LDIF22 Programme Notes Signatures

Signatures and the Black British Dance Platform Wednesday 4 May 2022 Curve Theatre Programme ...when I was...

Seren Marimba Breakin’ Boundaries Shreya Vadnerkar Interval BFG Instigate Unknown High Science Jamie Philbert Interval TREAD Walker Movement Theatre Company Approximate running time: 2 hours and 20 minutes

If you are interested in potentially programming any of the works being shared in this evening's programme please get in touch with info@serendipity-uk.com for further details.

With thanks to Brendra Edwards, Dance4 and Curve.

Please note that unfortunately Nantea Dance Company will not be performing as originally billed.

…when I was…

Seren Marimba Wading through lost futures and fractured pasts.

She, woman, her past/present/future. Drifting or drowning, in a stream of actions and words, most of which are hers, or at least they were.

She finds reflections of her Self in the River Goddess, the image of her mother and the words of her father.

Not quite a dream, not quite a memory. A haunting from the future.

But soaked to the soul in sweet-water she attempts to re-enchant the earth. A drop at a time. …when I was… is an Improvisational wave of movement, myth, sound and film.

With original soundtrack from Aether Awe/ MC Buzz B Seren Marimba is a Manchester-based interdisciplinary performance artist/maker. Exploring history and popular culture through movement, collaboration, music and character with a DI-Y work style. She blends contemporary circus, dance and physical theatre and draws inspiration from the bold and beautiful characters she meets. Specifically among the marginalised or alternative communities she connects with.

Performed/Written/Devised: Seren Marimba Music Produced: Aether Awe/MC Buzz B Music Performed: MC Buzz B and Kiva VJ and Projection: Milly Wild Dream sequences: (Filmed and edited): Seren Marimba Rigging and Tech: Kiva

Breakin' Boundaries Shreya Vadnerkar A British Indian experience showcased through Bharatanatyam and Breakin’ (Breakdance).

“So like, where you from”?- How many times have you heard that one?

Have you ever felt stereotyped, boxed in or labelled? Never Indian enough, nor western enough. But what happens when we remove these labels?

This piece embraces the journey of finding and accepting ones’ true self. A continuous journey filled with excitement and self-doubt.

Shreya Vadnerkar is a British-Indian dancer specialising in Bharatanatyam and Bollywood dance as well as having trained Folk, Tap, Modern and a new found passion for Breaking (Breakdance) over the years. With 18 years of training, she regularly performs Bharatanatyam and Bollywood around the country and competes in Breaking battles nationally. Some of her recent achievements include featuring in the 2021 Marvel Eternals film as a Bollywood dancer, being the sole representative of b-girls (female breakdancers) in the BBC Women in Sports campaign, performing for the BBC Young Dancer 2019 Category and Grand finals as duet partner, and being an invited artist at Latitude festival as part of Saddlers Wells BBC Young Dancer cohort. As well as this Shreya also delves into other sectors in the Arts through her work as Associate Director of Nupur Arts Dance Academy.

Choreography and Dance Artist: Shreya Vadnerkar Mentor: Kamala Devam Project Emerge curated by: Nupur Arts Youth Association and Artistic Director Smita Vadnerkar Music credit: Riz Ahmed- Where you from (live from The Big Narstie show) and Ólafur Arnalds- Til Enda Music Editing: Ben Henry Edwards and Shreya Vadnerkar Costume: Shreya Vadnerkar Videography: Matthew Cawrey

BFG Instigate Unknown BFG – Black Female Greats. A contemporary dance homage to the huge imprints that Black female jazz musicians have made which gave rise to the celebration of all Black art. The sounds of trailblazers such as, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, and Roberta Flack pour onto a moonlit stage as dancers embody the musical structures of each score Instigate Unknown (IU) are a dance company, influenced by both hip-hop and contemporary styles. We are committed to challenging ourselves and others, willing to take risks to push everyone in the team to the next level. We aspire to inspire others through good leadership and attention to excellence with the objective of continual growth. We are a company who greatly value collaboration and champion equal opportunities and diverse representation.

We are developing our own practice called Problematic Props. This method is made up of several choreographic techniques which use objects to create and inspire movement.

Formed in 2014 by Cherilyn Albert, IU’s professional experiences include hosting dance workshops and events, guest lecturing the dance students at Middlesex University, movement direction of an immersive theatre production and we have undergone artistic development programmes with Zoonation and Breakin Convention. The company have presented their own work at venues such as The Place for Resolution, artsdepot and Battersea Arts Centre. Over lockdown the company committed themselves to independently, self-producing their own documentary and conceptual dance film which was then featured in their online residencies with Creation Box Ldn and Siobhan Davies Dance.

