LDIF13 Brochure

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL LEICESTER 29 APRIL - 25 MAY 2013

www.ldif.co.uk

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

Launch Event

Welcome, year three and Let’s Dance International Festival (LDIF) is going from strength to strength, bringing the best in international dance that reflects the cosmopolitan nature of Leicester. This year’s LDIF celebrates International Day of Dance with a programme from Guadeloupe, Iran, India, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Turkey, Brazil and the UK; where the artists have focused on traditional styles and updated them to reflect contemporary culture by marrying structures, identity and dance styles.

This year LDIF has introduced a new strand with Hidden Movement: Black British Dance - Think Tank, that will look at dance practice, unpacking the history of Black British dance.

It unearths a hidden political history, a new dance aesthetic which had a place here and abroad, the role of race and identity and a vision for the future as the cultural landscape economically challenges the arts infrastructure.

Renato Rocha presents Zumbi, based on the greatest Brazilian slave leader, Zumbi Dos Palmares. It will set your heart racing and imagination flowing with this magical dance piece. A mix of Brazilian cultures charged with an African undercurrent, they use dance, music, aerial skills, circus technique, capoeira and contemporary art in a spectacular explosion of energy and talent!

Speakers for the conference include Hilary Carty, Bob Ramdhanie, Brenda Edwards MBE and Jackie Guy MBE, all engaged in a dialogue that sits alongside work, which illustrates the diversity to be found in Black dance today.

LDIF continues to offer opportunities for new and emerging artists with Signatures, creating a space for rising talent to take centre stage. This year we have gone one step further and introduced Autograph, whereby LDIF has invested in those that have previously been part of Signatures to create a new full-length piece of work.

LDIF brings some of the best of British dance with Jean Abreu’s intimate new solo work BLOOD followed by Oguike Dance, led by one of the UK’s most inventive choreographers Henri Oquike. Oguike’s V4: Seasons, a programme of three works, drawn from the evocative world of baroque music, with its characteristic theatricality and rhythmic energies.

We have also introduced the festival hopper - a 16-seater limousine that will take you across the city in style to get to events such as Flamenco Express and Tap and Tabla with Lee Payne and Rishii Chowdhury.

Dance on Film has been part of the festival from the beginning, acting as an access point into dance, capturing a range of different dance styles.

Mon 29 April 6pm Orton Square & Athena FREE LDIF celebrates International Day of Dance with an array of celebrities and artists in a big dance party.

Misha B Mancunian X Factor star, Misha, brings her eye catching style and powerful vocals to the Athena. Following the singles ‘Homerun’ and ‘Do You Think of Me’, her new album ‘Here’s to Everything’ is due to be released on 28 April.

LDIF brings three weeks of energy, fun and international performances of quality to Leicester with artists from around the world. This year we launch on 29 April with a dance party, featuring Misha B, MOBO Award winner Akala and DJ Kayper.

So instead of just sitting back and watching, get up and Let’s Dance!

Pawlet Brookes Artistic Director

Roc Kidz Crew

Akala

DJ Kayper

The break dancing stars of the film The Rising Sun show that dance is not about borders, colour or religion.

The Roc Kidz are from Europe, Iran and Asia who are renowned for precision and concentration as they perform their high energy acrobatic style with a humorous edge!

MOBO award-winner ‘Akala’ is one of the most dynamic talents in the UK. This label owner/social entrepreneur fuses rap/rock/electropunk with fierce lyrical storytelling. With a reputation for stellar live shows Akala has toured with Jay-Z, Nas, Damian Marley and MIA.

The first female to win the Vestax Juice DJ competition with her versatile blend of classic and current hiphop, R&B and reggae, coupled with an expertise in Bhangra and Bollywood.

