaborating to develop our professional dance environment.

We will also apply for funds for us to make good planning from the Norwegian arts council, Fond For Utøvende Kunstnere, Sunndal Kommune, Møre og Romsdal fylkeskommune, Næringsselskap (SUNS), Næringsforening, Sunndal Sparebank 1, AMFI Sunndal,