The company’s work has been enjoyed by audience members whom have left feedback expressing their thoughts, “…amazing!! No other words, wanted to watch it again”, “… electric, original and dynamic”. One of the works in particular, BLACKBALL, being well reviewed, “The power of the dance company and the choreography shone in the ensembles with grounded modern and hip hop inspired movements… bright flashes and shadows in the darkness, illuminating glimpses of bold dance scenes.”

Artistic Director: Cherilyn Albert Dancers: Cherilyn Albert Emmanuella Idris Anae Jones Kyra Mills

HIGH SCIENCE Jamie J Philbert HIGH SCIENCE views the balance of matricentrality and interiority of sound (Ong, 1982) within the sacred martial tradition of Kalinda. It explores the transposition of identity and what it means to inhabit space, place, time as your jumbie (shadow as a higher self). monster (the ability to reveal), demon, (a guardian angel of refuge). This work is a tribute to the Kalinda community of Trinidad and Tobago, the work of Sylvia Wynter, and Black Atlantic martial tradition. Movement technology, history/aesthetic are based on the sacred practice of Kalinda from the gaze of the martial tradition practitioner, Philbert-Kalinda Technique, and Black Atlantic Power Postures.

Trinidad and Tobago Native, Jamie J. Philbert is an international interdisciplinary artist, martial artist, curator, and educator. She is the founder of Philbert-Kalinda Technique for dance and performance which is co-created with master martial artist Rondel Benjamin, and transitioned legendary bois man, King David Matthew Brown. Her artistic practice is rooted in the 'quantum archaeology' of extra-somatic praxis or allowing Spirit to orchestrate the art through cycles of memory, play, dream, and language reconfiguration. She dedicates all of her movement and magic to the legacy of her transitioned parents, Dennis and Veronica Philbert and all of her ancestors.

Music: Lavways courtesy of Bois Academy of Trinidad and Tobago Choreographer, text, spoken word vocals and Wardrobe: Jamie J. Philbert Vocals/Chantwells: Anim 'Congo Barra' Cooper, John 'Stokely' Paul Dress Design: A.A. Reine Projection Visuals: Jamie J. Philbert, Ancestor King David Matthew Brown, and courtesy of Bois Academy of Trinidad and Tobago Spoken Word/Text Citation: Katherine McKittrick. Dear Science and Other Stories. Duke University Press. 2020.

TREAD Walker Movement Theatre Company A treadmill; wasted shapes; Black bodies in perpetual motion; TREAD is a direct response to the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement wherein the Black experience was brought to the forefront of topical discourse. Through contemporary movement, pedestrianism, minimalism and repetition this dance work demonstrates internalised frustrations within the Black experience and actively challenges audience perceptions of the Black performing body.

Jessica Walker is the artistic director of Walker Movement Theatre Company. Since graduating from Trinity Laban Conservatoire with MA Dance Performance she have been choreo-producing dance art installations surrounding the Black experience. Through this practice she actively uses choreography as a performative tool to create safe “thinking territories” in which audiences are encouraged to engage and reflect on their own perceptions and expectations of those who are “Other-ed” in our society. Walker trained in Ballet, Contemporary, African and Horton techniques and has choreographed for rapper Yxng Bane, Stylist Magazine, Channel 4’s Random Acts and various arts festivals whilst working as a Stunt Woman for film and TV. Artistic Director and Choreographer: Jessica Walker Dancers: Jayden Deans-Bolt Steffi Fashokun Georgia Thompson Adanna Lara Domnic Mitchell

Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage, Leicester. Serendipity’s mission is to centre perspectives from the African and African Caribbean Diaspora, embedded as part of cultural experiences for all. Serendipity’s programmes include the flagship dance festival, Let’s Dance International Frontiers, Black History Month Leicester and the Annual Windrush Day Lecture. Serendipity have established a legacy; hosting a growing living archive documenting Black arts, heritage and culture, publishing the voices of Black arts practitioners and community activists, nurturing artists to create high quality new work and mentoring young people.

Let's Dance International Frontiers Launching each year on 29 April, to celebrate International Dance Day, LDIF brings diversity to the forefront in dance with a two week festival showcasing new work from local emerging talent to internationally acclaimed companies. Showcasing high quality dance that celebrates diversity and intersectional identities, to date has supported the work of 280 artists from over 46 countries The theme for LDIF22 is In Situ: Responding to to Space, Place, People and Time.

Signatures Led by Serendipity, Signatures is a platform that provides opportunities to nurture and support undiscovered talent. Working with emerging dancers and choreographers based locally, nationally and internationally, Signatures will showcase excerpts of work in development; thought-provoking, explorative and always innovative, this is a unique opportunity to see rising stars of dance.

Black British Dance Platform The Black British Dance Platform is a collaboration between Serendipity and Dance4, with the ambition to support and nurture dance artists from the African and African Caribbean Diaspora, who are based in England, with a desire to present work internationally and supports the aims of cultivating a sector that is representative of contemporary Britain.

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