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Hidden Movement A Black British Dance Think Tank Thurs 9 – Fri 10 May 9am Phoenix Square Early Bird Ticket £100 before 20 April £120 Day Ticket £65 Prices include lunches, coffee breaks and tickets to Zumbi and Flamenco Express / Tap and Tabla Hidden Movement is a seminar series with an initial focus on Black British Dance. It aims to remember and record what has taken place during the last 64 years in the UK. When we think of Black Dance what companies or names come to mind? Why have we forgot those that paved the way? It will discuss lessons that should have been learnt, where we are now, the politics that shaped the times and was instrumental in both opening and closing doors.

Leading practitioners, academics, researchers and artistic directors will take part in a sharing of their views and mapping the hidden story of Black British Dance.

Hilary Carty, Brenda Edwards MBE, Jackie Guy MBE, Henri Oguike, David Bryan, Patrick Acogny and dance critic for the Observer Luke Jennings are just a few of the people who will add the missing voice to the history of Black British Dance today.

LIMITED AVAILABILITY 5

Flash Mob Associació Capoeira Topázio BCN Sat 27 –Mon 29 April City Centre FREE Capoeira Topázio was founded in Salvador De Bahia, Brazil in 1988 and quickly gathered fans of the martial art from around the world, sparking new groups in Mexico, Spain and Argentina.

Topázio’s style of capoeira channels the African martial art heritage, whilst simultaneously capturing its art and showmanship. Every summer this group entertain the public in the streets of Barcelona with their festival ‘Peace of Topázio’.

Book Launch BBoy Stix Mon 29 April 11am Embrace Arts FREE At the age of 4 years, Dergin Tokmak got his first alias Stix.

The struggle with the aftermath of his polio and looking for a way to channel his strength, he started to playfully dance on his crutches. The journey for this young toddler to Cirque du Soleil, Break-dance battles and performances led to him becoming renowned as one of the most sensational acrobats in the world.

Renato Rocha Zumbi Thurs 9 – Fri 10 May 7.45pm St Martins House £15 / £12

Hot from Brazil, Zumbi promotes internationalism and diversity, in light of the Olympics handover from London to Rio. The legend of Zumbi dos Palmares lives on today as a figure head of black resistance against injustice and oppression in Brazil in the 1600s.

Mixing Brazilian culture and African influences, director

Renato Rocha incorporates dance, music, aerial skills, circus technic, capoeira and contemporary art in an astonishing spectacle and explosion of energy.

DISCOUNT TICKETS SEE PAGE 21 FOR DETAILS LIMITED AVAILABILITY 7

Serendipity in association with Dance4 Signatures Sat 11 May 8pm Embrace Arts £10 / £8

Rishii Chowdhury & Lee Payne Tap &Tabla Fri 10 May 10pm Manhattan 34 £10 / £8

Flamenco Express Thu 9 May 10pm The Exchange £10 / £8 Flamenco is music, sex and history all rolled into one, the fiercest expression of the human spirit ever devised. La Joaquina and Chris Clavo invite you to share the finest flamenco talent. Including the vast vocal presence of Manuel de la Malena from the flamenco heartland of Jerez de la Frontera.

LIMITED AVAILABILITY

This collaboration demonstrates an exciting exchange of ideas between two artists from different disciplines: Indian classical music tradition and Western tap dance. These dynamic performers explore rich rhythmic concepts, intricate footwork and explosive movements through tap and tabla. They create a ‘Cultural groove’, in which the audience will discover how these two very different disciplines have a lot in common. Let yourself get drawn in as Rishii and Lee discover the depths of each other’s traditions.

Signatures is a showcase of new ideas by emerging choreographers and two students from De Montfort University. The platform nurtures and supports undiscovered talent and enables them to realise their creative potential.

The artists have been selected on the strength of their concepts and their desire to succeed in the arts industry.

Matt Dummigan Abide With Me Harriet Scott-Delaney Point One Shamita Ray Many More Me Botis Seva Optic Venture Chevon Edwards I C6H5-NH-C2H5 You! EIC DanceTheatre 4 Walls LIMITED AVAILABILITY

LIMITED AVAILABILITY 9

David Toole & Lucy Hind Masterclass

Sonia Sabri Masterclass Wed 15 May Embrace Arts SOLD OUT

Fri 17 May 11am Embrace Arts £3 Advance group booking only

In this session for mothers / daughters, Sonia Sabri will pass on her expertise in Kathak, with her own unique and modern twist.

An opportunity for a college or university group to join David and Lucy in their one-hour movement workshop that combines text with dance.

Designed for up to 20 young people studying KS4 or above to learn simple techniques to devise and develop a new physical vocabulary.

Sonia Sabri Company Jugni Thurs 16 May 7:30pm Embrace Arts £10 / £8

LIMITED AVAILABILITY

Poetic, moving and soul stirring, Jugni, meaning female fire fly, captures the spirits of real women. Jugni is a powerful and uplifting explosion of dance, music and meaning with soaring vocals, Qawaaliinspired percussion and powerful choreography influenced by folkloric dance styles.

Celebrated for their bold new style of Kathak, Sonia Sabri Company illustrates personal stories through intricate plays of movement, rhythm and rhyme.

Choreographer Sonia Sabri and musical director Sarvar Sabri present their work through a predominantly female cast.

LIMITED AVAILABILITY

David Toole & Lucy Hind Extra-Ordinary Fri 17 May 8pm Embrace Arts £10 / £8

Dance on Film Dil To Pagal Hai Sun 19 May 2pm Phoenix Square £5 Dir: Yash Chopra, 179 mins, 1997, India

Nisha, a dancer, falls for her director, Rahul, but his love is held by new addition to the troupe, Pooja.

The story follows the turbulent journey of their relationships, discovering each other’s differing attitudes to love – is it born of friendship? Is it destined? Does it even exist?

A duet. One with no legs. One with no clue. An extraordinary journey of self-discovery awaits acclaimed actor and dancer David Toole and his biggest fan, naive Lucy Hind, in this funny, moving and poignant production.

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Catherine Dénécy Un peu, beaucoup, á la folie, pas du tout.

(A little, a lot, madly, not at all) Sat 18 May 8pm Embrace Arts £10 / £8 What does it mean to be Creole?

Led by a soundscape, this swinging, undulating dance sees Catherine embark on a journey back to her native country, never letting go of her only partner – her identity and heritage.

Previously a member of Urban Bush Women, Catherine joins with scenographer Maud Bandou Hostache of Guadeloupe to create this tale of struggle and enlightenment. A sense of nostalgia and enthusiasm borne of real-life experience brings this performance to life.

LIMITED AVAILABILITY

Turned On Its Head Movement session Sun 19 May 2pm – Fun and physical for children with autism and their families 3.30pm – Reflective and sensory for children with complex disabilities and their families Embrace Arts £5 per child (carers free) These magical movement sessions bring an inclusive approach to dance.

Pulse Magazine Dance Dialogues: Dances for an intimate space Sun 19 May 11am The Guildhall £10 Dance Dialogues aims to dissolve boundaries between audience and performer, to make dance a shared experience. Anusha Subramanyam, artistic director of Beeja, dances in the midst of the audience, a deeply personal solo piece that incorporates the Bharatanatyam tradition.

The performance is then followed by a dialogue between the audience and the performer, facilitated by Donald Hutera, contributor to The Times and Dance Umbrella. This kind of encounter brings dance more vitally into the lives of audiences, enabling them to experience it from the ‘inside’.

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Jean Abreu BLOOD Wed 22 – Thurs 23 May 7.45pm Curve £10 Motion sensor technology, Gilbert and George’s Fundamental Pictures and a score created by the movement of the dancer – all these features bring to life this captivating deconstruction of the internal body. Abreu will delve deep into himself to experience the raw feeling of being alive. Highly theatrical, this duet between media and man portrays the power of self- discovery.

Serendipity in association with Dance4 Autograph Thurs 23 May 9.30pm Peepul Centre £10 / £8 Previous participants of Signatures return to to LDIF to share their developed work.

Dwayne Simms L. LAW The audience are invited to share the space, congregate and witness.

“Tonight Mathew I am going to be… the man who went to Israel with a plan, forgetting his pen.”

This work shares imprints and friction. My original intentions were to visit Jerusalem, to experience the Jewish communitas (Hasidic). Instead I became deeply occupied by the cacophony that emerged, through both the sound and visuals from the locals and visitors.

Subhash Viman Morphed The identity of an Indian man is a confluence of complex imagery:He moves from the Oriental exotica, an embodiment of spirituality, a Bollywood

super-star to an IT geek. He has evolved into a new breed through globalization and migration. Using a grotesque movement, the mutilations of modernity emerge and the body is caught between the past and present, mythology and reality, sensuous and the mundane – the more it pulls away, the more it morphs to a new form.

DISCOUNT TICKETS SEE PAGE 21 FOR DETAILS

Gerrard Martin D-llusion ‘D-llusion’ explores perceptions of body-image seen through a young woman’s eyes. As she battles with her psyche, she perceives herself through media sound-bites and through her ‘mirror image’. An unhealthy obsession with her reflected image results in her image being distorted. Is the reflection in the mirror an apparition, a psychological nemesis; is the image real, or a figment of a delusional mind?

Photo Paul Scala

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Dance in Leicester City of Culture 2017 Fri 24 May 6pm Curve RR2 FREE LDIF wants to hear your ideas for the future of dance! In June, Leicester hopes to hear that it has been short-listed for the prestigious designation of UK City of Culture for 2017 giving it a few months to develop a detailed programme for 2017.

Come and share your ideas with Fiona Allan, Chief Executive of Curve and the bidding team for what you think would make a great dance programme.

Henri Oguike V4: The Seasons Fri 24 – Sat 25 May 7.45pm Curve £15 Teaming with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, V4 conjures up a baroque fantasy of Vivaldi’s renowned concertos, The Four Seasons. Combining dance with the theatricality of the music, Oguike presents an awesome spectacle that perfectly embodies his vigorous sense of musicality.

Delrevés Repite Conmigo & Guateque Fri 24 May 9.30pm Peepul Centre £10 / £8

Coming from the various disciplines of Performing Arts, the work of DELREVES is to merge different artistic languages, such as contemporary dance, digital arts, theatre and vertical dance, using architecture as a medium of movement.

“We start from a physical investigation that we reverse on the vertical plan, working with the new possibilities that this discipline has to offer.

Our intention is to transport the spectators into a parallel world, a world in which it is possible to fly, in which gravity does not exist... “

Henri’s choreography is often described as humorous, precise and passionate, a reputation that has led to commissions of Henri Oguike Dance Company from Phoenix Dance Theatre, Southbank Centre and Companhia Nacional de Bailado.

DISCOUNT TICKETS SEE PAGE 21 FOR DETAILS

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Romeo & Juliet

Love Tomorrow

DANCE ON FILM

Love Tomorrow Sat 11 May 4pm Phoenix Square £5 Dir: Christopher Payne, 94 mins, 2012, UK. An ex-ballet dancer’s life is turned upside down after receiving devastating news. As he wanders the underground in a torment of pain and anger he encounters charismatic Cuban ballet dancer, Oriel, who offers a temporary distraction.

Bolshoi Ballet’s Romeo & Juliet Sun 12 May 4pm Phoenix Square £14 / 12 To Prince Escalus’ dismay, the rivalry between the Capulets and Montagues brings bloodshed to the city of Verona.

Romeo, heir of the Montagues, is distraught as his love for Rosaline is not returned.

To console him, his friend Mercutio persuades him to attend the ball Capulet has organised to find possible suitors for his daughter Juliet. Romeo attends the ball incognito at the Capulet house.

However, when Romeo meets Juliet, the two fall instantly in love with each other. They are overwhelmed when they discover they belong to two rival families.

Ballroom Dancer

Stomp the Yard

Over my Dead Body

Mon 13 May 6pm Phoenix Square £5

Thurs 16 May 6pm Phoenix Square £5

Mon 20 May 6pm Phoenix Square £5

Dir: Christian Bonke & Andreas Koefoed, 78 mins, 2011, Denmark.

Dir: Sylvain White, 115 mins, 2007, USA

Dir: Brigitte Poupart, 78 mins, 2012, Canada

After the death of his younger brother, a troubled 19-year-old street dancer from Los Angeles is able to bypass youth detention centre by enrolling at Truth University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dance film meets heartrending personal journey in this challenging story of dancer Dave St Pierre.

A documentary of former Latin American world champion, Vyacheslav ‘Slavik’ Kryklyvyy’s, attempt at a final comeback.

Slavik is addicted to the limelight but his ageing body causes him problems.

His flaring temper puts his relationship with ten years younger dance partner and girlfriend, Anna, at risk.

The road to reclaiming the championship is a long, tough struggle as Slavik puts everything on the line in his ultimate push for the throne.

Failure is not an option, yet it is so difficult to avoid.

But his efforts to get an education and woo the girl he likes are side-lined when he is courted by the top two campus fraternities, both of which want and need his fierce street-style dance moves to win the highly coveted national step show competition.

Cystic fibrosis has forced Dave to retreat to choreography while he awaits a double lung transplant. Through choreography he creates raw, complex and controversial works that delve deeply into mortality and the frailty and strength of the human body.

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FUNDERS

Kitchen Table

SAVE £20 WITH

DANCE FOR CAMERA Sun 19 May 6pm Phoenix Square £5 A selection of films from the Dance for Camera programme from DANCE:FILM 11. For further information about the shorts and about DANCE: FILM, www.dancefilm.co.uk

Melt

CEA

Dir: Noemie Lafrance, 10 mins, 2010, Canada

Dir: Andrea Pass, Dominique Keller, Robert Prowse, 4 mins, 2006, Canada.

A delicate experience of the physical body in exile.

Muse Dir: Donald Graham, 4 mins, 2011, USA.

The slow and melodic rhythms offer a powerful dichotomy to the frenetic pace of today’s dominant urban culture.

Two sink, three float

A photographer’s muse takes us on a journey of dance.

Dir: Satya Roosens, 7 mins, 2010, Belgium.

Pohyb

Three characters find their balance on a platform with an underworld we do not see.

Dir: Katarina Complova, 5 mins, 2011, UK. Light creates shapes on a dancer’s body.

Admit One Dir: Steve Woods, 6 mins, 2010, Ireland.

A dancer confronts a visit to the cinema.

Kitchen Table Dir: Cara Hagan, 14 mins, 2010, USA. A pair of catty homemakers desire to fit the mold of the perfect woman in the 1950s.

TICKET BUNDLE Watch 3 top billing dance shows and a film* for only £25!

The LDIF Ticket Bundle consists of a ticket for Zumbi, V4: The Seasons, BLOOD and a film of your choice from the festival’s Dance on Film* programme listed below:

Ballroom Dancer Dance For Camera Dil To Pagal Hai Love Tomorrow Stomp The Yard Over My Dead Body *Excludes Romeo & Juliet

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BOOK TICKETS Call: 0844 477 1000 or visit: www.ldif.co.uk Athena

The Exchange

Phoenix Square

Queen Street Leicester LE1 1QD

50 Rutland Street Leicester LE1 1RD

4 Midland Street Leicester LE1 1TG

Curve

The Guildhall

Rutland Street Leicester LE1 1SB

Guildhall Lane Leicester LE1 5FQ

Ticket Office 0116 242 2800 W phoenix.org.uk

Ticket Office 0116 242 3595 E tickets@curvetheatre.co.uk W curveonline.co.uk

Manhattan 34

Embrace Arts

34 Rutland Street Leicester LE1 1RD

Richard Attenborough centre Lancaster Road Leicester LE1 7HA

Orton Square

Ticket Office 0116 252 2455 E arts-centre@le.ac.uk W embracearts.co.uk RNID Type talk service 18001 0116 252 2455

Peepul Centre

Concessions

Disclaimer

Concessions are available to full-time students, in possession of a Student Card with photo, state pensioners, people with disabilities and their carers, unemployed and children under 16. Please provide proof of concessionary status.

Please note all details were correct at the time of going to press. Whilst every effort will be made to keep to the announced programme, it may be necessary to make changes without notice. No refunds or exchanges will be made to tickets once issued unless the event is cancelled.

Access Information LDIF venues offer access for people with mobility disabilities. In addition we are committed to our diversity policy and aim to ensure full access to all.

Leicester LE1 1RE

St.Martins House 7 Peacock Lane Leicester LE1 5PZ

FESTIVAL BAR Ramada Encore 90 Charles Street Leicester LE1 1GE

Orchardson Avenue Leicester LE4 6DP

Serendipity Phoenix Square 4 Midland Street Leicester LE1 1RE T +44 (0) 116 242 2945 E info@serendipity-uk.com W www.serendipity-uk.com Twitter @letsdancefest Serendipity Artists Movement Limited Company No 07248813

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Date

Event

Artist

Time

Venue

Ticket £

27 - 29 Apr

Flash Mob

ASSOCIACIÓ CAPOEIRA TOPÁZIO BCN

All day

City centre

FREE

29 April

Book Launch

DERGIN TOKMAK

11am

Embrace Arts

FREE

29 April

Launch

ROC KIDZ CREW AKALA DJ KAYPER MISHA B

6pm

Athena

FREE

9 May

Think Tank

HIDDEN MOVEMENT

9am – 6pm

Phoenix Square

£50 - £120

Performance

ZUMBI

7.45pm

St Martins House

£15, £12

Performance

FLAMENCO EXPRESS

10pm

The Exchange

£10, £8

Think Tank

HIDDEN MOVEMENT

9am – 6pm

Phoenix Square

£50 - £120

Performance

ZUMBI

7.45pm

St Martins House

£15, £12

Performance

TAP AND TABLA

10pm

Manhattan 34

£10, £8

Film

LOVE TOMORROW

6pm

Phoenix Square

£5

10 May

11 May

Performance

SIGNATURES

8pm

Embrace Arts

£10, £8

12 May

Film

ROMEO & JULIET

6pm

Phoenix Square

£14. £12

13 May

Film

BALLROOM DANCER

6pm

Phoenix Square

£5

15 May

Masterclass

SONIA SABRI

Embrace Arts

SOLD OUT

16 May

Film

STOMP THE YARD

6pm

Phoenix Square

£5

Performance

JUGNI

7.30pm

Embrace Arts

£10, £8

Masterclass

DAVID TOOLE & LUCY HIND

11am

Embrace Arts

£3

17 May

Performance

EXTRA-ORDINARY

8pm

Embrace Arts

£10, £8

18 May

Performance

UN PEU, BEAUCOUP, Á LA FOLIE, PAS DU TOUT

8pm

Embrace Arts

£10, £8

19 May

Masterclass + Performance

DANCE DIALOGUES

11am

The Guildhall

£10, £8

Film

DIL TO PAGAL HAI

2pm

Phoenix Square

£5

Masterclass

TURNED ON ITS HEAD

2pm, 3.30pm

Embrace Arts

£5

20 May

Film

DANCE ON CAMERA

6pm

Phoenix Square

£5

21 May

Film

OVER MY DEAD BODY

6pm

Phoenix Square

£5

22 May

Performance

BLOOD

7.45pm

Curve

£10

23 May

Performance

BLOOD

7.45pm

Curve

£10

Performance

AUTOGRAPH

9.30pm

Peepul Centre

£10, £8

Discussion

DANCE IN LEICESTER CITY OF CULTURE 2017

6pm

Curve

FREE

Performance

V4: The Seasons

7.45pm

Curve

£15

Performance

DELREVES

9.30pm

Peepul Centre

£10, £8

Performance

V4: The Seasons

7.45pm

Curve

£15

24 May

25 May